Monica, The premium to insure your house can go down based on the dwelling reconstruction value. The premium to insure your house was not higher because cedar shingle roofs are more risky but because they made the value of your house higher. When the new roof is completed I will do a new dwelling reconstruction evaluation and the total reconstruction value should be lower if it is a composition shingle roof so the premium should go down based on the value. It is less expensive to replace a composition shingle roof that a cedar shingle roof. It cost so much per/1000 to insure a dwellling and of course there are many other factors such as age of dwelling, type of structure, exterior materials, interior materials, etc.,and fire dept rating/distance and claims experience. Discounts are then calculated in such as multi line discounts for insuring all vehicles with us, fire and smoke detectors, dead bolt locks, motion detectors (all of which you have)and an additional discount can be added for smoke,fire or burgler alarms that report to a central station or alarm company. So please let me know when the new roof is completed and I will do a new dwelling reconstruction evaluation and need new photos. Also, believe it or not, sometimes rates per/1000 do go down and insurance premiums do go down based on total claim experience for a geographical area. It has actually happened here in Council Bluffs. See guys soon, Stevo
Review of the Bancroft Bar and Grill: I give it 3 stars in a 5 star rating system. Food: Good...not great. Nice size portions. Fresh ingredients. Nice/simple presentation. Nance had the Taco Salad...Tom & Granny had the Supreme Burrito. The cheese was grated on the thicker side and had a nice, smooth texture, the beef had a nice flavor and wasn't all ground into tiny bits nor was it greasy. The salad wasn't all lettuce. The tomatoes were a robust red color. The salad shell was pretty and the burrito was quite large. Eli, Liam and Grandpa had pizza...it was good. The boys loved it. A medium pizza was very big. ;-) Atmosphere: Very attractive. Large picture windows looking out onto beautiful downtown Bancroft. High ceiling ornamented with metal tiles...looked really cool but didn't do well for the acoustics. Wood walls had enclosed cabinets with liquor bottles and such on display. The tables were well spaced apart which allowed for privacy. Service: Excellent. Very friendly and our drinks were replenished without a wait. The food came in a reasonable amount of time. Once our meal was finished and the ticket completed...we needed some more drinks and although our Server had left...another Server readily noticed our need and took our order. Price points: Have no idea as Granny and Grandpa to care of the bill...thank you again! :-) Overall I think it's an attractive, fun (peanut bar), clean, decent place to enjoy a meal. The food isn't spectacular but it's good. The only negative was the acoustics. The Bar was not loud and yet it was difficult to hear. For example, each time the Bartender made a drink...the rattling of his ice permeated the surrounding space. It kind of felt like once the words left your lips they sorta traveled up and around and not to the person you were speaking with. We will definitely return. :-) Sidenote: There is something wonderfully liberating in tossing your peanut shells onto the floor. :-<>
We have not used the popcorn maker because we *sell* appetizers. A good thought though...we have considered it may times throughout the past 6 years. :-)
Tom and Nance, I don't think I would do the free popcorn. If I wanted that kind of place I would go to Bancroft. Sister Sarahs is a fancier. You have a cool bar with a cool atmosphere. I don't think you need it. It just leaves a huge mess. Maybe on ABATE weekend or other weekends like that.
Yah, definitely cannot give away popcorn when we sell apps and I don't think that Guests spending $18 on their meal wanna walk through/on popcorn. However, I do kinda like the idea of maybe using it from 10pm on...?
Well, the question is, do people buy more drinks when they're eating popcorn or do they reach a point of satiety sooner and/or decide not to order food after all? You should google "effect of free bar food on sales" or something and research it. If it doesn't increase sales enough to be worth the mess, forget it. Although pretty soon, you'll have some jonesing smokers who need something to do with their mouths. Maybe lace your popcorn with THC so they'll get the munchies
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Em! Any plans? Order in your favorite dinner and watch a movie on the couch? Load everyone up and go out somewhere? Have you found a babysitter? Have a good one.
Definitely cannot give away food where we sell it...however, there is something to the idea of salting-up a Guests palate (*after* kitchen hours) as it most likely will encourage them to drink more and the bar has a high profit margin. :-) Oh and it's enough of a challenge for Guests to save room for our $5 desserts! ;-) I have heard that the secret to awesome movie theatre popcorn is coconut oil.
That's a GREAT idea! We have set up our outdoor bar in the past...not every year as the bikers are usually not interested in sitting out in the heat. You're right, though, this IS the year to do it...for shizzle!
At the risk of being postaholic...I cannot deny that all of you are so creative, smart and have travelled and dined in many places. My bookwork, for the day, is complete and I am working on a few print ads. One of which, is a way to market the Patio as an awesome place to smoke while you drink and eat...without saying, "COME TO SISTER SARAH'S WHERE YOU CAN SMOKE!" Any ideas?
Good day to buy a house! Be sure it has no mouse, I forgot, you have a cat! Cat eats mouse, then gets fat! Emily's Earthday Birthday ...Jungle law's the only way!
Thinkin' on starting a Late Night Happy Hour...with FREE popcorn. Perhaps, 10-11? Gotta come up with a way to get the people who go to Pep's/Lava Lounge/Berte's Back9...to smoke and drink...to come here and do the same in our Patio. Will simply advertising the Patio be enough? How 'bout a big banner on the outside fence (facing HWY) of the Patio that reads, "SMOKING SECTION." Tacky? This smoking ban could be really good for our Bar business.
There's a bar in Iowa City (Airliner, I think) that did something called flip night. You would order your drinks and the bartender would flip a coin. You would call heads or tails and if you were right, you got your round for a penny. If you were wrong, you paid full price.
I think I would just emphasize that you have a nice OUTSIDE area (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more) because the smokers will get it, don't worry. That way any innocent non-smokers won't think of it as a "smoking area" if they just think it would be nice to be outside in the 20-minute springtime that is the northern plains. Put a few pots of flowers around.
Good point. Yah, we are currently trying to, "score," some new table umbrellas. We have relatively new tables/chairs. We have a little mini-bar that needs to be repainted and I have a tree that I plant flowers around. We only have 7 round tables that seat 4...wonder if we'll need more? Perhaps, just a big banner that says OUTDOOR SEATING. I know it's fairly obvious...but, the sign should bring extra attention to it.
I think we should get back to the matter at hand....Emily's birthday. What are you doing, Em?
So, today I have disposed of two roaches and killed one. They call them Palmetto Bugs but what they mean are giant flying cockroaches. I am so creeped out by them. I went to the hardware store for killing potion and info, and was told you really can't avoid them if you live on the ground floor. Luckily, they aren't the type to totally infest, but one can get in and lay her eggs etc. I pray all this poison works.
We did save most of the old green, plastic stackables when we purchased the new sets two years ago...they are stacked around the perimeter...probably have like 50!
One was dead when I found it. One was living. Down here roach doesn't mean the same thing to people as it does in northern climes... but I am NOT at that point.
The cats do play with them, that's how I found the live one. They won't eat them though. I'd say large house pet. THe one today without antennae was at least 2 inches long.
I wonder if he'll be eating with Patty? Or, Mari? Hey...maybe, Barack...as he's endorsing him. One thing is for sure...he'll be seated in the Patio. Wonder if I should go along and sit next to him...having a smoke?! Now, that would be awesome advertising with photos and not copy as Lisa suggested. :-)
Thanks for all the ideas. Sometimes we run out of ways to market our place. Ideas are always appreciated. Even if they hijack Emily's Birthday Blog...sorry, Em. And Happy Birthday to my favorite Minnesota residing sister.
It's tough to say "Come smoke and get drunk here" without actually saying it.
Oh, puke. Time to write our self-evaluations again. What were my goals for the 2007-08 fiscal year and the outcomes associated with each goal? Someone on the personnel committee with management experience convinced Fr. Dan that this is a good, businesslike way to treat personnel. There are FOUR people on staff. Then comes the review and then the raise. I say we should skip all the big-business bull and all go out for Taco Tuesday and skip right to the raise. Who needs more meetings? It's like a charade the pastor and staff member go through for the benefit of the personnel committee. Puke, puke, puke.
I think word of mouth and advertising the patio, or "patio specials" like fruity drinks and bloody marys are a good. In Ames, a lot of the bars went non-smoking a few years ago, but all the ones with patios worked hard to make their outside space look nice. Needless to say, they are the most successful now and just used word-of-mouth. Especially right now, since people are so happy it's nice weather and want to be outside!
the consultants (known as the bob's) have hit the dept i work in now. my boss has to stop by each employee twice a day and get an update on what they are doing and how they do it. i hate this crap, but i bet my boss hates it more.
on another note i used the word 'configurateded' in front of my boss's boss today. sweet.
I know they might be a bit pricey, but those propane heat lamps can extend the outdoor season by almost a month on each end of summer. That translates into a lot of sales to people who like to sit, drink and smoke. I know of few of those. As a matter of fact, I am one of those. And I keep 'em coming.
Yah know...we DO hate to monopolize the blog with our thoughts/questions regarding dining/drinking...however, we can't help but feel compelled to ask all of you. I am truthful when I say that you are all so creative, smart and dining savvy...'cuz you are! I do, also, ask my own famiy and friends and weigh their ideas with all that you have to share. The information is, truly, invaluable and we greatly appreciate your time. For example...sometimes we receive information that, on the surface, doesn't seem workable. Like the suggestion of popcorn...well, we have thought of that too. Popcorn, during kitchen hours, may doesn't work...*BUT*...popcorn during Happy Hour, when the kitchen is closed, is something I haven't thought about...until today. A great thing! Thanks m.e. :-) This all being said...what about heat lamps? What are they...exactly? I know what they are...but, how could we use them...specifically? Also, we need to consider bug-zappers. However, will people be grossed out when a bug is zapped while they eat their meal? We are too close to consider some of these factors...thus, our reason for asking all of you. Still wondering where the heck Emily is? Called her. Sang to her. Is she okay?
Thank you all you well wishers. I wanted to be mysterious on my b-day. Not really, I was just very busy. Not with anything special- grocery shopping, bathing babies, doing laundry, etc. We went out looking at houses sat, sun and mon, so things had piled up. No luck yet. Last night we went to an Indian restuarant because I've been craving Indan food since Ellen K's b-day. Then we came home and had cake (Jude loves to sing the birthday song) and i got a gift certificate for a massage which I think is really the best present in the world. No sitter, it would have been nice, but once we find a house and settle in, we'll look for sitters. We have some friends who take Jude quite frequently while we're house hunting though. Anyway, hope you all had a nice Earth Day.
Wipes out? Hilary gets 87 delegates and Obama gets 71. That changes his lead by 16 total delegates out of 2000+. It might signal a momentum change, though. What I thought interesting is that Hilary leads substantially among Catholics - why?
Maybe it's more about being a white ethnic demographic than a Catholic one.
Barack just emailed me and pointed out that he cut Hilary's lead from over 25% a few weeks ago to 10%. Now it's important that I help him win in Indiana.
Cathy - I have to believe that the "clinging to religion" comment had a lot to do with the Catholic vote. It was a slam against people of faith in an effort to pander to a room full of secularist "progressives".
The more the formerly undefined McSlimy becomes defined the less palatable he becomes. Hillary is doing McCain's heavy lifting right now.
m.e.~ Tom and I talked about the heat lamps last night...fans too. Tom thinks that the heat lamps would run about $250(?) each and I'm unsure how many we would need. I asked my sister if she agreed with what Cathy suggested about outdoor fans and she did. That will be a cheap and easy addition. :-) Next week, we're gonna fire-up the popcorn machine and see if it works...I promised Renee that I would come in early, every morning, and sweep the popcorn...I'm actually gonna bring Guinness in to take care of it, ha! Our Economic Stimulus Payment will pay for (a portion of) some new tv's in the bar...just gotta decide how many and what sizes. Thanks for the ideas...feel free to keep 'em coming. ;-) Eli and Betty are in Sioux City, today, attending Mass with the Bishop. Eli was very upset stating that he already goes to church every week and doesn't wanna travel 3 hours to go twice. Oh well...he'll be super holy, I guess.
Throughtout the years we have considered that...however, we can't help but think it would be a liability. Makes us nervous mixing a semi-darkened area with alcohol and open flames...?
Perhaps, we could find some that are semi-enclosed? Or, would people "under the influence" get gutsy and mess with 'em? I don't know. Good idea though. :-) Working on a few ads right now... 1) Scott Larsen to play every first and third Friday through the Summer. 2) Patio 3) Late-Night Happy Hour (10-11) w/ FREE popcorn...hopefully.
REgarding fans: There was a diner in Des Moines that had an outdoor patio and fans... it was my favorite place to eat on summer evenings. The fans were huge.
Costco.com and type in "patio heaters"...they're $199-249...ok, in 33 years of marriage Mike and I have RARELY been home on a Saturday night...my point is, I've been on many a bar patio and I've NEVER seen fans, but I've seen lots of patio heaters...so there is my opinion.
I think we're getting fans *and* heaters...bug zappers(?)...and, other way cool stuff that no one in Algona nor the surrounding areas either have or have ever thought of. :-)
I have a Hallmark commercial in the "one show" people's choice awards. If anybody has time to vote for it, that would be incredible. But only vote for it if you're going to give it five stars. Just kidding. This isn't Iran. I'm not going to tell you how to vote. Five stars. I mean, that's the wonderful thing about this country is that we have the right to practice free will. Five starts. Here's the link. Enjoy!
I enjoy commercials with good story lines like this one.
On the radio today, I heard an interview about how so many bars in the area are advertising their newly revamped or soon to be remodeled patio areas. They mentioned that smokers are looking for this, and understand that "nice patio" or "outdoor seating" means good smoking section! If anyone cares (JOe J), it was an interview of Joe Lawler, who writes for Juice, the DM entertainment mag. Joe's girlfriend Brianne writes for also.
Ah man...sorry Des...tried to view it but it was all choppy and icky. I don't know why our computer does that with videos??? I will click on it again and see if I can vote without actually viewing it. :-(
Saw on the morning news today that Hillary raised $10 mill since Pennsylvania. I recall on Tuesday they were saying her campaign was $10 mill in debt. Now that she's covered the debt do you think she'll try to broker a deal w/ McSlimey? VP? Sec of State?
Just got off the phone with Dave Kabrick (Budweiser) and he said that he's under the impression that if yah serve food on the Patio...yah, can't allow smoking. Thought about calling Chet and asking. Whatayahthink?
Yesterday was a beautiful balmy day in the 70's. At the last minute Stevo and I decided to go to the Creighton/Nebraska game at Rosenblatt. We arrived in the bottom of the 4th and they let us in for free. Up until then the game had been exciting (we listened on the radio) with first Nebraska up, then Creighton, then Nebraska. When we parked it was 4-3 Creighton. As soon as we sat down, a 51-minute half inning ensued in which Nebraska scored 13 runs, Creighton went through 5 pitchers, and every outfielder and the shortstop let what looked like at least one easy catch get by. The last out was a routine grounder to short who managed to throw it to first in time. Creighton fans rose to their feet with a roar as if they had just made a triple play or something. More than a bit of sarcasm showing there. Then, in the rest of the game they played sharp and outscored Nebraska. Sigh. One Big Red fan near us kept crowing like a rooster. I was tempted to clip his, er, wings. Beautiful night for baseball, though.
Ha...yah, it does! I looked up the smokefree air act: bill summary (HF2122) and it brought me to the Iowa House of Representatives-House of Democrats. I called the House Research Staff and spoke with someone there (Rachelle). The bill is signed, it's law and effective 07/01/08. We are soooooooooooo relieved that you can still eat on the Patio if you allow smoking. We had heard, from a few people, that food would not be allowed in smoking areas...even outdoors. Whew! :-)
Did you all read Joe K's posting at the bottom of the last blog...how his family lived above the Main Steet Pub...
I didn't realize there was a House of Dems either... Saturday Mike and I are both delegates to the district and then the state democratic convention..should be fun...I'm trying to contact Bob Kerrey to endorse me as a candidate to the National...ya never know!!
Today, I spoke with a gal here at City Hall and she said that Chet's wife (Mari) is a smoker. Wonder if she's mad at him? Oh well, if she comes to lunch with him on the 7th...they can sit out on the Patio! I'll have a super secret camera-man (Renee's husband?)peering through the fence slats and take a pix...great advertising.
Ahh rain. Coming in my basement-eventhough I told them not to take off my gutters they did and through the roof where the shingles are not on yet, just the rain guard. It's not doing it's job. Stupid house. Stupid roofer. Stupid rain.
Woo-hoo! that might help you. Start saving for your trip to Denver. You will need to print up handouts to campaign to be a delegate - include that letter.
I'm listening to a woman on NPR telling about her double life as an elementary school teacher in LA and a weekend exotic dancer in Las Vegas. Most of her scary moments have come from recognizing someone in public and wondering if it's from a parent-teacher conference or from the stage when she was stripping. The interviewer asked her when she was going to stop leading a double life and she said, "Well, I'm 37. The problem's going to take care of itself sooner or later."
I test for my yellow-striped belt tomorrow. This is what I must do:
1: Form 2: Knife defense 3: One step sparring 4: Numchucks form (most difficult for me, swinging those things correctly) 5: Hop ki so move. 6: Blocks form. Or something like that.
Oh, I forgot my breaking board kick and my white belt kick combo. The board is really a plastic board for white belts. Hooks together like legos kind of.
I had a fine time. They made a comment that made me pretty uncomfortable, (racial stereotype) but it's their house I guess they can say what they want. I finally got her parent's names down.
You can spar with Zane at the farm. Or better yet, we could have a martial arts event for the competition, with judging. People can make up their own martial art if they don't have one. What is your partner's name? Do you use real numchucks and have you bonked yourself in the head with them? I know I would. Good luck on your test!
Fr. Lazarus couldn't wait any longer and planted some cabbages, Brussels sprouts and kohlrabi yesterday. I told him he better not pland his tomatoes and peppers yet and he listened (!). This morning I told him we might get a frost over the weekend and he wiped his hands over his face in a peculiarly African gesture and muttered something about a "crazy place."
Good-Luck, Pat, on your test today! Congratulations, Mary, on your recommendation letter. :-) Both...very cool.
Last night, we had a bit of a, "deja vu," when our basement flooded. :-( I never thought it would happen again as we took many precautions after the last time. Additionally, the flood/rains from last August didn't cause us a problem and that, too, gave us confidence. I guess because the ground was still recovering from the long winter...it couldn't handle the strong rains. :-( My parents are coming, this morning, to help Tom and I with the clean-up process. Sigh.
The kitty just brought me another cockroach . It was like a mouse in her mouth, she was carrying it around just like that. And it was big enough for her to do so. It took lots of lysol spray to kill it off.
Maybe it's the time of year they move indoors or something. We went 3 months without seeing any.
I did ask my best friend's parents if there was anything to do and they confirmed, you just have to deal with it. Next apartment will be in a complex where they spray and up at least a floor. And, not too much vegetation around the house. They love palm trees and palmetto fronds and such and that's where they usually live.
For one of my courses this semester, groups of students had to pick a topic with an impact to nursing and visit our Senate or House reps in Des Moines. Anyway, out groups topic was the smoking ban in Iowa, and we are still discussing some of the issues in our groups. I don't know how it will all play out, but here is a copy and pasted section of the latest on restaurants.
6 34 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 142D.3 PROHIBITION OF SMOKING == 6 35 PUBLIC PLACES, PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT, AND OUTDOOR AREAS. 7 1 1. Smoking is prohibited and a person shall not smoke in 7 2 any of the following: 7 3 a. Public places. 7 4 b. All enclosed areas within places of employment 7 5 including but not limited to work areas, private offices, 7 6 conference and meeting rooms, classrooms, auditoriums, 7 7 employee lounges and cafeterias, hallways, medical facilities, 7 8 restrooms, elevators, stairways and stairwells, and vehicles 7 9 owned, leased, or provided by the employer unless otherwise 7 10 provided under this chapter. 7 11 2. In addition to the prohibitions specified in subsection 7 12 1, smoking is prohibited and a person shall not smoke in or on 7 13 any of the following outdoor areas: 7 14 a. The seating areas of outdoor sports arenas, stadiums, 7 15 amphitheaters and other entertainment venues where members of 7 16 the general public assemble to witness entertainment events. 7 17 b. Outdoor seating or serving areas of restaurants.
Like I said, it remains to be seen how this will be enforced. Kelli
The person I spoke with said that "outdoor patio seating" was completely fine as long as there wasn't any kind of ceiling. I tend to (want to) believe her as she works for Chet Culvers' peeps...I believe. ;-) I do know that some outdoor venues (as stated above) are included (in the ban) because they are public areas which are not restaurant/bar related.
Ahh, Nance and Tom I feel your pain. Our roofer said he would have someone in to paint where our leaks were. Thank god. The leaks ended up in 4 different rooms. Couldn't believe the rain. I'm glad it's sunny and windy now. Tomorrow is supposed to be good too. We had a very minimal amount in our basement. The joys of owning a house. Good luck to you two.
I don't see how you get around 7 17 b. ("outdoor seating or serving areas of restaurants") unless there's a definitional section of the statute that saves you. What is a restaurant? Perhaps, for purposes of the statute you are a bar and not a restaurant.
10. Spends most of her time campaigning in Sleepy's mattress stores 9. Barely has enough energy to lie about battling Bosnian snipers 8. Last night, spent 2 hours debating a coat rack 7. Agreed not to dispute Florida and Michigan delegates in exchange for a nap 6. Announced a new tax break for kitties 5. Greeted Philadelphia voters with, "It's great to be back in Tacoma!" 4. She's mismatching her pantsuits 3. When asked how she'd fight terrorism, she said, "Two words: Iron Man" 2. 3 a.m. phone call? "Let the machine get it" 1. So tired, she actually crawled in to bed with Bill
The IDPH is is the process of writing the rules the public will follow. They aren't giving any info out until they are done because there is a lot of misinformation out there that they don't want to add to. Here are the bar/restaurant definitions...but how the rules will read...who knows yet. http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=BillInfo&Service=Billbook&ga=82&hbill=HF2212
Bar is defined as: 1 25 1. "Bar" means an establishment where one may purchase 1 26 alcoholic beverages as defined in section 123.3, for 1 27 consumption on the premises and in which the serving of food 1 28 is only incidental to the consumption of those beverages.
Restaurant is defined as: 6 5 17. "Restaurant" means eating establishments, including 6 6 private and public school cafeterias, which offer food to the 6 7 public, guests, or employees, including the kitchen and 6 8 catering facilities in which food is prepared on the premises 6 9 for serving elsewhere, and including a bar area within a 6 10 restaurant.
Nance said she has spoken with someone who has assured her people will be able to smoke on the patio. LOL..people with bars will be building outdoor patios like crazy!! When our group researched this topic, we found that businesses actually don't lose revenue because of smoking bans though, which is good. Kelli
Nance...get the woman's name from Culver's office, maybe ask if she is the authority on this issue for Culver. Then sue her ass (and Culver's) if she wrong.
Well, bearing in mind that I'm a former smoker and used to smoke up people's houses all the time, I will say that now, sometimes if we're talking about going to a bar, but not really set on it, just trying to decide, the idea of going somewhere all smoky and loud turns me off. I don't like to breathe it and I hate that my hair and clothes smell smoky afterward. So maybe bars and restaurants will pick up some biz from prunefaces like me.
I really do think we should not smoke in Mom and Dad's kitchen...smoking IS allowed on their patio..screened in porch...garage. That's my resolution...do I have a motion??
The roofers are about 2/3 done. I don't know if they are coming tomorrow. They are all Mexican and I can't talk to them so I have to wait until their boss shows up. I have called him various times but I don't want to be a pain in the a** because I want them to do the job right. I bring them pastries in the morning and treats in the afternoon. I even grilled hamburgers for them the first night because they work until there is no more light left. They always have really good smelling lunches from an authentic Mexican restraurant. I gave them sweatshirts to wear this afternoon since it is all the sudden really cold out. They were all huddled in their van eating their snack. Poor guys. I just hope they are being paid decently.
RE: Rebate checks. They will be mailed out based on your SS number. Using the last digits of your number they will be mailed out in the order of least to greatest. My didgits are 02.
So this weekend I saw Kevin D. in his play. It was good.....12 Angry Men. If you've seen the movie, his character was played by Ed Begley. If you havent seen it, you should rent it. He was great in the play. Afterwards we took a boat taxi (Fort Lauderdale is actually quite a cool city - canals and such) to a restaurant, then went back to the theater and I left. It was a nice day. He looks the same, only older.
My cousin, Ellie, has a college friend who is a journalist for the magazine, "The Economist." He lives in Honduras and covers Central America. He recently shared a funny story about Cheetos. Here are his words: "I was reporting from Iraq (December 2005 to December 2006) and was at a U.S. Army base in Baghdad when a suicide bomber drove his SUV towards the front gate and didn't stop as soldiers yelled at him. Soldiers shot at the vehicle, detonating the bombs and releasing a strong explosion. After the dust settled, we saw that he had filled his vehicle with Cheetos to conceal the scent of explosives from the military sniffer dogs. Soldiers (mainly privates) grudgingly spent the rest of the rainy day trying to clean up thousands of sticky Cheetos mixed with car debris and body parts. It was horrendous but also kind of silly, and whenever I returned to the base there were still jokes and stories circulating about the "Cheeto bomber."
Tom, a real man can say no to a foolish challenge from a woman and not worry about his face. It's never in the leader's best interest to debate. Over the weekend I heard several clips of Hilary declining to debate when she was ahead in senate primaries. They've had 21 debates already. They stopped being edifying by about the 4th one. I get sick of the stupid questions asking them to respond to campaign attacks and the "Will you pledge right now..." questions. Sometimes I wish the candidates would look at the moderators and say, "That's a stupid, cynical, disingenuous question and you know it. Your job is to report the news, not create it."
My test went well. I am now a white belt with a yellow stripe. I broke a real board with my foot. I still have the board as memento.
I watched my wedding video last night. I want to say that it was not very nice for people to drift away from the group dance with Uncle Father Bob and leave me and him dancing alone to Paradise by the Dashboard Lights, so that when the lyrics were saying "we're gonna go all the way tonight, we're gonna go all the way tonight tonight" over and over, it was just me and him. P
I don't really care for video. One person is experiencing everything one step removed, through the camera lens, instead of experiencing it directly, and everyone else watches videos of their special moments unsoftened by time and selective memory and are forced to realize that they are not, and never will be, spokesmodels. A couple nice photos - there's the ticket.
Congratulations, Pat...that's very cool. :-) Just returned from running errands and throw the word, "running," out there loosely as I actually limped with the foot I sprained on Friday. Spent the entire weekend (with my folks) sucking water, mopping floors and doing about 9 million loads of laundry. Joe and Joey stopped over and helped Tom and my Dad haul out carpet...thank God for Joey...'cuz it was cumbersome and heavy! Yes, yes thank God for Joe, Tom and Dad too. :-) Still have lots of sheet rock to remove...perhaps, Pat can come over and, "karate chop," it out?! Ha! ;-)
Mike and i attended the Democratic District convention on Saturday...it was LONG. I was trying to get elected to the National Conv...and found I had to give a speech!!Yikes, about 300people, but I did it. I ended my speech with "As for Denver, Ithink I could do good job recruiting Hillary delegates in Denver because I would look familiar, a middle aged woman who wears pantsuits" it got a good laugh, but, alas I didn't win. A cute 18 yr. old and a middle aged Black woman...I'm now officially an Angry Middleaged White Woman.
Our roof is finished and now we are getting new gutters. I need a super cheap house painter now. Because I am out of money. Anyone? I'll give you snacks.
Drink deep!
175 comments:
Happy Birthday Emily! How are you celebrating? Your present should be a new house.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!!!!!!!!!!!
I HOPE THE HOUSE HUNTING PROVES FRUITFUL TODAY!
P
Monica, The premium to insure your house can go down based on the dwelling reconstruction value. The premium to insure your house was not higher because cedar shingle roofs are more risky but because they made the value of your house higher. When the new roof is completed I will do a new dwelling reconstruction evaluation and the total reconstruction value should be lower if it is a composition shingle roof so the premium should go down based on the value. It is less expensive to replace a composition shingle roof that a cedar shingle roof. It cost so much per/1000 to insure a dwellling and of course there are many other factors such as age of dwelling, type of structure, exterior materials, interior materials, etc.,and fire dept rating/distance and claims experience. Discounts are then calculated in such as multi line discounts for insuring all vehicles with us, fire and smoke detectors, dead bolt locks, motion detectors (all of which you have)and an additional discount can be added for smoke,fire or burgler alarms that report to a central station or alarm company.
So please let me know when the new roof is completed and I will do a new dwelling reconstruction evaluation and need new photos.
Also, believe it or not, sometimes rates per/1000 do go down and insurance premiums do go down based on total claim experience for a geographical area. It has actually happened here in Council Bluffs.
See guys soon, Stevo
Review of the Bancroft Bar and Grill:
I give it 3 stars in a 5 star rating system.
Food: Good...not great. Nice size portions. Fresh ingredients. Nice/simple presentation. Nance had the Taco Salad...Tom & Granny had the Supreme Burrito. The cheese was grated on the thicker side and had a nice, smooth texture, the beef had a nice flavor and wasn't all ground into tiny bits nor was it greasy. The salad wasn't all lettuce. The tomatoes were a robust red color. The salad shell was pretty and the burrito was quite large. Eli, Liam and Grandpa had pizza...it was good. The boys loved it. A medium pizza was very big. ;-)
Atmosphere: Very attractive. Large picture windows looking out onto beautiful downtown Bancroft. High ceiling ornamented with metal tiles...looked really cool but didn't do well for the acoustics. Wood walls had enclosed cabinets with liquor bottles and such on display. The tables were well spaced apart which allowed for privacy.
Service: Excellent. Very friendly and our drinks were replenished without a wait. The food came in a reasonable amount of time. Once our meal was finished and the ticket completed...we needed some more drinks and although our Server had left...another Server readily noticed our need and took our order.
Price points: Have no idea as Granny and Grandpa to care of the bill...thank you again! :-)
Overall I think it's an attractive, fun (peanut bar), clean, decent place to enjoy a meal. The food isn't spectacular but it's good. The only negative was the acoustics. The Bar was not loud and yet it was difficult to hear. For example, each time the Bartender made a drink...the rattling of his ice permeated the surrounding space. It kind of felt like once the words left your lips they sorta traveled up and around and not to the person you were speaking with.
We will definitely return. :-)
Sidenote: There is something wonderfully liberating in tossing your peanut shells onto the floor. :-<>
Emily, What is your address? Mom and Dsd
PO# 684
Algona, IA
50511
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/priest-vanishes-on-party-balloon-flight/20080422065509990001?icid=100214839x1200508592x1200018897
Happy Earthday Emily!
I commented below about Kennedy's Main Street Bar and Grill...heat up your popcorn maker Tom! Don't you think it increases bar sales?
We have not used the popcorn maker because we *sell* appetizers.
A good thought though...we have considered it may times throughout the past 6 years. :-)
Happy Birthday Em! Hope you have a great fun day and get to do whatever you want to do, including finding the perfect house.
Hmmm...just had a thought. I could use the popcorn maker, at night, when the kitchen is closed...hmm.
Tom and Nance,
I don't think I would do the free popcorn. If I wanted that kind of place I would go to Bancroft. Sister Sarahs is a fancier. You have a cool bar with a cool atmosphere. I don't think you need it. It just leaves a huge mess. Maybe on ABATE weekend or other weekends like that.
Monica
Happy Birthday Emily. Today's the day for a new house. 1/3 of our roof is on and it poured this morning. No leaks.
Monica
Yah, definitely cannot give away popcorn when we sell apps and I don't think that Guests spending $18 on their meal wanna walk through/on popcorn. However, I do kinda like the idea of maybe using it from 10pm on...?
Well, the question is, do people buy more drinks when they're eating popcorn or do they reach a point of satiety sooner and/or decide not to order food after all? You should google "effect of free bar food on sales" or something and research it. If it doesn't increase sales enough to be worth the mess, forget it. Although pretty soon, you'll have some jonesing smokers who need something to do with their mouths. Maybe lace your popcorn with THC so they'll get the munchies
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Em! Any plans? Order in your favorite dinner and watch a movie on the couch? Load everyone up and go out somewhere? Have you found a babysitter? Have a good one.
Definitely cannot give away food where we sell it...however, there is something to the idea of salting-up a Guests palate (*after* kitchen hours) as it most likely will encourage them to drink more and the bar has a high profit margin. :-)
Oh and it's enough of a challenge for Guests to save room for our $5 desserts! ;-)
I have heard that the secret to awesome movie theatre popcorn is coconut oil.
During ABATE do you set up a keg outside like a little minibar on the patio? If not, this year might be the year to give it a try.
That's a GREAT idea! We have set up our outdoor bar in the past...not every year as the bikers are usually not interested in sitting out in the heat. You're right, though, this IS the year to do it...for shizzle!
Get some big fans and bigger ashtrays. This is the Year of the Patio.
Fans...outdoors...would it help? Never thought of that.
Printing off reports...almost done. Woohoo.
Happy birthday, Emily! To celebrate are you house hunting or giving it a rest?
When was that picture taken? And why do you get to have food in teh family room?
Have a fun year!
Lisa
At the risk of being postaholic...I cannot deny that all of you are so creative, smart and have travelled and dined in many places. My bookwork, for the day, is complete and I am working on a few print ads. One of which, is a way to market the Patio as an awesome place to smoke while you drink and eat...without saying, "COME TO SISTER SARAH'S WHERE YOU CAN SMOKE!"
Any ideas?
you could do it with photos instead of copy.
lisa
Good day to buy a house!
Be sure it has no mouse,
I forgot, you have a cat!
Cat eats mouse, then gets fat!
Emily's Earthday Birthday
...Jungle law's the only way!
"Come to Sister Sarah's, you might see someone FAMOUS smoking on the patio!"
"Sister Sarah's Patio...we clean the ashtrays every 30 minutes!"
"To Smoke or Not To Smoke? It's no question on Sister Sarah's Patio"
Thinkin' on starting a Late Night Happy Hour...with FREE popcorn. Perhaps, 10-11?
Gotta come up with a way to get the people who go to Pep's/Lava Lounge/Berte's Back9...to smoke and drink...to come here and do the same in our Patio. Will simply advertising the Patio be enough? How 'bout a big banner on the outside fence (facing HWY) of the Patio that reads, "SMOKING SECTION." Tacky?
This smoking ban could be really good for our Bar business.
SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING:
Smoking Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.
But if you want to do it on our patio anyway go right ahead.
There's a bar in Iowa City (Airliner, I think) that did something called flip night. You would order your drinks and the bartender would flip a coin. You would call heads or tails and if you were right, you got your round for a penny. If you were wrong, you paid full price.
Happy Birthday, Emily!
I think I would just emphasize that you have a nice OUTSIDE area (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more) because the smokers will get it, don't worry. That way any innocent non-smokers won't think of it as a "smoking area" if they just think it would be nice to be outside in the 20-minute springtime that is the northern plains. Put a few pots of flowers around.
Good point. Yah, we are currently trying to, "score," some new table umbrellas. We have relatively new tables/chairs. We have a little mini-bar that needs to be repainted and I have a tree that I plant flowers around. We only have 7 round tables that seat 4...wonder if we'll need more?
Perhaps, just a big banner that says OUTDOOR SEATING. I know it's fairly obvious...but, the sign should bring extra attention to it.
Maybe just free popcorn on the patio? Patio Specials? Springtime Specials? Smoker's Specials? ("Where you can eat, drink and smoke at the same time")
I think the banner is a good idea.
Maybe you could get away with just having a few cheap stackable chairs around without buying more nice furniture until you know how it's going to do.
I think we should get back to the matter at hand....Emily's birthday. What are you doing, Em?
So, today I have disposed of two roaches and killed one. They call them Palmetto Bugs but what they mean are giant flying cockroaches. I am so creeped out by them. I went to the hardware store for killing potion and info, and was told you really can't avoid them if you live on the ground floor. Luckily, they aren't the type to totally infest, but one can get in and lay her eggs etc. I pray all this poison works.
In December we will move.
P
We did save most of the old green, plastic stackables when we purchased the new sets two years ago...they are stacked around the perimeter...probably have like 50!
I've seen those giant flying cockroaches. eeeuwarggh (shudder).
So when you say "disposed of two and killed one" what does that mean?
Point taken, Pat.
Where IS Emily?
Cockroaches are a deal breaker...I'd move too.
One was dead when I found it. One was living.
Down here roach doesn't mean the same thing to people as it does in northern climes... but I am NOT at that point.
P
What does roach mean to people in the northern climate?
I mean, do they say "palmetto clip"?
pat, do the cats hunt them, or are they afraid of them too?
em, happy birthday. tell us what you're doing. tell us NOW.
In Florida, roach means a small house pet with a shiny exoskeleton.
The cats do play with them, that's how I found the live one. They won't eat them though.
I'd say large house pet. THe one today without antennae was at least 2 inches long.
p
I'd put poison on the tips of your cats claws and then when they, "play," with the roaches...it'll be death-play.
i thought we were suppose to be talking about Emily?
Emily who?
p
Emily doesn't have roaches.
Yah, if Emily isn't gonna post on *her* B-Day...then, phewey! ;-)
Tried calling her...she's not even near her phone on her B-Day? Think she's okay?
She's never been OK, But we love her anyway.
When Gov. Chet Culver is at Sarah's on May 7th for lunch, you could have him christen the "Smoking Patio"!
I wonder if he'll be eating with Patty? Or, Mari? Hey...maybe, Barack...as he's endorsing him. One thing is for sure...he'll be seated in the Patio. Wonder if I should go along and sit next to him...having a smoke?! Now, that would be awesome advertising with photos and not copy as Lisa suggested. :-)
Thanks for all the ideas. Sometimes we run out of ways to market our place. Ideas are always appreciated. Even if they hijack Emily's Birthday Blog...sorry, Em. And Happy Birthday to my favorite Minnesota residing sister.
It's tough to say "Come smoke and get drunk here" without actually saying it.
Tom
I agree and concur...thanks all. :-)
Emily is busy smoking and getting drunk on a patio in Minnesota.
Monica
Good one, my favorite Robbins Residing Sister.
Tom
Oh, puke. Time to write our self-evaluations again. What were my goals for the 2007-08 fiscal year and the outcomes associated with each goal? Someone on the personnel committee with management experience convinced Fr. Dan that this is a good, businesslike way to treat personnel. There are FOUR people on staff. Then comes the review and then the raise. I say we should skip all the big-business bull and all go out for Taco Tuesday and skip right to the raise. Who needs more meetings? It's like a charade the pastor and staff member go through for the benefit of the personnel committee. Puke, puke, puke.
Happy Birthday Emily!
I think word of mouth and advertising the patio, or "patio specials" like fruity drinks and bloody marys are a good. In Ames, a lot of the bars went non-smoking a few years ago, but all the ones with patios worked hard to make their outside space look nice. Needless to say, they are the most successful now and just used word-of-mouth. Especially right now, since people are so happy it's nice weather and want to be outside!
the consultants (known as the bob's) have hit the dept i work in now. my boss has to stop by each employee twice a day and get an update on what they are doing and how they do it. i hate this crap, but i bet my boss hates it more.
on another note i used the word 'configurateded' in front of my boss's boss today. sweet.
Nance -
I know they might be a bit pricey, but those propane heat lamps can extend the outdoor season by almost a month on each end of summer. That translates into a lot of sales to people who like to sit, drink and smoke. I know of few of those. As a matter of fact, I am one of those. And I keep 'em coming.
Des
Yah know...we DO hate to monopolize the blog with our thoughts/questions regarding dining/drinking...however, we can't help but feel compelled to ask all of you. I am truthful when I say that you are all so creative, smart and dining savvy...'cuz you are! I do, also, ask my own famiy and friends and weigh their ideas with all that you have to share. The information is, truly, invaluable and we greatly appreciate your time.
For example...sometimes we receive information that, on the surface, doesn't seem workable. Like the suggestion of popcorn...well, we have thought of that too. Popcorn, during kitchen hours, may doesn't work...*BUT*...popcorn during Happy Hour, when the kitchen is closed, is something I haven't thought about...until today. A great thing! Thanks m.e. :-)
This all being said...what about heat lamps? What are they...exactly? I know what they are...but, how could we use them...specifically? Also, we need to consider bug-zappers. However, will people be grossed out when a bug is zapped while they eat their meal? We are too close to consider some of these factors...thus, our reason for asking all of you.
Still wondering where the heck Emily is? Called her. Sang to her. Is she okay?
Thank you all you well wishers. I wanted to be mysterious on my b-day. Not really, I was just very busy. Not with anything special- grocery shopping, bathing babies, doing laundry, etc. We went out looking at houses sat, sun and mon, so things had piled up. No luck yet. Last night we went to an Indian restuarant because I've been craving Indan food since Ellen K's b-day. Then we came home and had cake (Jude loves to sing the birthday song) and i got a gift certificate for a massage which I think is really the best present in the world. No sitter, it would have been nice, but once we find a house and settle in, we'll look for sitters. We have some friends who take Jude quite frequently while we're house hunting though. Anyway, hope you all had a nice Earth Day.
I cannot imagine how incredibly tired those two are. I bet Indiana goes to Barack.
p
Wipes out? Hilary gets 87 delegates and Obama gets 71. That changes his lead by 16 total delegates out of 2000+. It might signal a momentum change, though. What I thought interesting is that Hilary leads substantially among Catholics - why?
Because Catholics are old.
Maybe it's more about being a white ethnic demographic than a Catholic one.
Barack just emailed me and pointed out that he cut Hilary's lead from over 25% a few weeks ago to 10%. Now it's important that I help him win in Indiana.
What a-hole said Catholics are old?
Oh, we're supposed to ignore anon. blogger...
Those Patio heaters are amazing and all the bars have them in Omaha, too...I bet you can find them at COSCO or SAMS.
Cathy - I have to believe that the "clinging to religion" comment had a lot to do with the Catholic vote. It was a slam against people of faith in an effort to pander to a room full of secularist "progressives".
The more the formerly undefined McSlimy becomes defined the less palatable he becomes. Hillary is doing McCain's heavy lifting right now.
Tom
m.e.~ Tom and I talked about the heat lamps last night...fans too. Tom thinks that the heat lamps would run about $250(?) each and I'm unsure how many we would need. I asked my sister if she agreed with what Cathy suggested about outdoor fans and she did. That will be a cheap and easy addition. :-)
Next week, we're gonna fire-up the popcorn machine and see if it works...I promised Renee that I would come in early, every morning, and sweep the popcorn...I'm actually gonna bring Guinness in to take care of it, ha!
Our Economic Stimulus Payment will pay for (a portion of) some new tv's in the bar...just gotta decide how many and what sizes.
Thanks for the ideas...feel free to keep 'em coming. ;-)
Eli and Betty are in Sioux City, today, attending Mass with the Bishop. Eli was very upset stating that he already goes to church every week and doesn't wanna travel 3 hours to go twice. Oh well...he'll be super holy, I guess.
I think the heat lamsp are a good idea and people will stay out longer and drink more.
or you could do those chimnea outdoor fireplace things... there's a spanish restaurant in town that uses those on their patio....
Throughtout the years we have considered that...however, we can't help but think it would be a liability. Makes us nervous mixing a semi-darkened area with alcohol and open flames...?
yeah, just a thought. i think it would look better than space heaters, but the open flame thing is a consideration...
Perhaps, we could find some that are semi-enclosed? Or, would people "under the influence" get gutsy and mess with 'em? I don't know. Good idea though. :-)
Working on a few ads right now...
1) Scott Larsen to play every first and third Friday through the Summer.
2) Patio
3) Late-Night Happy Hour (10-11) w/ FREE popcorn...hopefully.
REgarding fans:
There was a diner in Des Moines that had an outdoor patio and fans... it was my favorite place to eat on summer evenings. The fans were huge.
lisa
Costco.com and type in "patio heaters"...they're $199-249...ok, in 33 years of marriage Mike and I have RARELY been home on a Saturday night...my point is, I've been on many a bar patio and I've NEVER seen fans, but I've seen lots of patio heaters...so there is my opinion.
Emily, I like your China!
I think we're getting fans *and* heaters...bug zappers(?)...and, other way cool stuff that no one in Algona nor the surrounding areas either have or have ever thought of. :-)
What china?
best break out them heaters, they're talking snow here in madison sunday night/monday morning.
in the above sentence the 'yeehaw' is silent.
I have a Hallmark commercial in the "one show" people's choice awards. If anybody has time to vote for it, that would be incredible. But only vote for it if you're going to give it five stars. Just kidding. This isn't Iran. I'm not going to tell you how to vote. Five stars. I mean, that's the wonderful thing about this country is that we have the right to practice free will. Five starts. Here's the link. Enjoy!
Hallmark spot
Thanks!
Des, when I clicked on the 5th star the word "awesome" appeared, did that mean I gave it 5 stars?
Yes.
I voted. I love the cat thing in that ad.
p
I enjoy commercials with good story lines like this one.
On the radio today, I heard an interview about how so many bars in the area are advertising their newly revamped or soon to be remodeled patio areas. They mentioned that smokers are looking for this, and understand that "nice patio" or "outdoor seating" means good smoking section! If anyone cares (JOe J), it was an interview of Joe Lawler, who writes for Juice, the DM entertainment mag. Joe's girlfriend Brianne writes for also.
Ah man...sorry Des...tried to view it but it was all choppy and icky. I don't know why our computer does that with videos??? I will click on it again and see if I can vote without actually viewing it. :-(
Saw on the morning news today that Hillary raised $10 mill since Pennsylvania. I recall on Tuesday they were saying her campaign was $10 mill in debt. Now that she's covered the debt do you think she'll try to broker a deal w/ McSlimey? VP? Sec of State?
Des -
I can't hear your ad but voted for it anyway.
cheers,
lisa
I don't think yah can vote until you've viewed the entire commercial and it took me 5 minutes to get through, like, 5% of it. Sigh.
Just got off the phone with Dave Kabrick (Budweiser) and he said that he's under the impression that if yah serve food on the Patio...yah, can't allow smoking. Thought about calling Chet and asking. Whatayahthink?
The Sioux City Journal.com ran an article (04/28/08) entitled, "Iowa smoking ban now excludes bars and restaurants."
Guess we'll have to wait and see.
Happy birthday Emily, Grace, Catie and Ellen. Hope you all had great days.
Des, in the true tradition of chicago politics I have voted early and often for your ad.
I took the day off today and of course it is wet and cold. Oh well, plenty of projects to get done.
Yesterday was a beautiful balmy day in the 70's. At the last minute Stevo and I decided to go to the Creighton/Nebraska game at Rosenblatt. We arrived in the bottom of the 4th and they let us in for free. Up until then the game had been exciting (we listened on the radio) with first Nebraska up, then Creighton, then Nebraska. When we parked it was 4-3 Creighton. As soon as we sat down, a 51-minute half inning ensued in which Nebraska scored 13 runs, Creighton went through 5 pitchers, and every outfielder and the shortstop let what looked like at least one easy catch get by. The last out was a routine grounder to short who managed to throw it to first in time. Creighton fans rose to their feet with a roar as if they had just made a triple play or something. More than a bit of sarcasm showing there. Then, in the rest of the game they played sharp and outscored Nebraska. Sigh. One Big Red fan near us kept crowing like a rooster. I was tempted to clip his, er, wings. Beautiful night for baseball, though.
Called the House of Democrats and it is confirmed the the smoke free air act was signed and that outdoor seating *with* food is a-ok. Yippee!
Nance, who did you speak with at The House of Democrats, it sounds like a bar.
Ha...yah, it does!
I looked up the smokefree air act: bill summary (HF2122) and it brought me to the Iowa House of Representatives-House of Democrats. I called the House Research Staff and spoke with someone there (Rachelle). The bill is signed, it's law and effective 07/01/08. We are soooooooooooo relieved that you can still eat on the Patio if you allow smoking. We had heard, from a few people, that food would not be allowed in smoking areas...even outdoors. Whew! :-)
Sorry...it's HF 2212.
I'm impressed. I didn't even know there was a House of Democrats. I assume there's a House of Republicans too? Although there doesn't have to be....
Did you all read Joe K's posting at the bottom of the last blog...how his family lived above the Main Steet Pub...
I didn't realize there was a House of Dems either...
Saturday Mike and I are both delegates to the district and then the state democratic convention..should be fun...I'm trying to contact Bob Kerrey to endorse me as a candidate to the National...ya never know!!
Today, I spoke with a gal here at City Hall and she said that Chet's wife (Mari) is a smoker. Wonder if she's mad at him? Oh well, if she comes to lunch with him on the 7th...they can sit out on the Patio! I'll have a super secret camera-man (Renee's husband?)peering through the fence slats and take a pix...great advertising.
Ahh rain. Coming in my basement-eventhough I told them not to take off my gutters they did and through the roof where the shingles are not on yet, just the rain guard. It's not doing it's job. Stupid house. Stupid roofer. Stupid rain.
Monica
Bob Kerrey supports Hillary...will you tell him you support Obama? :-<>
Yes, very cool that Joe lived up there. Grandpa told us a lot about the buildings' history too...cool stories from both of them. :-)
Monica! Can't you charge them for that? It's their messup.
p
Bob Kerrey's secretary is for Obama...she didn't promise, but sounded upbeat. I'll let you know!
I'll have a few words with them. Maybe they'll paint my bedroom ceiling which I was planning on doing in about a week anyway.
Monica
m.e.~ Very cool...my fingers are crossed. :-)
Monica~ Man oh man...bummer. However, painting your ceiling may be a nice thing. :-)
I'd sue them.
Bob Kerrey's office called back, he will write a letter for me!!
Woo-hoo! that might help you. Start saving for your trip to Denver. You will need to print up handouts to campaign to be a delegate - include that letter.
I'm listening to a woman on NPR telling about her double life as an elementary school teacher in LA and a weekend exotic dancer in Las Vegas. Most of her scary moments have come from recognizing someone in public and wondering if it's from a parent-teacher conference or from the stage when she was stripping. The interviewer asked her when she was going to stop leading a double life and she said, "Well, I'm 37. The problem's going to take care of itself sooner or later."
I test for my yellow-striped belt tomorrow. This is what I must do:
1: Form
2: Knife defense
3: One step sparring
4: Numchucks form (most difficult for me, swinging those things correctly)
5: Hop ki so move.
6: Blocks form. Or something like that.
p
How was dinner at your 13 years old classmate's house? Did you practice together?
Oh, I forgot my breaking board kick and my white belt kick combo. The board is really a plastic board for white belts. Hooks together like legos kind of.
I had a fine time. They made a comment that made me pretty uncomfortable, (racial stereotype) but it's their house I guess they can say what they want. I finally got her parent's names down.
P
You can spar with Zane at the farm. Or better yet, we could have a martial arts event for the competition, with judging. People can make up their own martial art if they don't have one.
What is your partner's name? Do you use real numchucks and have you bonked yourself in the head with them? I know I would.
Good luck on your test!
High-kah-romba Pat!
To all who voted/tried to vote (it's a funky video player): thank you. Appreciate it. It's a long commercial.
Fr. Lazarus couldn't wait any longer and planted some cabbages, Brussels sprouts and kohlrabi yesterday. I told him he better not pland his tomatoes and peppers yet and he listened (!). This morning I told him we might get a frost over the weekend and he wiped his hands over his face in a peculiarly African gesture and muttered something about a "crazy place."
But, couldn't he raise them from the deathly freeze?
Des..When will you know about the People's Choice?
Good-Luck, Pat, on your test today!
Congratulations, Mary, on your recommendation letter. :-)
Both...very cool.
Last night, we had a bit of a, "deja vu," when our basement flooded. :-( I never thought it would happen again as we took many precautions after the last time. Additionally, the flood/rains from last August didn't cause us a problem and that, too, gave us confidence. I guess because the ground was still recovering from the long winter...it couldn't handle the strong rains. :-(
My parents are coming, this morning, to help Tom and I with the clean-up process. Sigh.
R$#()$#)(@*$
The kitty just brought me another cockroach . It was like a mouse in her mouth, she was carrying it around just like that. And it was big enough for her to do so. It took lots of lysol spray to kill it off.
Maybe it's the time of year they move indoors or something. We went 3 months without seeing any.
I did ask my best friend's parents if there was anything to do and they confirmed, you just have to deal with it. Next apartment will be in a complex where they spray and up at least a floor. And, not too much vegetation around the house. They love palm trees and palmetto fronds and such and that's where they usually live.
p
For one of my courses this semester, groups of students had to pick a topic with an impact to nursing and visit our Senate or House reps in Des Moines. Anyway, out groups topic was the smoking ban in Iowa, and we are still discussing some of the issues in our groups. I don't know how it will all play out, but here is a copy and pasted section of the latest on restaurants.
http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=BillInfo&Service=Billbook&ga=82&hbill=HF2212
6 34 Sec. 3. NEW SECTION. 142D.3 PROHIBITION OF SMOKING ==
6 35 PUBLIC PLACES, PLACES OF EMPLOYMENT, AND OUTDOOR AREAS.
7 1 1. Smoking is prohibited and a person shall not smoke in
7 2 any of the following:
7 3 a. Public places.
7 4 b. All enclosed areas within places of employment
7 5 including but not limited to work areas, private offices,
7 6 conference and meeting rooms, classrooms, auditoriums,
7 7 employee lounges and cafeterias, hallways, medical facilities,
7 8 restrooms, elevators, stairways and stairwells, and vehicles
7 9 owned, leased, or provided by the employer unless otherwise
7 10 provided under this chapter.
7 11 2. In addition to the prohibitions specified in subsection
7 12 1, smoking is prohibited and a person shall not smoke in or on
7 13 any of the following outdoor areas:
7 14 a. The seating areas of outdoor sports arenas, stadiums,
7 15 amphitheaters and other entertainment venues where members of
7 16 the general public assemble to witness entertainment events.
7 17 b. Outdoor seating or serving areas of restaurants.
Like I said, it remains to be seen how this will be enforced.
Kelli
LOL...it says "ourtdoor seating"...maybe just have tall tables and NO chairs out there!!
:-)
Kelli
The person I spoke with said that "outdoor patio seating" was completely fine as long as there wasn't any kind of ceiling.
I tend to (want to) believe her as she works for Chet Culvers' peeps...I believe. ;-)
I do know that some outdoor venues (as stated above) are included (in the ban) because they are public areas which are not restaurant/bar related.
The Quad City Times reported on 04/15/08 (the day the bill was signed) this...
Iowa Smoking ban Q&A: Snuff out any remaining questions.
By Dan Gearino. | Tuesday, April 15, 2008 | 19 comment(s)
Smoking ban Q&A
Q. Does the law ban smoking in beer gardens, or other outdoor areas adjacent to bars?
A. No. Smoking will be allowed in outdoor areas adjacent to bars.
Ahh, Nance and Tom I feel your pain. Our roofer said he would have someone in to paint where our leaks were. Thank god. The leaks ended up in 4 different rooms.
Couldn't believe the rain. I'm glad it's sunny and windy now. Tomorrow is supposed to be good too. We had a very minimal amount in our basement. The joys of owning a house. Good luck to you two.
Monica
I don't see how you get around 7 17 b. ("outdoor seating or serving areas of restaurants") unless there's a definitional section of the statute that saves you. What is a restaurant? Perhaps, for purposes of the statute you are a bar and not a restaurant.
Late Show Top Ten
Top Ten Signs Hillary Clinton Is Exhausted
10. Spends most of her time campaigning in Sleepy's mattress stores
9. Barely has enough energy to lie about battling Bosnian snipers
8. Last night, spent 2 hours debating a coat rack
7. Agreed not to dispute Florida and Michigan delegates in exchange for a nap
6. Announced a new tax break for kitties
5. Greeted Philadelphia voters with, "It's great to be back in Tacoma!"
4. She's mismatching her pantsuits
3. When asked how she'd fight terrorism, she said, "Two words: Iron Man"
2. 3 a.m. phone call? "Let the machine get it"
1. So tired, she actually crawled in to bed with Bill
I like #6 and #4
p
The entry to the outdoor patio is through the bar.
She actually did mismatch her pantsuit on Wednesday...2 different colors of red, made her look like a large red state!
The IDPH is is the process of writing the rules the public will follow. They aren't giving any info out until they are done because there is a lot of misinformation out there that they don't want to add to. Here are the bar/restaurant definitions...but how the rules will read...who knows yet.
http://coolice.legis.state.ia.us/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=BillInfo&Service=Billbook&ga=82&hbill=HF2212
Bar is defined as:
1 25 1. "Bar" means an establishment where one may purchase
1 26 alcoholic beverages as defined in section 123.3, for
1 27 consumption on the premises and in which the serving of food
1 28 is only incidental to the consumption of those beverages.
Restaurant is defined as:
6 5 17. "Restaurant" means eating establishments, including
6 6 private and public school cafeterias, which offer food to the
6 7 public, guests, or employees, including the kitchen and
6 8 catering facilities in which food is prepared on the premises
6 9 for serving elsewhere, and including a bar area within a
6 10 restaurant.
Nance said she has spoken with someone who has assured her people will be able to smoke on the patio. LOL..people with bars will be building outdoor patios like crazy!! When our group researched this topic, we found that businesses actually don't lose revenue because of smoking bans though, which is good.
Kelli
Nance...get the woman's name from Culver's office, maybe ask if she is the authority on this issue for Culver. Then sue her ass (and Culver's) if she wrong.
Bush just won't say the "r" word.
That's because he's not sure how to pronounce it and he got real sick or all the "nucular" mockery.
sORRY tOM AND nANCE ABOUT YOUR bASEMENT.
Well, bearing in mind that I'm a former smoker and used to smoke up people's houses all the time, I will say that now, sometimes if we're talking about going to a bar, but not really set on it, just trying to decide, the idea of going somewhere all smoky and loud turns me off. I don't like to breathe it and I hate that my hair and clothes smell smoky afterward. So maybe bars and restaurants will pick up some biz from prunefaces like me.
Monica, will the roofers be done soon? I believe there are more rains coming through Iowa over the weekend or early next week.
I really do think we should not smoke in Mom and Dad's kitchen...smoking IS allowed on their patio..screened in porch...garage. That's my resolution...do I have a motion??
I so move.
This was brought up a few months ago and Ed's response was on the spot..."It's Mom and Dad's house. They make the rules."
As it is - the few who do smoke usually go outdoors unless it's cold out otherwise they confine themselves to the kitchen with an open window.
Tom
Those people who vill smoke in der kitchen musst trink der rectal spirits!
Well, Ed has a point there.
I second Ed's motion.
Ja, die Cathmeister ist ein ex-smoker und ein current spirit trinker!
FTR: The motion I was seconding was the one that suggests you must, "der drink rectal spririts," in order to smoke! ;-)
I wonder if the Iowa Dept. of Health has a defintion for, "rectal spirits?" I'll ask.
Rectal spirits are defined as those that cause you to make an ass of yourself.
The roofers are about 2/3 done. I don't know if they are coming tomorrow. They are all Mexican and I can't talk to them so I have to wait until their boss shows up. I have called him various times but I don't want to be a pain in the a** because I want them to do the job right. I bring them pastries in the morning and treats in the afternoon. I even grilled hamburgers for them the first night because they work until there is no more light left. They always have really good smelling lunches from an authentic Mexican restraurant. I gave them sweatshirts to wear this afternoon since it is all the sudden really cold out. They were all huddled in their van eating their snack.
Poor guys. I just hope they are being paid decently.
Monica
Those of you getting rebate checks they are starting to mail themout next week. Who gets them first? Alphabetically,Social security #,
hmmm?
I would think that they are being mailed in the order of the date you filed your return...just my guess.
Monica,
THey'll never finish if you treat that THAT nice. THey'll move in. Grilled hamburgers.....mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
UPon seeing snow this morning, Jude says, "it's Christmas time. We have to go get a little tree."
Aren't you glad you moved back to Minnesota.
Monica
RE: Rebate checks. They will be mailed out based on your SS number. Using the last digits of your number they will be mailed out in the order of least to greatest. My didgits are 02.
Tom
Ooh, Stevo's are 15.
I saw a clip of Hillary challenging McSlimy to another debate repeating over and over "anytime, anywhere".
How can a man say no to a woman challenging him to anything without losing face?
You gotta admit she has brass balls.
Tom
So this weekend I saw Kevin D. in his play. It was good.....12 Angry Men. If you've seen the movie, his character was played by Ed Begley. If you havent seen it, you should rent it. He was great in the play.
Afterwards we took a boat taxi (Fort Lauderdale is actually quite a cool city - canals and such) to a restaurant, then went back to the theater and I left. It was a nice day.
He looks the same, only older.
p
My cousin, Ellie, has a college friend who is a journalist for the magazine, "The Economist." He lives in Honduras and covers Central America. He recently shared a funny story about Cheetos.
Here are his words:
"I was reporting from Iraq (December 2005 to December 2006) and was at a U.S. Army base in Baghdad when a suicide bomber drove his SUV towards the front gate and didn't stop as soldiers yelled at him. Soldiers shot at the vehicle, detonating the bombs and releasing a strong explosion. After the dust settled, we saw that he had filled his vehicle with Cheetos to conceal the scent of explosives from the military sniffer dogs. Soldiers (mainly privates) grudgingly spent the rest of the rainy day trying to clean up thousands of sticky Cheetos mixed with car debris and body parts. It was horrendous but also kind of silly, and whenever I returned to the base there were still jokes and stories circulating about the "Cheeto bomber."
Anyone have their economic stimuli in their accounts yet? Supposed to start today.
Pat, how was the karate test?
Monica, do you have a roof over your head?
Tom, a real man can say no to a foolish challenge from a woman and not worry about his face. It's never in the leader's best interest to debate. Over the weekend I heard several clips of Hilary declining to debate when she was ahead in senate primaries. They've had 21 debates already. They stopped being edifying by about the 4th one. I get sick of the stupid questions asking them to respond to campaign attacks and the "Will you pledge right now..." questions. Sometimes I wish the candidates would look at the moderators and say, "That's a stupid, cynical, disingenuous question and you know it. Your job is to report the news, not create it."
My test went well. I am now a white belt with a yellow stripe. I broke a real board with my foot. I still have the board as memento.
I watched my wedding video last night. I want to say that it was not very nice for people to drift away from the group dance with Uncle Father Bob and leave me and him dancing alone to Paradise by the Dashboard Lights, so that when the lyrics were saying "we're gonna go all the way tonight, we're gonna go all the way tonight tonight" over and over, it was just me and him.
P
what i want to know is why both dems and McCain appeared on WWE Raw a couple weeks ago? what were they thinking?
We could settle all this election nonsense with a three-way cage match. Actually, in that case, my money would be on Hilary.
I don't really care for video. One person is experiencing everything one step removed, through the camera lens, instead of experiencing it directly, and everyone else watches videos of their special moments unsoftened by time and selective memory and are forced to realize that they are not, and never will be, spokesmodels. A couple nice photos - there's the ticket.
Well, I thought everyone on the video looked fabulous. p
Congratulations, Pat...that's very cool. :-)
Just returned from running errands and throw the word, "running," out there loosely as I actually limped with the foot I sprained on Friday. Spent the entire weekend (with my folks) sucking water, mopping floors and doing about 9 million loads of laundry. Joe and Joey stopped over and helped Tom and my Dad haul out carpet...thank God for Joey...'cuz it was cumbersome and heavy! Yes, yes thank God for Joe, Tom and Dad too. :-) Still have lots of sheet rock to remove...perhaps, Pat can come over and, "karate chop," it out?! Ha! ;-)
That sounds so much like the opposite of fun.
p
Congratualtions, Pat!
You should write a note the girls about that because they would think that was brilliant!
They start karate this summer.
lisa
How was the First Communion?
Mike and i attended the Democratic District convention on Saturday...it was LONG. I was trying to get elected to the National Conv...and found I had to give a speech!!Yikes, about 300people, but I did it. I ended my speech with "As for Denver, Ithink I could do good job recruiting Hillary delegates in Denver because I would look familiar, a middle aged woman who wears pantsuits" it got a good laugh, but, alas I didn't win. A cute 18 yr. old and a middle aged Black woman...I'm now officially an Angry Middleaged White Woman.
it's snowing really hard here right now. you should hear the people in the office complain. it's pretty funny.
congrats to Kung Pao Pat on passing your test.
It's not funny Frank! I'm angry!
Congrats Pat! Your visit to see Kevin D. sounds like a good time.
Our roof is finished and now we are getting new gutters. I need a super cheap house painter now. Because I am out of money. Anyone? I'll give you snacks.
Monica
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