Sparks taste test

Just had a Sparks alcoholic energy drink. It's aight if you're into Red Bull tasting stuff. I'd say it tastes a little better than Red Bull. And again, it contains 6% alcohol so it's got that going for it. Wikipedia says Joose has 9% so I guess I'll test that out too.

If you feel yourself getting a little tired while you're drinking--pick up a Sparks.

Happy New Year! Beau Knows...

For your New Year enjoyment I felt obliged to provide the latest stories heard from Beau.  You Biloxi High guys will remember Beau B. (last name the same as a previous MS governor that has a reservoir named after him in Jackson) and for the rest of you I will try to paint an accurate picture of him:

• This is the guy that lived on Nunnrey's couch for a little while in San Antonio before moving in with JT for an extended stay in Tulsa earlier this decade.
• Maybe JT or Nunnrey can clarify here, but I believe he has 3 kids from 3 different mommas.
• I believe he's been married two times before, but is currently divorced (and dating someone in a long term relationship).
• He was previously a Marine and has also served in the Army.  I believe he has also had a stint as a bounty hunter.
• Beau is a good guy and at a bar he's the type of dude you would much rather have on your side since his Marine training has taught him to kill with well over 100 different methods (and that is just with a paper clip).
• Beau has certainly made it through some tough times and lived to tell about some interesting experiences.
  

Some of my favorite one-liners from Beau (and sorry if I butcher them slightly, but you get the point):

• I get laid like a sack of fertilizer.
• I gotta be careful because I just walk into a room and b!tches get pregnant.
• When you say something is "frowned upon" do you mean they poke out their bottom lip and look upset or do you mean it is against the rules (this was more acted out rather than simply said).

Last Friday night, JT called Beau and we all met up at Treasure Bay in Biloxi for drinks.  Over the course of several hours and many beers, Beau caught us up on various happenings in his life as well as others from high school.  Here are a couple of the highlights:

• Beau's ex-wife made an appearance on Dr. Phil to explain how her life had been ruined by Beau.  Not sure if Beau was invited to the show or not, but amazingly enough Dr. Phil sided with Beau on this and told the ex that she needed to let go of the anger and move on with her life or she would be alone forever.
• While catching Beau up on Nunnrey, he told us of a story from the glory days of high school football.  Biloxi High was taking on St. Augustine in the New Orleans Superdome.  While out in the huddle, Beau noticed a short, stocky fellow running out to replace one of the other lineman.  Who was the stud coming in...it was Nunnrey.  The play was called and the huddle broke.  Nunnrey lined up on the wrong side of the ball and a timeout had to be called to prevent a penalty.  Not sure if Nunnrey got to play too much more in the Superdome game.

Wishing you all the best in 2009 (especially Beau, as he could use some good luck)!

The Project Lounge

One of my favorite places to hit while in Biloxi is The Project Lounge.  It's a very dark and seedy bar on Iberville drive that is a nice place to finish up a long evening of drinking.  The bar used to have hundreds of caps lining the ceilings, but recently it appears they have redecorated and replaced the caps with hard hats.  The bar is complete with a jukebox and free popcorn.  It's a cash only establishment and they have one of the best steak sandwiches known to man.

Friday night, after drinks at Treasure Bay, we (JT, Lisa, Shey and me) headed over to The Project for dinner and to wrap up the night.  The bartender/owner/waitress came by and took our drink orders and then came back to get our food order.  We all ordered the steak sandwich and she asked each of us how we wanted the meat cooked.  Three of us opted for medium and JT went for the medium rare.  As the waitress walked away she commented that she was surprised that it was a man at the table that knows how to take his meat.  She obviously doesn't know JT very well.  By day he is a 9-volt battery tester, but by night he knows how to work the meat.

Later in the evening Shey decided to switch from beer to water and went to the bar to get one.  As she ordered, one of the shady characters sitting at the bar commented about the bar serving water.  The bartender quickly reached over the bar and slapped the shady character to put him in his place.  You gotta like a place that will get violent with it's patrons.

Lisa had been drinking 7-up and somehow or another I was tasked with getting her and Shey a refill.  When I went to the bar I asked for another 7-up (I believe it was her 3rd or 4th serving) and a water (Shey's 2nd serving).  As the bartender filled the glasses she commented, "...that is one 7-up sucking b!tch!"  I couldn't agree more.

Yuktown Highlights

For Christmas I spent Wed-Fri in Yazoo City (a.k.a. Yuktown) with Shey's family and then we headed down to Biloxi to finish out the weekend.  Here are some highlights from the Yuktown portion of the trip:

• Got to hang out with CAZPAdaGHOST (Shey's cousin) for a little while.  I am a little disappointed though...he did not have any of his CDs on hand that I could buy.
• Shey surprised me with a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas.  As she handed me the wrapped box she said I would never guess what it was.  I immediately said this is a Red Ryder BB Gun and she asked how I knew.  I'm not sure who she thinks she is dealing with, but I've seen A Christmas Story (one of the best movies ever) enough times to know what a wrapped Red Ryder BB Gun looks like.
• Shey's father took me deer hunting.  Not that big of a deal for some of you, but this is only my second time ever.  The night before Shey and her sister jokingly warned me not to shoot too big of a buck (better leave those for Daddy) or one of his pets (a couple of does that hang out and are seen almost daily).   As luck would have it, I didn't see any bucks, but I did get to see one small doe (which I did not shoot at).  
• The day before the big hunt, Shey's father let me take the rifle I would be using (.35 caliber Marlin lever-action) out to the backyard (they live in a very rural area) to do some target practice.  With my first shot I actually hit the bucket I was aiming at.  Then my next three shots missed.
• After my hunting rifle lesson ended, Shey's father then broke out the AK-47 so I could take a few shots with it.  Amazingly, I actually hit the target a couple of times. 
  

That is one crazy Asian...don't you know he's loco.  Now I'm ready for Red Dawn.

Driving Tip

We saw this vehicle while stuck in traffic near Baton Rouge on the way home last weekend.  I can appreciate the message they are trying to spread.  It wasn't helping much on that day though as we were at a complete stop.

John's New Hangout

Over the weekend Shey and I were in Biloxi driving around and checking out the rebuilding progress.  There are many landmarks that look different or are completely gone.  While on HWY 90 I was pointing out to Shey where things once stood and where various things had happened.  At one spot in particular I said I believe there used to be a gay bar that Mark went to (or had at least been to once) called Joey's on the Beach.

This made me remember a related topic that deserves a mention.  Known details are somewhat vague, but maybe John will indulge us and share more about his experience.  A few weeks ago, John and Stef were at her office holiday party somewhere in downtown Austin.  At some point after the party they were hitting some of the downtown bars and ended up at the Cockpit.  

What an interesting name for a bar.  No, it's not a bar for ex-pilots.  And it's also not a place where roosters fight.  I've not personally been, but I believe it is a bar where a bunch of bridgebuilders hang out with "great" music.  I'm not exactly sure what to think of this, but I am sure that the dudes there probably did appreciate that John is a man that likes to take care of himself with his manicures and micros.  

Thirsty anyone?

James bought me some glass beer boots (as seen in Beerfest) a while back. This year he's given me the ability to safely take Das Boots on the road with a fancy new case.