Monthly Archive for September, 2009

Procrastination Pays Off: Macanudo Sends Me Free Cigars

Published on September 29, 2009 in Baby Boomer. 3 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , .


macanudo-gold-labelA new best friend at General Cigars decided I was worthy of smoking Macanudo cigars, so he is sending me a sample pack.

I came just *that* close to buying a box of Macanudo cigars, but had not placed the order yet. Since he is sending me a sample pack of Macanudo Café, Maduro, Robust and Gold Label,  I can decide which I like best.

I’ll keep you posted.

In the meantime, my new best friend is running a contest that I agreed was worth mentioning.

You can win a Million Bucks and invite three friends to hang around two Playboy Playmates.

Actually the latter part of that deal isn’t that big a deal: except I would like to see a Playmate up close and unphotoshopped. I probably would get thrown out of the Playboy Club because I couldn’t resist pointing out the flaws on their skin. Maa-ole. Bloody Mole. Guaca-mole! Just like Austin Powers….

Here’s the deal on the contest…

Macanudo®, is teaming up with Playboy to award one lucky consumer and three guests with the grand prize in the Macanudo Millionaire sweepstakes, an all-expense paid, three-day, two night trip to the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

While in Sin City, the winner and buddies will have a VIP evening at the legendary Playboy Club, where two Playboy Playmates will stand in for Lady Luck when you getss a chance to spin a roulette wheel to win the $1,000,000 prize.


In the contest’s website, Hope Dworaczyk, Playboy’s Miss April 2009, entices Macanudo smokers with the lure of Las Vegas and the chance to win a cool million dollars.

You must be legal smoking age and visit a U.S. tobacco shop between September 14 and October 31, 2009 to buy a specially-marked four-pack containing Macanudo Café, Maduro, Robust and Gold Label cigars. Inside, are details to enter videos, photos and brief essays  about how you need to win the trip to the strip and the $1,000,000 prize.

I wonder if I write about the difference between beauty marks and moles I would have a shot?  Or the skills required to do airbrushing vs. the skills required to do photoshopping?

You can also enter the contest by visiting macanudomillionaire.com or by purchasing cigars through participating online cigar retailers. No purchase necessary. For official rules.

Good luck to us.

If you win, will you invite me? Maybe they won’t throw all of us out when I take a stick and play Whack-a-Mole on Hope Dworaczyk. (Which I’m pretty sure you would pronounce , if-you-touch-her-you-better Hope Divorcecheck is ready.)

Today is Her First Cheese Day. She’s Taking Me to Cheddar’s.

Published on September 28, 2009 in Baby Boomer. 4 Comments Tags: , , , , .


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Note to Cheddar’s Restaurants.

Millions of boomers are starting to collect their first government cheese – social security.

Yes, at Huis wij Hond we are now among the millions who are drawing down social security at the fastest rate ever. We are starting the downward spiral from which social security will never recover. Nancy gets her first cheese check today (actually it’s direct deposit.) I’m surprised we see any of the cheese. I certainly didn’t plan for it.

Big job losses and a spike in early retirement claims from laid-off seniors will force Social Security to pay out more in benefits than it collects in taxes the next two years, the first time that’s happened since the 1980s.

Cheddar’s really should have a special for those people who are now on a ‘”fixed income.”

Fixed income.

Nothing sets Nancy off more than when her retired friends bitch about being on a “fixed income.” These are the same people who don’t want “socialized medicine” as they use their Medicare. I bet she joins them in bitching.

She loves to freak people out.

If you are not of retirement age and/or are not getting your cheese check, here is a Government Cheese “Single”

Geeky Animated Gif Monday

Published on September 28, 2009 in Baby Boomer. 1 Comment

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How has Google Changed Your Life?

Published on September 27, 2009 in Baby Boomer. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , .


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Google is 11 today. Some people doubt that and even argue with it.

What’s interesting about the logo change is that Google’s (Google) official birthday is somewhat disputed: some often declare the company was born on September 15th 1997, the day the Google.com domain was registered. Meanwhile, Google filed for incorporation in September 1998: the papers were filed on September 4th, but Google has been known to celebrate on both September 7th and September 27th.

Google says, it depends on when people want their cake.

Mashable asks readers how Google has changed their life.

I remember when I first heard about Google. It was a breakthrough moment. I don’t remember what I used for search before Google, it’s been that long ago.  I started on AOL so it was their search. After AOL it probably was Yahoo.

But Google search was the first time I was excited about a “discovery” that I shared with everyone I could. It was just so much quicker and such a simple design!

Search alone has changed my life. I’m smarter because I Google search everything that doesn’t pass the smell test. I’ve quit using the dictionary to check spelling. I’ve seen pictures that I never would have seen before (both good and bad!)

I make money from Google. (But their stock slump GOOG is very depressing.) I thought Google Ad Sense might give me enough money to buy a box of cigars from time to time. Now it’s providing much more than that.

Google owns YouTube.com, of course that has had a huge impact. I watch more than I upload. But I do upload and share from multiple accounts.

Gmail: I used Eurora for email. But when Gmail came out, I changed. I am much more organized and have multiple email addresses – that all come to one in-box!  I can respond from the same in-box using the address to which the mail came or change the email return address.   Filters and labels and the labels are fantastic. (Google cancelled by SerqeyBrin@gmail.com account tho’ – didn’t like that the slight change to Sergey could be used for nefarioius purposes, which of course was my full intent.)

IM: I IM regularly, but only with people I am acquainted with. However, Nancy and I have not IM’d each other from the same room – yet.

Maps: OMG, what a time suck. Especially with Street View. I used to be a big Mapquest.com user, but now Google Maps is just so much more robust.  Grandad has in ingenious use for Google Maps. When on holiday, he searches out public parking in a town, gets the the longitude and latitude and plugs into Roger. Seems to get his holidays off to a nicer start. Street view is just so much fun. I just now found out they have Street View of the hometown where I grew up. The link is the former family homestead. I hadn’t checked in ages. (Post coming up on how this tiny town has changed!)

Google Reader is more important to me than any other feature. I have a whole crap load of RSS feeds. I started out using Bloglines, but switched to Google Reader because of the ease and it integrated with Gmail. I hardly visit websites or blogs anymore. If you don’t provide a full RSS feed, I probably won’t visit your site regularly. (Hint to those who think a truncated feed is smart: it isn’t. The few of us that still use RSS aren’t ad clickers anyway. Switch to full RSS feeds and will come by to comment, so you will grab those pageviews.)

OK you get the point…

Happy Birthday Google!

Poopy Day Poetry

Published on September 26, 2009 in Baby Boomer. 1 Comment


I’ve blogged already.
I don’t eat M&Ms, dieting.
I watched “It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia.”
Playing poker online now (free chips.)

But it’s only 11 a.m.
International Fest is downtown, rain;
Horses racing in Franklin, rain;
Yard needs trimming, rain;
I hate drizzle.

Suggestions are welcome.