I'm A Training Doorguy...

"Grrrrr.......  I charge the Kindle after it's been laying there for days so I can read, only to get it and it's dead again!!!  Really kids!?!  I'm hiding the cereal, toaster, milk, granola bars, bananas!  And whatever else they want for breakfast..." -Alma Medrano- (via facebook)

"It's hard to say no to Yoo-hoo - the name literally beckons..."
-Sheldon- (The Big Bang Theory)

"I don't believe in fate - you make your own opportunities..." -Don Draper- (Mad Men)




Good evening everyone.  I'm sorry about the late post, but I took part in an impromptu poker tournament last night (very early this morning) after work, and I ended up staying out until 8:15 a.m.  The good news for you poker people is that I will be doing an actual poker post on Wednesday, which is coincidentally (not really a coincidence) the first day of this year's World Series of Poker.  That will give you at least a fourth post this week (Tonight, tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday).  Let me get started since I'm going to try to publish this by 7:00 p.m. CST, which is coincidentally (not really a coincidence) when tonight's hockey game will faceoff (Chicago @ Detroit - Game Six - NBC Sports Network).  I honestly think that this is the most playoff hockey that I've watched in a season since I was in high school and living up in New Hampshire.

It only seems fair to warn my coworkers that there is a high level of interest in the "gatekeeper" position that I will be leaving shortly at Harper's (actually it's in the hallway on the way up to the Veranda, but you get the idea)...  My friend Verissimo (you can't go five minutes here without reading about a Chi-O) came by this weekend, and as many of the happy people who have been celebrating at our establishment seem increasingly inclined to do, she notified me that she was a "training doorguy..."  Of course my immediate thought was, "OH... JOY..."  :P  Verissimo is harmless enough, so I indulged her for a few minutes, and let her interact with some of the many customers that we saw over this Memorial Day Weekend (I hope that you're enjoying yours).  The highlight (and end) of Verissimo's training occurred when a male customer approached us by himself.  When the customer reached us, Verissimo asked him to stop and to tell us his name, to make sure that it was "cool enough" to allow him to continue up to the roof...  :)  Of course we let him proceed to the Veranda...  And then there's Angelica...  :)  Angelica stopped by my little checkpoint on her way out and "raised" Verissimo (sorry, I played poker last night)...  Angelica actually wanted to utilize the "clicker" that we use to track how many customers we have upstairs (for capacity purposes).  Angelica not only kept an accurate count during her training, but she is also a very good listener evidently, as she echoed MANY of the remarks that I routinely make to customers as they're leaving our place for the night...  :)

The mayor of San Marcos, America shared a very interesting fact on facebook late last week that I'll share with you now...  It seems that San Marcos, America is the fastest-growing large city in the United States according to the U.S. Census Bureau.  Of course Mayor Guerrero was very quick to give my blog the credit for this growth and to start plans on a future awards ceremony to honor this achievement...  Okay, everything in that last sentence was totally fabricated, but San Marcos, Texas REALLY IS the fastest-growing large city in the U.S., and that's definitely newsworthy.  I want to congratulate my friend for overseeing this growth (and our mayor is EVERYWHERE)...  :)  I also have to point out that this growth is the reason that I'm moving back north to a quiet little place like Austin - San Marcos is just TOO BIG...  :P

Another big deal (to many of my friends anyway) is the invasion of Whataburger Ketchup to the shelves of H.E.B. (a big South Texas grocery store chain).  I would have NEVER believed that I would have seen SO MANY facebook statuses about a condiment if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes during the last week...  :)  Whataburger is a very popular fast-food burger chain in Texas if that's a mystery to you.  Actually, it's unfair to call Whataburger "fast-food" in that they cook everything to order, which does seem to improve the quallity of their food.  Back to the ketchup, it may not be as big a deal to me because I tend to eat french fries with almost everything but ketchup if given the opportunity (chicken fried steak gravy, ranch dressing, McDonald's hot mustard sauce, etc...).  I know at this very moment you're thinking, "NO WONDER Coach is in such great shape...."  The shape that we're referring to of course is ROUND, but I'm working on it...  ;)


Okay, it looks like it's time to give you my weekly fantasy baseball standings due to the fast-approaching hockey game, but I'm posting at least three more times this week, so I'll try not to feel guilty...


League 1 - (25 entry fee - 1st place 125, 2nd place 25)

1)  Neshanic                            73.50 (doesn't leading all the time get old?)
2)  DraftDodgers                       64.00 (clinging to 2nd place...)
3)  Pappys Boyz                      60.00
3)  Rocky Roto                         60.00
9)  The View From Bikini Hill      44.00 (I'm NOT in last place this week!!!)


League 2 - (50 entry fee - 40 w/discount - 1st place 300, 2nd place 50)

1)  Breaking Bats                      80.50 (still over 80 points...)
2)  4troublemakers                    74.00 (also clinging to 2nd place...)
3)  Loons XXIV                          72.50


League 3 - (50 entry fee - 40 w/discount - 1st place 300, 2nd place 50)

1)  Nappy Heads                        74.00 (again, leading all the time - BORING...)
2)  Mad Men                              65.50 (again, clinging to 2nd place...)
3)  Fishing For Trout                   62.00
4)  The Bikini Hill Nine                57.00


A couple of interesting facts from the baseball diamond this week...  The View From Bikini Hill had ANOTHER player go to the DL last week, so I now have six players on that list again...  #shocking  Also, The Bikini Hill Nine got NINE pitching victories for me last week, which is A QUARTER of the 36 total wins the team has accumulated for me (in 2 months).

As I leave, let me give a shoutout to Miletus, hoping that she had a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY on Saturday.  Miletus is one of the ORIGINAL followers of this little blog...  :)  I also hope that all of you enjoy your NHL and NBA playoff games tonight (GO SPURS GO!!!), and I'll see you again tomorrow!