Hillary Will Work for Food

And when I say food, I mean money for votes. It is now 10:50, and my twitter prediction is coming quite true, though it is a hell of a lot closer then I thought it would be. Indiana is still too close to call, though I still do not see how Obama can win, unless Purdue University had record turnouts.

So, as we listen to Senator Clinton doing a fine job of now semi applying for the chance to take the second spot on the Obama Presidential Ticket, I have to wonder when she and Bubba will actually go away. When the heartlands of Indiana could not deliver a strong victory for you before the 11:00 news, you know you really kinda are cooked as a candidate.

Though, Senator Clinton is still asking for the loot, because Lexington, Louisville and Portland are going to be darned expensive to run negative campaign ads in.

On a side note, there goes Evan Bayh's hopes for VP

Big Brown Bleh Weekend

I made a slight mistake this weekend. I actually looked forward to something. In my past, I have found that looking forward to something small usually causes something to go awry. Lets look at the Super Bowl, when dammit I was rooting for the Patriots.

The Derby is something I usually do well on. In fact, the last 5 years, I have been spot on with the winner, though this year I was a tad off. Danged Pyro! But, also, I Twinspires let me down by allowing the site to go down 45 minutes before the Derby actually began.

I was all for Pyro and Visionaire, though I also put a sprinkle of money down for Eight Belles, because she was the only Filly, and Mrs Duck could be a bit of a sports fan. The race itself, up until the end was a tad dull, Big Brown was the class of the field, which is evidenced by the fact that none of the Derby horses are going to actually decide run against him in the Preakness. So overall, the race was not exciting.

Well, exciting in the fact that My Old Kentucky home was still an Extreme Home Makeover moment, and the race was the fastest 2 minutes in sports. Until...

Eight Belles pulled up after the finish. With hindsight being 20/20, the poor girl did seem to be laboring a bit at the end, though she still cleared all the other nags by a good 2 or 3 furlongs. So, to see Big Brown throw his jockey, you know it was not a good thing, because he was spooked by the falling of Eight Belles. My first words were of course, Oh Fuck. To see the black beauty laboring on the dirt, breathing heavily, obviously in distress, you knew the news would not be good. To see not one but two ambulances coming out to shield the crowd, the news just got worse.

There were a few idiots in the aftermath and the celebration. One, whoever is the CEO of Yum Brands. If they are busy putting a horse down about 50 feet away from you, you do not say what a great day it was with a big ass goofy smile on your face. #2 is the speechwriter for the Governor of Kentucky. One would think that you would be a voice for one of the 50 states in the Union, you may wanna run up and scribble something down for the Governor, just to say how sorry you were, etc etc. Finally, Rick Dutrow. I get the feeling that the rest of the horse racing community does not like you that much already, to begrudingly, finally say you felt a tad bit sorry for the owners of Eight Belles, who really almost beat your horse, is a tad slow.

For once, I may not be rooting for a Triple Crown.

Sadness

Eight Belles

A UFC Wedding

My brain is at least a tad fried around the edges right now, but not fried enough to at least manage to mention this wedding in Pittsburgh.

Now, I am going to stay away from the obvious Pittsburgh jokes, sometimes I do not like bothering taking the easy way out. But, what truly scares me about that story is the fact that the groom, who was obviously ossified, is also a dentist? I am thinking Little Shop of Horrors dentist here.

The most comical part was the fact that the groom clunked his wifes head against the door frame. And then she managed to kick him. Now that takes some flexibility. Though I do think they will still be a couple that will stick together, because they united when it came to attacking the police.

Hilton Head Review, Part 2, Lotsa Golf

The weekend in Hilton Head was a golf fan festival.

Saturday was the latest day that I slept, and it was close to 9 am when I woke up. I think it was because I did not want to waste any moments of freedom that I had from that soul sucking job of mine. Sleeping can happen at home.

3 PM, Subway and I are on the golf course, the Golden Bear at Indigo Run. It was the first time I had picked up the sticks in about 7 months and really I did not play that badly. Especially since my sticks were still sitting in the basement of the home in Philly and I was using borrowed ones. The Golden Bear was a nice open course, with some great views and a some very tough greens to read. Plus there were spectators.



He was a small one.

By the way, Mrs Duck was at a spa with Doc at this time, somehow I think most of you will think she had a better time.

Saturday night was Wild Wings and Silicone Sister. Wild Wings was a positive, Silicone Sister not that much. Silicone Sister was a cover band of all those 80s hair bands. They were not half bad, except they may not have been the best for all the rebels in the audience. The feigned arrogance of the band did not help. Though a band that covers Bon Jovi works for me.

Sunday, the Verizon Heritage Classic was on tap. It was better tournament then last year, which is not that big a deal actually, since last year was a windblown, postponed mess. There were no big stars in last 2 rounds, besides Jim Furyk, but since it was not as crowded as last year, I was able to see Furyk and all the other golfers up close. Boo Weekley won again, which would have been more exciting if we had actually seen him chip in at the 10th hole to seal the tournament.

There was drunkeness and missed shuttles after the tournament, but really, doesnt every golf tournament end with drunkeness and missed shuttles? Oh and a few great pictures.

Random Wiki Sunday-Rose Warfman

Sometimes, these random wiki posts are just filler, something to throw up on my blog and more times than not, its a wiki that I actually find pretty darned boring.

This is a different one. Rose Warfman is a survivor of Auschwitz. Read through the wiki page and you will probably get chills when she talks about her conversation with Mengele.

An Ice Box meme

Desert Songbird was up to her old tricks, so I figured I would play along. If anyone joins in, let me know and I will pop by.

1. Where is your cell phone?.....coffee table

2. Your significant other?.....Laying on the couch

3. Your hair? ..............................on my head?

4. Your mother?.........................Texas

5. Your father? .......................Texas

6. Your favorite thing? .................Ipod

7. Your dream last night?............none

8. Your favorite drink?..................Gatorade/Martinis

9. Your dream/goal?...................Warmth, a job that makes me happy, both

10. The room you're in?................living

11. Your hobby?...........................cooking

12. Your fear?...............................mice

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?...South Carolina

14. Where were you last night?.....bed

15. What you're not?.....................satisfied

16. Muffins?..................................corn

17. One of your wish list items?.......a house

18. Where you grew up?................ Jersey

19. The last thing you did?...............smoked

20. What are you wearing?..............sleepy shorts

21. Your TV? ........................oldish

22. Your pets?............................2 favorite cats

23. Your computer?....................2

24. Your life?......................like waves, up & down

25. Your mood?.......................ehh

26. Missing someone?...............not presently

27.Your car.................Scion Xd

28. Something you're not wearing?...tie

29. Favorite store?.................New Balance

30. Your summer?.....................staycation

31. Like someone?.........................yes

32. Your favorite color..................purple

33, When is the last time you laughed....afternoon

34. Last time you cried?................2 weeks ago

Hilton Head Review, part 1

Well, if you had under 3 hours in the how long it would take me to get annoyed at work over/under game, you won.

So, in an effort to try and still capture the trip down to Hilton Head and savor the feeling that is vacation, lets try and review a few of the days.

Delta is quickly becoming one of my favorite airlines. They were friendly, on time and actually kind of a pleasure to fly on. Yes, I know its amazing. So once we finally arrived via a connection in Atlanta, we got picked up at the Savannah airport by Subway. It took Doc a little while to get out of work, which was probably a good thing since Mrs Duck and I did need some time to decompress.

Then it was off to walk on the beach. Now, the Hilton Head beach is not as tropical as Florida or Hawaii, but when you have been dealing with the 50 degree weather of Philadelphia, it hit the spot. Though dinner that night at Turtles did not exactly hit the spot, since I got like little mini BBQ sandwiches. I could have eaten 2 orders and still have been hungry.

Friday, it was back to the beach. One complaint about Subway and Doc's house was that the bed was uncomfortable and the pillows were even worse, so being up at 7:30 was not a surprise. Folly Beach was on the agenda for the day, and while it was breezy at the shore, it was still fantastic lay out on the beach weather. Though the weather was ice cold. Subway and Doc were brave enough to dip there toes in the water, and that was about as brave as any of the 4 of us could get.

Dinner was at Shrimp Michaels and it was fanatastic, though danged expensive. I had soft shell crabs, which is a treat because they do not get up past the Delaware River. Dessert also easily topped the soft shell crabs.

In our next review, its golf and more golf. I know you are all so jealous.

Back in the Keystone State

Hey, was there some sort of Primary election here yesterday or something?

So, Mrs Duck and I are officially back from the land of Palmettos. We are both well rested and relaxed feeling, though also kind of exhausted. It is amazing how hard it is to sleep in foreign beds for long periods of time.I am sure that well rested feeling will escape us both by about 11 AM or so tomorrow, as we get entrenched back into the fun of work. The weather everyday there was near perfection, 70s to low 80s, sun, no humidity.

It should make plenty of sense then as I felt the gloom and bleh feeling wash over me just as I get a view of the grey buildings and hustle and bustle of the Philadelphia skyline. Now, I think the skyline of Philadelphia is gorgeous and the city is a great place to live in, but it does not have the slow downed relaxed attitude, with a sea breeze.

Which is why I now have a desperate feeling for a palm tree.

Thursday Thirteen #64-The Vacation Contest One

****sticky post***

As Mrs Duck and I prepare to go on a well needed vacation, I figured to keep blog traffic at least a little bit up, I would run a contest.

So, I am going to give you 13 questions, each correct answer will count for one entry in the contest. Almost all of the questions will be answerable if you just search the blog, though at least 3 of the questions will take some knowledge of Sparky and Mrs Duck.

Oh yea, prizes. The winner of the contest will get a $20 gift card of there choice and also a souvenir from vacation, which will have a retail value of at least $5. If there is a tie on correct answers, the winner will be drawn from a blind draft. The contest runs from 11:00 pm Wednesday, April 16th until noon Wednesday April 23.

Now on to the fun part.

1.Who did Sparky vote for in the Presidential election of 2004?

2.My parents have lived in 4 different states since they retired, name one of them?

3.Mrs Duck and I saw a concert in Atlantic City, what female singer was the headliner?

4.We have 2 cats, name one of them?

5.On our honeymoon in 2006, we visited 3 states. Besides Hawaii, name one of the states we visited?

6.Our hotel in Honolulu was a certain color, what color was it?

7.I have worked for a few places in my professional career. One company had many names although I worked in the same building. Name one of the companies that I worked for?

8.Where are we on vacation right now?

9.Who did I want to win the 2008 NCAA Basketball Championship?

10.I have posted a few recipes on this blog, name one?

11.Something happened to my car in 2007. What happened to it and what kind of car was it?

12.Name one music video I have posted on this blog.

13.What is the name of the Philly Transplant sister blog?

Simple isnt it? Plus, anyone that links this post with there own post about it gets an extra entry.

Gadzooks its Hillary

Last Friday, Senator Hillary Clinton appeared on the top local morning show in Philadelphia, the Preston and Steve Show. Its sort of a mix between Howard Stern and the other array of wacky morning DJ nonsense, except sometimes I do actually find them to be quite hilarious.

The interview was one of those typical puff pieces. Alot of softball questions, one of those interviews that has a political consultant on the edge of there seat with worry especially if you are consulting for the candidate being interviewed. I found only a few cringe worthy moments though.

1.I found it kind of disrespectful that before each question with the Senator, they would say "Hey Hillary, what do you think about this" "Hi Hillary welcome to the show." For petes sakes fellas, you are not interviewing Hillary Duff, lets try Senator, or Mrs Clinton or something like that.

2.They actually got the Hill to say one of there wacky catch phrases at the end. "Hi, this is Senator Hillary Clinton on Preston and Steve and you guys rock." Next, I think she may be slinging cheesesteaks down on South Street to try and show how every woman she is. Or at least how desperate she is to look that way.

3.I guess the djs were getting some emails and messages from the Hills opponents, wondering why she got the air time. And one of the DJs said, oh we will love to get all of them on. Like he was being magnanimous or gracious. Um, its called the shared air time law, so if Obama or McCain called and asked for a 10 minute interview, you kind have to give it, whether you want to or not.

But, at least the Senator did not have a "show us your boobs moment"

Late Stop on the Poetry Train

It seems there was some switching problems when the Poetry Train was working its way to Duckville. So, better late than never.
It seems like it has been a slight bit of a renaissance for George Michael. First there was Eli Stone, which seemed to almost revolve around his music. And then Carrie Underwood sung this song on Idol Gives Back. I liked the original version better, which is why I share it now.

These are the days of the open hand
They will not be the last
Look around now
These are the days of the beggars
And the choosers

This is the year of the hungry man
Whose place is in the past
Hand in hand with ignorance
And legitimate excuses

The rich declare themselves poor
And most of us are not sure
If we have too much
But well take our chances
Because God stopped keeping score
I guess somewhere along the way
He must have let us all out to play
Turned his back and all gods children
Crept out the back door

Chorus
And its hard to love,
Theres so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above
Say its much too late
Well maybe we should all be
Praying for time

These are the days of the empty hand
Oh you hold on to what you can
And charity is a coat you wear
Twice a year

This is the year of the guilty man
Your television takes a stand
And you find that what was over there
Is over here

So you scream from behind your door
Say whats mine is mine and not yours
I may have too much
But Ill take my chances
Because God stopped keeping score
And you cling to the things
They sold you
Did you cover your eyes when
They told you
That he cant come back
Because he has no children
To come back for

And its hard to love,
Theres so much to hate
Hanging on to hope
When there is no hope to speak of
And the wounded skies above
Say its much too late
Well maybe we should all be
Praying for time

Trevor is the ImmelMan

There are still 5 holes to play, but Trevor Immelman is going to win the Masters. He has a six stroke lead as we speak with 5 holes to play and all he has to do is keep playing the same steady way he has played all day. One of my first signs of spring has been one of the most boringest days ever.

No one has made a run, in fact, everyone has gone backwards. Even Tiger Woods has been close to awful today. Two of the best rounds were posted by Heath Slocum and Miguel Jiminez, and these two were so far back that they needed to shoot 63s to have a shot.

Augusta National is still a breathtakingly beautiful course. The Magnolia's and the warm looking sun still does something that makes the viewer feel spring and warmth. I just wish I did not need to be distracted by the trees to actually find something exciting in this.

Is that all there is?

I live in a battleground state, at least this time around when it comes to the Democrats running for President. And frankly, I have to say I am disappointed in the onslaught of people trying to get me to vote one way or another on April 22.
We have only gotten 3 calls to be sure to vote for Obama or the Hill. There has been no one knocking at my door, jamming leaflets down my throat. I have only been polled called for my opinion once and that was a total accident since it happened at work. And the lack of commercials is a tad odd. Even in the mayoral primary this year, there was more commericals for candidate A, B or C then there has been this time around. On a commercial side note, while I like Mayor Nutter, he is not exactly the strongest person to be talking for Hillary. He has been mayor for like 3 days. Plus, where is my 3 AM phone call?

Yet the race seems to be getting closer in the Keystone state, even without the barrage. Depending on what poll you listen too, it is as 5 to 9 between the two, and while I think some of these polls could be run by Franks Chicken Hut and Polling company, it is still a drop from the 14 point lead that Hillary once had. I wonder if both Dems are trying not to beat us over the head with there message because they will be back in a few months to try and beat McCain over the head.

A new miserable experience

Miserable in the sense that it was just one of those things that you dread doing, though you just know deep down it is something that you have to do.

The wife, Inlaws and I took a short little trip last night, to go to a wake for the father of a childhood friend of Mrs Duck. Now, I just do not do well at wakes and funerals, I seem to just sneak even deeper into myself. But this one was for a former police officer and the turn out was just so overwhelming, that I probably was overwhelmed.

The line up of the Philadelphia police cars down the middle of the street in front of the funeral home. The honor guard keeping watch over the casket, supplied by a suburban force that one of the sons worked for. All the old timers in the line that had to be a block and a half long, exchanging stories. A future politician, who right now is only a district attorney, but who I guarantee will be running for Congress 10 years from now, just showing up. It is just something this surburbanite duck was not used to seeing. Not that it was bad, the pomp and circumstance is also somewhat comforting.

Mrs Duck is off to the funeral this morning and I am sure the full regalia will be out today as well. But it is good to know that if you put your life to some sort of job or career, there are times that someone remembers, even if you have been retired for 15 years.

Its Poetry But Not

I really do not care who wins tonight, though I am pulling more for Memphis because I like John Calipari.
But, a tradition on the NCAA Tournament coverage is the "One Shining Moment" montage. It is the one time you can cry at a Luther Vandross song when you are not at a funeral. Though, personally, I like the Teddy Pendergrass version.

And now, here are 5

Sunday Ketchup

Wow, I have been gone a while. How Horrible is that. Well not that horrible, since my readership has shrunk like a guys junk in cold water. But, there have been thoughts in my head that need to get out.

The Pandering for Charity post kind of did not go over well. Part of it, I am sure, is because I have some horrible tracking widgets. So, I will be sending Habitats for Humanity $6.00 and restarting this charity thing once again in the near future. I already have my hottie picked out.

In the San Hiltadelphia group of the March Madness pool, I think it is all over but the shouting. Since not a single person in our group picked Memphis or Kansas to win the tournament, there are no more points to be earned. So, my "ex" brother in law Motas of Oregon is the winner. If you see this post before I drop you an email, send me your address so I can send the check. And as predicted, there were a few choice curse words uttered when I told Mrs Duck that Father Tex beat her by 40 points.

I knew I had not drank that much to be drunk last night, so I knew the fact that Kansas was ahead of UNC by almost 30 last night, was gigantic. The fact that they almost blew the lead was even crazier.

Memphis is very very fast.

The winner of the Shell Houston Open this weekend was Johnson Wagner. Now, doesnt the name Johnson Wagner sound like it should be in one of those fly by night law firms?

Oh, I am running a vacation contest, please stay tuned for next week.

While Mrs Duck kicked my ass, I think she will take much greater joy in defeating Brother Buckeye.

Guess What

I have Friday off. Guess what else, I plan on doing absolutely nothing but watching the Today show, sticking my hand down my pants, and drinking plenty of coffee. Oh and XBOX 360.

AI Benefit

I kind of predicted that Ramiel would go, though I only said it to Mrs Duck, though how reliabe a witness is she really.

Anyway, Dolly Parton should have riches beyond belief, because she wrote this song. And while I am not a huge Whitney fan, this song is Classic.

News you can use

6:15 is way way way too damned early to wake up in the morning.

Thanks, that is all, continue with the rest of your day.