Brown Dog Cafe

I know our anniversary is still a couple of days away but we decided to celebrate a few days early. A busy week is ahead culminating with a trip to NJ for some partying. Due to this we went to Brown Dog Cafe on Friday night and it was splendid.

We started with a couple of appetizers, a crab and lobster spring roll and a fancy take on a Mexican salad with beef. For dinner Wendy had lamb and I had duck and they were both magnificent. To finish some key lime pie and coffee. All in all we rate the "Dog" DTU, double thumbs up. A link to this wonderful restaurant is below.

Brown Dog Cafe

All in all it has been a weekend of great food because last night we went to Dewey's. Regarded as one of the best pizza places in town. They serve all kinds of wacky pizza including one that is called Edgar Allen Poe. A link to Dewey's is below.

Dewey's Pizza

Only 5 more days til we are in NJ and we can't wait. That is all for now.

Upbeat Casual

What is upbeat casual anyway? My sister says that on Saturday, during her 5th anniversary function, we can wear upbeat casual clothing. I think one could surmise that depending on where you live that could mean completely different things. Lisa thought that folks only in places like New York or Chicago would have a clue. I will refer back to my wedding for a Cincinnati example but there is one caveat. There is a huge discrepancy as to how one dresses depending on if you reside on the east or west side of town.

We asked for Black Tie Optional hoping that people would wear at least suits and nice dresses and not the typical hill billy wear that I have seen at many a Cincinnati wedding. Fortunately for us we succeeded but for a couple of cases. Most of our friends are like us and are socially astute and wore appropriate attire. We did however have a couple of people wear khakis and a collared shirt which in my mind is not wedding appropriate if Black Tie Optional is requested. The people wearing said clothing were locals so as we all know, it is all relative.

My brother says you would not want to ask for upbeat casual in Rapid City. To be honest, I am not sure in Sodus the upbeat casual attire would be any better. Regardless I am going to wear some slacks and a nice shirt; most likely a button down. Hopefully that will suffice on my sister's 5th anniversary.

Birthday Parties and Summer Heat

We had a birthday bash for my son Owen on Saturday. We had 6 kids in the house under the age of 4, only 2 of which could not walk. It was entertainment to say the least and some would call it birth control. All in all it was good time but in some regard I am glad it's over.

Below is a picture of Owen eating his birthday cake:

Below is a picture of Owen opening his presents:

Humans as Lima Beans?

According to many scientists humans are regarded as lima beans by great white sharks. So I ask, why are we so afraid of them? Check out the video below:

Great White Shark Video

Tonight is golf night and it's supposed to 100 today. I can't wait, it will be so much fun!

Heat Advisory

Some people are getting rained on every day, some people get no rain and their lawns die. Below is a picture of my back yard and as you can see someone has built a pyramid back there. It is amazing what happens when you are not looking.

What else is going on... Owen turns 1 in 13 days which is pretty exciting. I see that my John and Patri survived Maia's birthday so hopefully we can do the same. We have planned a party on the 11th which coincides with the start of the English Premier League season.

I am also fortunate to be assigned to the SAP project here at work. SAP stands for Systeme, Anwendungen und Produkte in der Datenverarbeitung ("Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing"). Yes, that is German if you are wondering. This project is huge for our organization in trying to modernize our systems to the 21st century. This is no small task because we are upgrading from 20 year old technology. In IT terms that is like going from a Model T to a Ferrari Modena 360.

Golf is Not Great!

My scorecard from last night: par, par, triple, bogey, triple, bogey, bogey, birdie, par. In numbers that is: 5, 3, 7, 4, 7, 4, 5, 3, 5 which totals 43. That is terrible for me but I know I should not complain since most golfers only dream of such scores.

Weather note: IT IS HOT!! Supposed to be 96 in Cincinnati today with humidity of 100000%. I know I should not complain about that either since J, P & M are dealing with sun like temperatures in Rapid City.

I hope all is well in the four corners of our great nation. I can't wait to see everyone in 4 short weeks! That is all for now...

Golf is Great

Played golf last night, shot 37. 6 pars, 1 birdie and 2 bogies. Both bogies were avoidable too. My putting can be so horrible sometimes I think it drives my partner to drink. If I could just putt in an adequate manner I could have been -1 or -2 easily.

Owen is doing well these days, crawling all over like a crazy man. He really likes it and is always excited to move about our lovely home. For those of you concerned about Rocky he also is doing well.

The Democrat Debate

If you missed it the Democrats did a debate last night and answered questions via You Tube. What a novel idea, trying to answer questions straight from John Q. Public. The thing that is frustrating is how every candidate, in some cases, talked about policy rather than answering the question.

Politics. I wish I could make a wish, like Jim Carrey's son in Liar Liar, to have everyone tell the blatant truth for a whole debate. That would be truly amazing. Below is the link to the transcript of the debate.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2007-07-19-debate-transcript_N.htm

I am not a registered Democrat but if I were, I would vote for John Edwards. Much of what is in this transcript says why I would vote this way. Look at the answers, look who is talking common sense vs. doing the circle route on the questions. I hope lots of people agree with me, it would do this country a lot of good.

My Brother is Home!!

For those that don't know my brother has returned from his deployment in the Middle East. Anyone who reads this send your love and best wishes to Patri, John and Maia!!

My Clock is on Military Time

In observance of my brother being deployed my clock was switched to Military Time, or the 24 hour clock.

Immigration: Illegal or Otherwise

I ran across an article on the CNN website about immigration which, is a touchy subject in this country right now. I know some people just want to kick all illegals out and I know some people that say give them amnesty. Both are impractical for a multitude of reasons that don't need to be discussed here.

I just wanted to give everyone an idea of one example as to why people who are willing to work for lower wages helps our economy. One person interviewed for the article said he was willing to pick lettuce for $52,000 a year. Granted this is in California but, that is roughly the same amount an average family of 4 makes in the whole U.S. of A.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/07/16/navarrette/index.html

Too Many Birthdays!

Wendy and I have decided that there are way too many Riker associated birthdays in the summer. I will gladly take another month if it will help lighten the load. Maybe I can pick March, not much going on then is there?

US and Columbia

The US lost, again, to Columbia this time 1-0. The following headline pretty much says it all: Colombia 1-0 U.S: U.S. finishes tourney winless.

US and Paraguay

The US lost again last night, this time to Paraguay. The final tally was 3-1 which was not a good reflection of the game. The US actually dominated proceedings but could never get that second goal they desperately needed. Unless a miracle happens the Copa America for the US is effectively over.

Tonight we head to Milwaukee for our yearly July 4th pilgrimage to the "Good Land". Rocky has been hanging out in Milwaukee this whole time on vacation. I wonder how fat and happy he will be when we get there. Something tells me I will have to play ball a lot to get him back in shape.

If anyone else is travelling this week please be careful as always, the roads get a little wacky this time of year. Chicago should be filled with heart stopping splendor, I can't wait.

Rabid Fans and Voter Turnout

I was asked if I knew how well Americans turned out for elections. 2004 was the highest ever since 1968, at 64%, based a small bit of research. This is based on a percentage of registered voters. In total, if you count registered and non-registered voters above the age of 18, it's 55.3%.

As a side note all 3 elections in the 60s had over 60% turnout of all people over the age of 18. Registration data for the given period is not accurate due to many states not having their registrations properly counted. Regardless no where near the 80% Patri is talking about

Lisa and Patri have brought to note that they feel it is disturbing that some country's fans are so rabid. Lisa pointed out that many in Argentina feel as if it is a reflection on their economy. If it is doing poorly people act in a more liberal way and vice versa if the economy is doing well. On the outside looking in it appears they are crazy all of the time.

We did have one extraordinary event happen on the Owen front. Owen pulled himself up for the first time at approximately 8:30 PM on Saturday night. He was able to get himself up on a plastic picnic table that the Donoghue's own. We were of course at a party and Owen was not tired enough to sleep until after 11 I believe. The party animal lives on!!

Man I love the internet, check out this blog for knitters!!! I was just farting around clicking Next Blog and I came across this---> http://chrissythegreat.blogspot.com/

The US and Argentina

Last night the US Men's National Football team played Argentina last night. They were invited to a competition called the Copa America which is a tournament that is held every 2 years for the South American Championship. Why then is the US playing in this tournament? They were invited by the South American Football Association more or less along with Mexico. Don't forget, Mexico is actually on this continent.

Anyway, the US lost 4-1 and to be honest, this is not a surprising scoreline. The US basically sent the crappiest team they could get away with and still be allowed to play. The effort was a valiant one but none the less they were way out classed.

I guess the biggest reason I bring this up is because with Lisa being in Argentina she gets to have a first hand account of how 'rabid' the fans are about their football. She said the streets were empty while the game was being played and every hole in the wall bar had people in it glued to the TV.

Another reason I bring this up is because I am not sure Americans ever get this passionate about anything. In a way this is a sad reminder of the malaise our society has for everything. Our political system is in shambles and we have rich people trying to represent the poor; more like giving everyone the facade of representing the common man. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out most in DC don't give two craps about the average American.

I was reading an article the other day they said an average election cost over a million bucks just for the House of Reps. For the Senate 8 million bucks. The presidency? How much money will it take to buy that chair in 2008?

OK, I digress. On a positive note I hope everyone has a lovely weekend!!

Golf, Food and the Big Red Beast

I played golf this morning at Yankee Trace, they used to play a Nike Tour event there until fairly recently. I think I know why this is too. When a hack like me can step onto a golf course and shoot 74 the first time and 76 the next time, it's too easy. During my round I had 3 birdies and then a bunch of crap in between. Regardless I am very happy with a 76.

Last night Wendy and I went to dinner at a restaurant called Boca. It was absolutely fantastic. Our bill wasn't small but since we love good food it was worth it. There really is something to be said for wonderful food and good company. Happy Birthday to me!

One last note... As many of you know we have bought a new car; the GMC Acadia. It is sweet, we love it and are very glad we made the purchase. Wendy calls it the BIG RED BEAST. Pictures of the new ride are below for your viewing pleasure...

It's Friday!!

I know, I know. I am a blog slacker. It's been very difficult to write lately and the blog is not exactly top of mind on a daily basis. While Wendy is taking care of Owen or vice versa, we are cleaning and doing other things around the house.

Anyway, tonight is dinner at Boca. The number 2 restaurant in Cincinnati according to, none other than, Cincinnati Magazine. It trails only Jean Robert at Pigall's for fine dining in our wonderful urban sprawling metropolis. Wendy and I are very excited to go to Boca and have been talking about it for a while, we just needed an excuse to go. Luckily my birthday has arrived and that was good enough for us.

I hope all is well in lands afar, I will report back with all of the details tomorrow. After I play golf at Yankee Trace, a superb track in Centerville, OH. The last time I played there I shot a 74 but I have no illusions of grandeur. I would be very surprised if I equal that score once again.

Blogger Slacker

I am a blogger slacker... Oh well.

What language you choose will determine what people think of you and how they perceive you to be.

Owen Belly Laugh

Hello all, wanted to share some video of Owen laughing hysterically at our friend Kristi playing with a towel.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9wQRAsQNAI