An Arizona Cheesehead's Thoughts

Most of 2020 sucked. But, there were some good moments that made memories to cling to. I'm going to review some of those moments from each month. (Disclaimer - my memory isn't what it used to be so this is my story and I'm sticking to it regardless of reality.) I moved into my house in May of 2019 and it was already hot out so I used the Arizona summer as an excuse not to do anything to my patio or yard. I don't recall what excuse I used to justify ignoring the both in the fall and winter. Let's go with complete laziness. It's entirely plausible. However, I had to get on the stick and pretty it up because I had a bunch of company scheduled for the spring. The first thing I did was get some inexpensive chairs from Target for my beat up table. I honestly thought I could jam them into my car. I really, really did. One would never guess I was a Tetris master. After several futile attempts, this is how it ultimately went down. Adam (answering cell): Hi, Kathy! Me: Hi...

Most of 2020 sucked. But, there were some good moments that made memories to cling to. I'm going to review some of those moments from each month. (Disclaimer - my memory isn't what it used to be so this is my story and I'm sticking to it regardless of reality.) January 1, 2020 = NFW How convenient was it that the first day of the year fell on a No Fun Wednesday! Shorty and Steven joined me and the gang at Fatso's. Funny how my usual $13 bill turns into more like $70 when those two are with me. Go Coyotes! My buddy Steve got us fantastic tickets to see the Arizona Coyotes play. We were only a few rows off the ice. We pregamed at Yardhouse where Steve was flummoxed by their many beer selections and ordered the wrong one. Oh, how we mocked. The Coyotes beat the crap out of the Flyers, 6-2. Sweet! Quite the group of athletes! I really only walk when I can get a medal. I still call it the PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. Just like I call Ak-Chin Pavilion, Deser...

I've been overweight since birth. No lie, I was a 9 pound plus baby. I've dealt with the discomfort, the mocking, the health hazards, the lack of cool clothing and the cringing at pictures my entire life. About 20 years ago, I lost a significant amount of weight on what I call the "depression" diet. I got treated very poorly (not that I was perfect) and my heart broken and I just couldn't find it in myself to eat. I'd heat up a Healthy Choice dinner and barely put down half of it. I didn't even want to drink alcohol. Those were the days! However, I found the will and desire for food and drink on the road to recovery. As the years went by I fell into a pattern of gaining ten pounds each year for several years then diet down part of it (never all) then go back to gaining again. Eventually, I hit my peak high weight and settled in. For several years, I lost and gained about the same 8-10 pounds but the key to that story is that I always gained them back. ...

I recently went to the Virgin Islands and had about two hours to kill at 6 AM at  Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport  in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  So, of course, I chose to eat breakfast at the Margaritaville. Jimmy needs more of my money. I had French Toast and a Rum & Diet. Don't judge, I was on vacation. The seats at the bar could not have been more uncomfortable so I decided to meander to the gate after a slight detour. Who knew? They had a temporary exhibit up about JFK's involvement with Puerto Rico and pictures from his and Jackie's visit to the island back in the early 1960s. There were some great pictures and trivia tidbits in the exhibit and it was well worth the brief time it took to scope it out.  Another one! I then took off towards the gate, I came across a second JB property. Surprisingly, I did not stop in. I think the Landshark sign scared me. Seriously? As I headed down the long, lonely hallway to where Seaborne f...

My friend and work colleague, Steve, moved away for a few years but is now back and working with us again. I'm happy because he's a great human, a pleasure to work with but, most importantly, he's a social butterfly like me. (Well, I guess the great human part is more important, but not for this story.) The difference between us in the latter category is that he's much better at following through with events. A few months ago, we set up an event called Random Happy Hour. The idea was to invite a bunch of different people within the organization, hang out in a relaxed setting and get to know each other better. We called it "Random" but it wasn't entirely. We invited our "usual" suspects, people we wanted to get to know better, people we wanted to introduce to each other and people with well developed internal networks. We then told everyone to invite whomever else they wanted to. The first Random Happy Hour was fairly small but went well. We h...

I spend a lot of time in bars. It's because they're such great places to meet people and engage in deep conversations about all sorts of topics. The more cocktails, the deeper the conversation. Or, so it seems. OK, I spend a lot of time in bars because I love cocktails, too. I don't get to my favorite bar very often, though, because it's 1,400 miles away in Des Moines, IA. My friend Dawnie first took me there years ago and I was instantly smitten for many reasons. First, the name. The High Life Lounge . The Champagne of Bars! Perfection! Second, the decor. Think 1970s Dad basement bar. Beer signs, wood paneled walls, nondescript carpet... Third, the menu. If I were President, I would sign an Executive Order on my first day in office that every restaurant must serve Tator Tots, that's how much I love those little grease pillows. You can get your basic Tots at The Highlife but you can also get bacon wrapped tots! Nirvana. They also have Tang. Yes, the dr...

Two years ago, we went back to Wisconsin to celebrate my parents' 50th Anniversary. In what is now becoming a tradition, we went to The Pfister Hotel for a meal. When I asked the server to take our picture, my cousin asked, "Whose Hello Kitty camera is that?" Yes, there was some judgment in her tone. I happen to really like pink. I was immediately offended. For about 30 seconds. But, then I started embracing the idea. I spent the next two years on a mission to find a Hello Kitty sticker to put on my camera. Preferably, one with glitter. Because, well, glitter. Every time I went to the grocery store or a dollar store, I took a quick perusal to see if they had appropriately sized stickers. I had no success until yesterday when I was in Target. Bonus is that I only paid $1 for a whole bunch of stickers. There was just one problem. My pink camera is no more my working camera. Cameras don't work without a shutter button, yo! My first day in London two...