Party Tip #1

Tomorrow night, New Year’s Eve, has the fixn’s to be a night of fun, friends, drinks, and yes.. the opportunity to get arrested… I just want to give a word or two of advice and that is to dress in a way that if you are arrested or caught on film doing something “less than favorable” that your choice of attire doesn’t add to your embarrassment or shame..

Like this guy. I’m sure when he bought this shirt at Spencer’s Gifts it seemed funny and cool, he he…. I bet now he would re-think that purchase…

Cool t-shirt and I do love that little people porn..
JULY 14--Since you usually can't anticipate an arrest for drunk driving, a motorist does not have the luxury of planning a wardrobe for the mug shot session. Floridian Jon Matteson, who last month pleaded no contest to a reckless driving count, knows all about that predicament. The 28-year-old was wearing a rather distinctive t-shirt when he posed for the below Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office mug shot following his December 2004 DUI arrest. We're sure Matteson was more appropriately attired in Circuit Court on June 1, when he was sentenced to a year's probation, fined $775, and ordered to perform 50 hours of community service.

IVR Cheat Sheet

Tired of talking to computers (IVR) when calling customer service? Try this CHEAT SHEET of prompts that may help you bypass the computer and actually get you through to a real live person.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a list for what language you must speak when your wish is granted and you get to talk to a person….

Special thanks to the people that provided this info to me.. (Becky, Jon, and Jon’s Dad)

Cheap Drinks, Free Rides..

Only in the UP can you plan a New Year's Eve night out and no one has to be the DD. Ah, the sweet UP!

OSF St. Francis Hospital and Rampart EMS are stepping up to the plate in Delta County again this New Year's Eve. In conjunction with JN Taxi and Escanaba Taxi, they're offering free rides for New Year's Eve from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m.

They've offered "Liferides" for 20 years now, and there has not been a single alcohol-related traffic injury, they say, since the program started. Last year, the two taxi companies served almost 1200 people on New Year's Eve.
To alleviate the anticipated long waiting times this year, Liferides is also running a charter bus with routes through Escanaba and Gladstone. The bus will run from 10 p.m. until 5 a.m.

The message, of course, is "If you're going to drink on New Year's, you don't have to drive. A free taxi and bus service will take care of you."

Tipping on To-Go Orders?

It seems like all of the chain "sit down" restaurants are pushing the Curbside Take-Away, Carside To Go, or a similar service. The question is.. When the meal gets to the car and the server asks you if you want change. What do you say? I didn't know, Amy didn't know, and I was too embarrassed to ask the All-Knowing Jon.

So, I have decided it was time get to the bottom of this nagging etiquette question. I wasn't real happy with what I found out, but it does make cents, well maybe not to Rudi.

I found that only when you pick up a pizza, a tip is not required. Most likely based on pay. In all other pick-up cases, your tip is for the waiter or waitress who has to prepare and package your order. Again, most likely based on pay. If you buy into this as a good reason. How much of a tip is appropriate? Well, according to one source, it depends on the establishment. If it's a restaurant that features take-out meals, 10% is appropriate. If it's a restaurant that is really more of a dine-in place, the typical 15% is in order.

For me the real reason to leave a tip? Well if you don't, you may be pimping your waiters and waitresses because at some dine-in restaurants, takeout orders are added to a waitperson's total sales and fall under the 8% rule. Which the IRS requires servers to report 8% of their total sales as tips. Even though you may be eating at home, the waitperson is still providing you a service by preparing and packing your food and in most cases paying Uncle Sam for it.

My opinion... It would be nice if restaurants paid their people, so I don't have too.....

BUT... When in doubt, leaving a couple of bucks is always appreciated.

Santa's Crib

All of the Christmas presents have been delivered so now what will Santa do? Retire to his phat crib of course…

Clips can also be viewed at the bottom of this page... for those of you that refuse to click on the hyperlinks!!!! However, the clip at the bottom of the page will change every couple of days to keep the blog fresh, but the hyperlink will still be the same...

Colorful Cabbage

Hartman's Colorful Cabbage

What will you need…

• 4 cups green cabbage shredded (1 head)
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 tablespoons pimentos
• ¼ cup butter
• ½ tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon floor
• ½ cup milk
• 1 cup mild cheddar shredded
• Dash black pepper

Let’s get cooking…

• Sauté the onion & green pepper in butter for 5 min
• Stir in cabbage & salt
• Cover & cook for 10 min on med heat
• Sprinkle flour over cabbage mixture
• Stir in milk, gradually for 3-5 min
• Blend in pimentos and pepper
• Sprinkle cheese
• Stir and Serve..

Serves 10 (4 Bradfields)

A special thank you to our Cajun friends, Mike and Goldie, for the family recipe.

Woof! Woof! Woof! Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Rich, Amy & Alex…

This year we are spending Christmas in Rochester because Amy had to work, nothing new there. My folks came in from the UP to spend the week with us and to dog sit while Amy and I go out to Las Vegas for New Years Eve. We are looking forward Vegas and seeing our good friends Becky, Erin & Loran..

Enjoy the Holidays…

Woot's Random Bag of Crap

Damn it!! I should have known that Woot would have had the Random Bag of Crap today!!!!

Stocking of Crap VIII: Santa Strikes Back
You don’t have anyone to share the holidays with. No kids to put presents under the tree for, no big group of friends to share a Christmas drink with. You have nothing better to do at midnight on Christmas morning than to look at Woot. Again.

You lucky bastard.

Santa knows all about your unusual tastes, so he’s saved a stocking full of crap for the least naughty among you. If you miss out, you have only yourselves to blame. We’re talking Santa here. He knows. He knows it all.

ATTENTION! Somebody misunderstands this concept every time, so please READ THE BIG PRINT:

1. WHEN YOU ORDER THIS ITEM, YOU’LL GET ONE BAG WITH (up to) THREE CRAPS IN IT.

2. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR SELECTING THE QUANTITY OF THREE WHEN YOU ORDER.

3. YOU WILL WASTE FREIGHT IF YOU ORDER FEWER THAN THREE.

The item quantity you select is the number of crappy items we’ll put in your bag. Select THREE. You will only get one bag. Later, you can watch with smug satisfaction as a surprisingly large number of less observant Wooters complain on the forums about their two missing bags. We say again: YOU WILL ONLY GET ONE BAG.

We make absolutely no promises about the bags or what’s in them. You pay us real American hard currency – we send you the dregs of our warehouse stock. Funny how that works, huh? It’s like a blindfolded shopping spree at a dollar store!

THE HOLY CRAP COMMANDMENTS v2.0:


I. Thou shalt expect nothing beyond one bag of some kind and your chosen quantity of crappy items (which should be THREE).

II. Thou shalt not whine and complain when some people’s crap turns out to be nicer than yours.

III. Thou shalt take a moment to consider whether you might be better off just not buying this crap.

IV. Thou shalt not order just one crap and blame it on anything but your own inattention.

V. To paraphrase Stephen Stills, shalt thou not get the crap you want, want the crap you get.

Warranty: you wish

Features:

1 (one) bag
Some (some) crap

Cool Gift

Coolest gift a man can buy for friends without looking metro-sexual. (I hope)

ZapCap stainless steel bottle opener The ingenious and original ZapCap is also available in stylish stainless steel. The stainless steel model is a UK award finalist product, manufactured to the highest quality, offering superb weight and design.

• Ideal for home entertaining. (gives you a reason to open another beer)
• Operates on all crown cap bottles and metal twist off tops.
• Superb quality, offering first class design and weight.
• Designed and developed in the UK. (that's England)

In Rochester these can be purchased at Counterpoint Home in the Galleria Mall Centerplace (downtown). Amy and I love the store. They have really cool stuff that you wouldn't find anywhere else in town. Not to mention they are the best gift wrappers…

Best Christmas Card 2005

Congratulations to the Duncan Family. This is the best Christmas Card for 2005 that Amy and I received. It wasn't easy to pick one card but as you can see this card is pretty damn funny. This is actually their two kids... It cracked me up!!!!

We got lots of cards and letters this year and wanted to thank everyone for thinking of us. It was great to find out what everyone has been up to this year.

Thanks again,

Rich & Amy

History of Clan McIntosh

Probably the earliest authentic history of Mackintosh is traceable to Shaw or Seach MacDuff, a Cadet son of the third Earl of Fife. The son of MacDuff, for his support of Malcom IV, was awarded the lands of Petty and Breachley in Invernesshire and was appointed Constable of the Castle thereto. Assuming the name "Mac-an-toisch", which means "Son of the Thane or Chief", he began his own Clan. The Clan support of James I in 1429 resulted in large tracts of land being settled on the Mackintoshes. Clan Mackintosh was involved in the "Battle of the Thirty", a mass trial by combat, which was held under the judicial control of the King in 1396 on the North Inch of Perth, in which Clan Macintosh regained all lands taken from the Shaws.

Clan Mackintosh supported the King in the revolt of 1688, but in 1715, Mackintosh gave his support to the Jacobite Rebellion. At the "45 Rising", Angus, who held a commission in the Black Watch, could not in honor raise the Clan for Prince Charles Edward. His wife, Lady Ann (Colonel Anne), raised the Mackintosh Battalions for Clan Chattan in support of "Bonnie Prince Charlie". The Chattan Regiment distinguished itself at the Battle of Culloden under the leadership of the Chief of the MacGillivray's and was one of only two Scottish Regiments which did not lose their colors. Earlier, following "Colonel Anne's" tactics, five Mackintoshes, under the leadership of Frasier, the Blacksmith, had routed 1500 of Lord Louden's Troops who were approaching Moy Hall in an attempt to capture Bonnie Prince Charlie.

Clan Mackintosh is second to none. It's members have demonstrated that they are stalwart, fearless, and adventuresome people. In the United States, Mackintoshes have played an important part in it's history, especially in the Southeast. A group under John Mor Mackintosh helped guard General Oglethorpe's new colony in Savannah, Georgia and aided in extending settlements west to the Tombigbee River between Georgia and Arkansas. The Clan Mackintosh spirit is as strong as ever and binds our clansmen together in all parts of the world.

Santa's Nice-O-Meter

Have you been naughty or nice? Will Santa visit you tomorrow night? Click HERE to find out..

I guess Santa has me on the nice list. He said..

Nice, but has been naughty at times. Neatness and politeness have been very good over the last two weeks. Shows proper respect for others. Shares well, but could always be better. With a little more effort could be near top of "nice" list.

Thank you Dan for the website..

Blog Updates

The blog will now only show 5 posts at a time. This will make it easier to move around the page. It’s easy to see older posts just by going the archives in the right hand column.

Now at the bottom of the page you will find a video that has caught my fancy and a couple of count down clocks. I have also added to the links, thanks Dave.

Thanks for visiting and if you have any suggestions or comments send them to comments@richmcintosh.com.

-Management

Winter Solstice

Today is Winter Solstice, a.k.a. first day of winter. Hope you enjoy the snow. This is a photo of our home from last year after one big snow fall. Hopefully, we will have a good snowy winter this year.

If you’re interested in skiing in the Rochester area you only have a couple of choices...

•Steeplechase Ski & Snowboard Park, it’s not much, but it’s only about 10 minutes north of Rochester and its cheap. Typical Lift Ticket $28 (Good for a few hours at a snowboard park)

•Welch Village Ski & Snowboard Area, definitely better than Steeplechase, about an hour north or Rochester. Typical Lift Ticket $40 (Social atmosphere, they have a bar)

This is a Fully Operational Blog

After to talking to a fan today. I realized that some of you are not using the full power of the blog.

• Click on the underlined or colored words, they’re links. A lot of work goes into those. It’s the best part.
• Look at the right hand column. Lots of good stuff. (Links, Weather, Web Counter..)
• Comments.. You can comment on something.. It’s always good to see feed back.
• Polls. Vote baby..

But really, thanks for looking at my blog. I get about 100 hits a day and I‘ve also gotten several positive comments.

If you looking for a good time, Click HERE!! See EZ…

Santa "Probable" Clause

About time Law Enforcement cracked down on Santa Clause. It dosen't take a nut and bolt salesman to figure out where the money comes from and why he would deliver toys to thousands of homes for free.

Click HERE, to see the take down.

Nice Pair of Monitors

Once a year, Amy ropes me into stopping in to the WFMC. Normally I’m not to keen on the idea, but I remembered that the WFMC have some pretty sweet monitors.

Double the blogging… Double the fun… Ya, I'm a Dork...

Take My Poll

King Kong Burger @ BK

Why are people over weight? Geeee....

Burger King is rolling out the King Kong Burger, a new burger to feed king-sized appetites, the Triple Whopper with cheese sandwich, to help generate buzz over Universal Picture's new film King Kong.

This baby weighs in at over 1 pound, 1230 calories/740 calories from fat. The new burger includes three beef patties, American cheese lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mayonnaise, pickles and onions stacked on a sesame bun and retails for $3.99. Burger King has added the Triple Whopper as a permanent item to its menu.

In honor of King Kong, the QSR is selling banana milk shakes (16 ounces to 42 ounces) through Dec. 31. The large goes about 900 calories....

King Kong Burger, 1230 cal
King Fry, 600 cal
King Coke, 390 cal
Banana Shake (16 oz), 400 cal
Total = 2620 cal... That's over you daily allowance...

UMMMMMMMMMIE!!!!!

Post Your Own Video

I found, via a fellow blogger, this awesome site where you can post your own videos. Funny stuff!!! Some of it pushes the PG-13 envelope, but well worth a view.

Here are a couple of my favorites….

Dancing Chic, be sure to check out the dog in the lower right corner.
Dude Flexing, Why?
YMCA, PG-13..

Christmas Holiday Tipping Etiquette

Christmas is a great time of year to remember those people who serve you regularly. Since it only occurs once a year, holiday tipping can be a source of holiday stress, but it need not be so. I recommend a gift or a tasteful Christmas card with a tip inside. Delivery should occur in the month of December prior to Christmas day.

• Maid - one week's pay. If you use a service and never know who is coming out, don't tip at all.
• Mail carrier - $10-20. This is for mail carriers that are on foot, not ones in a car. Rather than money, candy or some type of treat. Also, if you get snow, make a path so the mail carrier can cut across your yard.
• Apartment building superintendent - $20-100
• Doorman/concierge - $50-100 or more, depending upon building
• Manicurist/pedicurist - $15 or more
• Hairdresser/stylist - $15 or more
• Newspaper carrier - Daily - $25 - 50, weekend - $10
• Baby sitter - two-to-three night's pay, plus maybe a gift
• Full-time nanny - one week's pay
• Day care service - $25-70 plus a gift
• Parking attendants - $10-20 each
• Personal trainer - $60-100 upon reaching goal.
• Teacher - $25-100. Give a gift certificate to a bookstore or office supply store.
• Country Club -$50 for your waiters, locker-room personnel, front-desk employees, and golf professionals. For head waiters or special service, make it $100.

If you would like to add to the list please leave a comment.

More tipping info, Click HERE.

15 Minutes of Fame

During the FSU vs. Miami game this year. These broads got 15 minutes of fame. Well, these are hot broads and they have quite the fan base, like me.

Here are a few sites if you would like to see more of these lovely babes. Click HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

I’m sure a Playboy deal is in the works… Sorry Rudi….

Dude, I went to the wrong FSU....

Personal Ads, Good Idea or Bad Idea?

Do you ever surf the personal ads from your home town? Well, I do. If you ask me it’s not a good idea. Especially, when people like me looking for good blog material…

If you want to see the entire personal ad, click HERE.

If you would like to see Clint Carlson in the 1991 GHS Yearbook, click HERE. Nice Mullet.....

Minnie Love Boat

Four Minnesota Vikings players were charged today with lewd conduct for their roles in a ribald October party boat excursion on Lake Minnetonka. Quarterback Daunte Culpepper and three teammates--Bryant McKinnie, Fred Smoot, and Moe Williams--were each hit with three misdemeanors, according to District Court criminal complaints, copies of which you'll find below. The complaints offer very explicit details of the alleged behavior of the four athletes (butt groping, sex toy usage, assorted oral favors, topless lap dancing, etc.) during the October 6 floating excursion. A criminal probe by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office began after crew members complained that some of the booze-soaked party's 90 guests engaged in public sex romps. The trip was cut short after the boat's captain became alarmed by the raucous behavior of partygoers. Along with the four Vikings charged, about a dozen other players were reportedly on board during the party, which came during a bye week for the NFL club.

If they just would have gone down to Frog Town!!!!

Click HERE to take the poll question...

Poll Retired

The poll as was drawing in the bad element of Pop-Ups. Pete, I’m sorry buddy. The Doughboy was kicking some serious Tigger butt.

Thanks Rudi for the heads up. I noticed it today and figured it would be a problem. It just goes to show ya it may say free, but nothing’s free. Except maybe Free Willy….

My Co-Blogger

This is my cute and brilliant (pointed out by Jon) niece Hayley. She didn’t actually help me with the new look of my blog, but if she did. I’m sure it would have looked better than Jon’s…. ;)

New Look for the Blog

Inspired by some fellow bloggers, I decided to update my template look. It wasn’t easy and it took a few tries to get it right (still tweeking), but it’s better than having a Plain Jane Site….

I’ll keep on keep’n on….. It’s all for you, my fans….

Golden Years

Alex, our Golden Retriever, is almost 14 and he’s getting goofy in his old age. Just in the last month he’s be climbing on the furniture, even when your sitting right there.

He may have gotten the idea from other dogs…..

U.S. Citizenship Test

Wow, try this fun test and see if you are qualified to be a Citizen of the United States of America. Not too EZ.. Look at the real thing.

Thanks Bob D. for the test...

Baby Tip #4 from Rich

Always take your baby with you. Babies can really win over the ladies at the bar, strip club or any adult non-sanctioned event.

Meet Tiffany Eagle and Ashley Tomaszewski. The two Indiana women went to Kokomo's Big Daddy's strip club early Sunday morning and proceeded to drink until they were plastered. While that's not a crime, the fact that the gals had left the 22-year-old Eagle's newborn son in an unheated car outside the topless joint is where the alleged felonious behavior comes in. According to a Kokomo Police Department report, the three-month-old baby (who was wearing a sleeper) was lying face down in the back seat of Tomaszewski's 1996 Oldsmobile. Cops reported the temperature outside at about 32 degrees at 3 AM, when they were called to the scene after a bar patron spotted the unattended baby, who was later examined at a local hospital and appeared unharmed. When interviewed by cops, Eagle (pictured below at left) claimed that she had left her son with a sitter, and that Tomaszewski, 21, had transported the child to the club. For her part, Tomaszewski, who blew a .28 on a Breathalyzer test, accepted no responsibility for the infant. "The baby was not hers and not her problem," was how cops synopsized the position of Tomaszewski, who is pictured below at right in her Howard County Sheriff's Department booking photo.

More HERE

Yooper n da' News eh'

You would never have caught Tom Watson doing this!!!!

Escanaba High School Principal Jim Hansen hit the big time on Monday.
The "Ellen" show featured him in a starring role. Ellen DeGeneres called him out of the audience near the end of the show, touting him as someone with a special talent.
She had a little trouble pronouncing the word "Escanaba" and she thought it might be near Ann Arbor, but after Hansen good naturedly corrected her, he demonstrated his talent. It was something he said he performed during the high school's homecoming celebrations.
It was a cartwheel. And while it didn't quite qualify for the Olympic gymnastics team, it was a graceful enough effort for a man past his athletic prime.
His cartwheel drew hearty applause from Ellen and the audience.

Kwik Kwotes

I thought, 'What skills could they have?' Holding a sign was an obvious one.
-- Andre Jehan, Pizza Schmizza founder

And check out this Clip.... Ummmmie!!!

Redneck Rich

I just got back from Fastenal’s 5th annual vendor trade show in Orlando, FL. Besides having a great time with all of my “nut & bolt” hommie’s at the show and out on the town. The company introduced us to the newest member of our team, Bobby Hamilton. Ya, I have a hillbilly streak in me….

MT. JULIET, TN – December 9, 2005 – 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton has joined forces with the Fastenal Company, a Minnesota based industrial and construction supply company with over 1,700 stores in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Singapore and the Netherlands. Hamilton will pilot the No.18 Fastenal Dodge in 2006 and 2007, switching from the No. 04 he drove in 2005.

Full Story, Click HERE

Katrina Victims Blame Racism for Slow Response

New Orleans community leader Dyan "Mama D" French testifies on Capitol Hill Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Black survivors of Hurricane Katrina said Tuesday that racism contributed to the slow disaster response, at times likening themselves in emotional congressional testimony to victims of genocide and the Holocaust.

To get more enzyte listen to this expert. He has it all figured out!!!! Click HERE (PG-13) - Rich

French Military Victories?

1- Go to www.google.com
2- Type in, french military victories.
3- Instead of hitting "Search" hit "I'm feeling Lucky"

C U LOL!! Thanks Tony...

Baby Tip #3 from Rich

It's never too early to teach your baby sports. Especially, Extreme Sports like BASE Jumping!!!

My Hero!!

This is the dude with the crazy xmas light display.

The Williams family, Carson, Sherry and daughters, Amanda, 10 (left), and Brittney, 11, will be visited by the "Today" show this morning and "Inside Edition" in the afternoon.

Full story HERE

Snow Globe..

Next time you pick up a Snow Globe. Think twice about what’s really inside. It could be an entire universe in the palm of you hand. Thank you for the clip Amy…

Snow globes, snowdomes, snow shakers, snowstorms, waterglobes, waterdomes, waterballs, blizzard weights, shake 'em ups, shakies, snowies. Whatever you call them, virtual or real, they have a fascination for people young and old all round the world.
It isn't certain exactly when the first snowglobe was made but they appear to date from France during the early 1800s, possibly as a natural successor to the glass paperweight, which had become popular a few years earlier. However, by 1879 at least five companies were producing snowglobes and selling them throughout Europe.

Cool MN Morning

Check this out! -13

Fill'r Up..

When Jon was in town, he raved about the service that he got at the Pump-n-Munch filling station.

What’s Cook’n

BEER ROASTED CAT
1 cat cut into roast
1 can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup
1 cube of beef bouillon
1 clove of garlic
1 Fine Irish Stout, like Guinness

Cover and soak cat roast in salt water for 24 hours. Drain water and then cover and soak in beer for 6 hours. Drain and place in crock pot with your cans of soup. Add a clove of garlic, and a cube of beef bouillon. If you start to slow cook your cat in the morning with your George Foreman Cooker (or it's ilk), you'll have finely cooked feline in time for supper.If a slow cooker is not available, a cat can be baked at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours in a conventional oven and still come out pretty good. Beer Roasted Cat is fantastic served with mashed potatoes, collard greens, and fresh, homemade egg rolls. When planning a full meal just remember- cat is a course best served hot!Cat may not be the most glamorous, or tastiest of game meats, but with a little thought and preparation, Baked Cat can make the belly of the persnicketiest diner glow with home baked goodness.

An estimated 200 Beijing families report their cats stolen a month. Mostly, the missing kitties are sold to wholesale markets for about $3 each.

The Real "Cadillac" of Christmas Tree Stands

I have been called out on my Chrismas Tree Stand, and I have to agree. It is pretty sweet..

Swivel Straight Christmas Tree Stand with Reservoir
Set your tree up straight, keep it watered with this unique holiday tree stand. Now you can set up a Christmas tree easily. Simply lay the tree down and attach the removable stand sleeve over the trunk. Set the tree and sleeve into the weighted base and press the foot pedal to swivel the tree up, straighten and lock into place. Tree stand has an extra one-gallon exterior reservoir, and holds up to a 10-foot tree with a 5 inch trunk.

A Lot on His Mind

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A construction worker had six nails driven into his head in an accident with a high-powered nail gun, but doctors said they expect him to make a full recovery.

He had 3-inch nails embedded in his face, neck and skull. Full story...