What's everybody up to?

[NSA]

I am sure it's been kind of crazy in the past but with everyone stuck at home this year and beaches closed.. people just went wild. The air quality was hazardous in LA all night and the next day haha. I'm glad I'm outside of LA.. but it did look really cool from a helicopter.

 

[nacho]

We just grilled some ribeyes, had my parents over, and the kids went to sleep at their house. So I had a nice quiet 4th. My only neighbor shot off a substantial amount of fireworks, but I didn't go outside. I was just trying to keep the cats from freaking out. Watched A LOT of racing, as Indycar, Formula 1, IMSA, and NASCAR all had full weekends of events. Can't say it was the most eventful 4th, but I'm not complaining.

 

[NSA]

We just grilled some ribeyes, had my parents over, and the kids went to sleep at their house. So I had a nice quiet 4th. My only neighbor shot off a substantial amount of fireworks, but I didn't go outside. I was just trying to keep the cats from freaking out. Watched A LOT of racing, as Indycar, Formula 1, IMSA, and NASCAR all had full weekends of events. Can't say it was the most eventful 4th, but I'm not complaining.

Our local stores had ribeye on a good sale lately.. wonder if that was nationwide? Did they find a surplus of cows somewhere?

I BBQ'd a couple last night and.. *chefs kiss* they turned out perfect. I used to try all these fancy marinades and dry rubs and.. sometimes they were good, but lately I've just been using salt & cracked pepper.. and damn if they don't just taste amazing.

 

[nacho]

No, we just had ribeyes leftover from he last few times we bought them, and we had six, so the wife suggested my parents come over. They were from two different stores and a couple from butcher-box.

I don't get too fancy with the prep. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder on one side, Montreal, salt, and a sprinkle of garlic powder on the other. Also, I don't let the grill get too hot. 225-250 is all I need. Sure, it takes a bit longer, but it's hot enough to kill the cooties on the surface, and it's not so hot that the outside gets done way before the inside.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Y'all are making me hungry, and I just go done with lunch an hour ago!

Yeah, I don't know what the deal has been with the meat and chicken prices. My wife has been finding crazy good deals on beef, chicken and turkey, so much so that we've nearly filled up the deep freezer with it all. Maybe it was all the hysteria about a potential meat shortage that got the retailers buying up whatever they could and, when it didn't happen, we all get the benefits of it now. Supply and demand and all that...

I was very much missing my chill 4th from last year this morning when I had to get up to go to work and was more worn out than on Thursday night after work. I had a great weekend, but chill was definitely not on the menu. As I get older, I really start to appreciate the more mellow (and more indoors) observance type holidays for sure.

I was watching videos of the Mt. Rushmore and DC celebrations over lunch today and remembered just laying on the bed and watching the recordings of the Salute to America celebration last year. I think I only really went outside to go watch fireworks at the neighbors'. It was definitely less taxing than this years', and still pretty fun, just in a different kind of way.

 

[nacho]

Just think how wild the celebrations will be in six years when we hit two-fiddy!

You know, assuming we're not a solicalist dictatorship under Supreme Leader Ocasio-Cortez (SLOC) by then.

 

[NSA]

Wife canceled my 40th bday party today Damn you COVID!!!

 

[nacho]

Does this mean you get to stay 39?!

 

[ThunderDan19]

Just think how wild the celebrations will be in six years when we hit two-fiddy!

You know, assuming we're not a solicalist dictatorship under Supreme Leader Ocasio-Cortez (SLOC) by then.

You know, I heard that, since Trump was impeached but not removed, there is some kind of loophole that would allow him to run for a third term. Could you imagine the bash he'd throw if he were in office for the 250th? Even his regular Independence Day celebrations are epic!

I always wonder though, why do we celebrate 1776 vs 1789? We really weren't the actual USA until after the Constitution was finished and ratified. George Washington didn't become our first president until then, and who can even name the "president" before him? We were still more of a squabbly confederation until that point.

I'd also love it if they could come up with a date that we, as a country, finally realized and codified the sentiment from the Declaration of Independence that "all men [people] are created equal" and celebrate that date. Maybe it's too divisive out there to ever have a "We [finally] did it!" day celebration.

 

[nacho]

I think we celebrate 1776 because that's when we stood up and gave the King the finger. While the country's constitution wasn't finalized until 1789, no one wants to celebrate the day we... got our paperwork in order? We want to celebrate when we started being free.

 

[ThunderDan19]

True dat. But I'm OCD!!!

 

[nacho]

The problem is that no matter what day you picked to celebrate, SOMEBODY would find a way to twist it into some kind of raysis, oppressive, victim-causing narrative such that anyone who celebrates it "obviously" hates (insert race/gender/proclivity) people and supports (insert evil concept here). That's where we are. This is why we can't have nice things. The media is intent on making sure that minorities are never assigned any agency over their own decisions; otherwise, they might have to take responsibility, and we can't have that.

 

[NSA]

You still with us nacho?!?!

 

[nacho]

Last time I looked... (*pats down torso to check for bullet holes*)

 

[pcsguy88]

Always excuse yourself when the middle name is Lynn.

 

[nacho]

My sister's middle name is Lynn. But she's an attorney turned chemistry teacher... definitely not a hooker.

 

[pcsguy88]

Does she introduce herself with first and middle name? That’s where the crazy seeps out.

 

[nacho]

Yep. But she's not crazy, just a very professional AP chemistry teacher.

But she did marry a democrat, so maybe she's a *little* crazy.

 

[ThunderDan19]

Back from a chill weekend down at the resort in W’burg. It was mildly modified due to the ‘rona precautions by the staff, but overall still a great time had by all 8 kids and us two grownups.

 

[NSA]

We got an inflatable hot tub to go with the pool, so I've been tinkering with it to get it up and running. Nothing fancy, but nice to sit in at night. Spent the evening last night watching the sunset from the hot tub with scotch on the rocks and a flavored cigar in my hand.. not too shabby!

 

[ThunderDan19]

The hot tubs (and indoor pool) were casualties to COVID for us right now, but not overly missed in the 90 degree temp w/ high humidity weather this weekend. The (scheduled, limited to 75 people) outdoor pool time was glorious though.

 

[NSA]

Being able to walk out back and just get in the pool whenever I want, for however long I want still feels like some weird rich person thing I'm not used to yet. It was warm this weekend (90s) so we spent a lot of time in there.

We've never had a real pool pool before, so it still feels fresh and new.

 

[ThunderDan19]

So do you have a pool boy?

 

[NSA]

We actually do lol.. it came with the house. He's old though so I don't need to worry.. too much.. ;-)

 

[pcsguy88]

Going thru my photobucket account.

 

[pcsguy88]

 

[NSA]

Welcome to your Black Mirror Future

 

[ThunderDan19]

Lol, we’ve scared or chased off all our real fans with COVID or politics. Meh, we’ll just make it like a video game and pretend! Yay, sports!

 

[NSA]

No fans or players...

 

[nacho]

It's baseball. I'm not sure anyone will notice. For me, the potential implications for football season are the real story. I fear we're going to lose an entire fall to this damn china virus. China has done some bad shit, but I would never forgive them for killing football.

 

[NSA]

Yeah unless the NFL does something like the NBA (quarantining all the teams). I don't see the NFL happening this year. No way do I see College Ball happening either.

 

[Sgt301]

We actually do lol.. it came with the house. He's old though so I don't need to worry.. too much.. ;-)

Being able to walk out back and just get in the pool whenever I want, for however long I want still feels like some weird rich person thing I'm not used to yet. It was warm this weekend (90s) so we spent a lot of time in there.

We've never had a real pool pool before, so it still feels fresh and new.

For a limited time only in America, work hard and have nice things! I keep thinking about having a pool but the maintenance would be a bugger bear.

 

[NSA]

For a limited time only in America, work hard and have nice things! I keep thinking about having a pool but the maintenance would be a bugger bear.

Depending on where you are it can be.. it's never really cold here, and the trees aren't terrible in fall.. so it's not too bad. I think the pool guy is like $100/month and he makes sure all the chemicals/etc are good. I've done it myself in the past and it's not a huge deal, but it's also nice to not even have to think about it.

 

[Sgt301]

Depending on where you are it can be.. it's never really cold here, and the trees aren't terrible in fall.. so it's not too bad. I think the pool guy is like $100/month and he makes sure all the chemicals/etc are good. I've done it myself in the past and it's not a huge deal, but it's also nice to not even have to think about it.

We can have ugly winters here and I’ve got some big pin oaks with those tiny leaves that get in every crack and crevice. If I ever get a pool installed I’m gonna have to get a rc submarine

 

[NSA]

I have really been wanting an RC boat.. I've been looking lol

 

[Dropshipbob]

You need one of them RC crocodile heads.