Grumble all you like, this is how it's going to be: Shock and AWWE

(sorry guys - from now on my post will have to be post dated - we have been on the water for a few days and I just write on the boat and publish whenever I get internet.)

I got pretty lucky in the Florida Keys. Even though we spent the majority of the time trying to put this boat back together again I still had time to go see some sites. I saw the Oceanside beaches of Islamorada at night. The sand almost glowed in the moonlight and the sky shimmered with waves of purple clouds. Mom and I went to feed the Tarpons at Robbie’s Marina. I had always wanted to see a Tarpon, but I never got to the Tarpon Rodeo when I was in New Orleans. These are some very ugly fish.

I was able to go to Shell World (which is near where my aunt Candy used to live) where I was given ((by a nice boy for your information Sam)) the newest addition to the boat, a large stuffed sea turtle – I named him David. I danced at the Whistle Stop and most importantly was able to watch Vikings football at the O.V.

In regards to getting the boat ready, these last few days before we left were just like the first – a bugger. The largest ordeal was the dinghy. Our boat, Departure, came with a nice 71 pound perfectly sized dinghy. Unfortunately it seemed to be leaking at every seam. Dinghies are important for many reasons - #1 they are your legs, your dinghy gets you from your anchorage to shore and back; #2 they are your life raft, if you are sinking you will want a way off of your boat that does not involve you becoming shark bait; and finally #3 if your dinghy dies you will have to dock at every place which can get very very expensive. Also, in the Caribbean there is no place to just go buy a dinghy. You have to go back to the states to get one. Talk about ordeal. So making sure we had a working dinghy was essential. We first attempted to glue up all of the leaks. We did this over two days, but once it starts breaking at the seams you know that the dinghy is just getting too old and falling apart. After looking into buying used ones and where to get them, I think we all just got a little exhausted and one morning Dad went to West Marine and came back with a new, monstrous dinghy. At a bit over 12 feet we have to deflate the front section to lash it to the bow. In addition to the dinghy fiasco was the concept of buying food for five months. Imagine that. Buying five months worth of food and booze! I have never bought so much canned meat in my life. Over two hours and a huge wad of cash later we had our four grocery carts full and now just had to transfer it to every nook and cranny of the boat. All that is left now is the little things involved with leaving the dock.

Finally, what you have all been waiting for and was in fact the most important part of my last week – Vikings vs. Detroit! We attempted to watch the game at two different bars before I remembered someone mentioning the O.V. at the Lor-e-lie one night. The O.V., short for the Ocean View, is a god send. It is one of the most perfect bars ever, even if it is owned by an ex-Steelers player. It’s a bar/hotel where the beer is cheap and they serve the perfect football food – including sliders, mini corn dogs, fish dip, etc. The inside bar has seven TVs each of which is showing a different NFL football game. To my left Bengals vs. Steelers, the Vikes in front of me, and to my left the Saints vs. the Rams – talk about perfection. Outside there is another bar with a lot more tables which also has seven TVs and all of the games on. Behind this bar is a pool. It was so cute to watch little boys jump out of the pool, put on their Chris Paul and Reggie Bush jerseys, and come order a kiddy cocktail from the bar! So, in theory, you can drink beer and swim in the pool all while watching a November Vikings game. The game itself is kinda icky. Too many turnovers and if you ask me a lethargic defense caused this game to be far too close. The third quarter was better thanks to Mr. Gamebreaker himself Percy Harvin and the Dukes of Hazzard slash WWF fighter Jared Allen. This brings me to this whole forced branding of the defensive line. I am not too sure how I feel about it. Sure I love Allen, Williams (x2), and to a lesser extent Edwards, but we didn’t force the naming of the Purple People Eaters, should we be doing it here? With that in mind here are a few of my favorite possible names: Purple Reign, Maul of America, Purple Haze, 3 men & a mullet, Land of 10,000 Sacks, and Shock & AWWE. Mom and I plus three other Viking fans in the main bar made such a ruckus that people who were coming in thought they were only playing the Vikings game. Minnesota you should be proud.