The Winchester

On July 17, 2007, I posted a blog with an opening line about a commercial I saw the night before. Instead of writing about that commercial, I put up a bunch of pictures of He-Man figures I used to own. I'm not sure why I did this, but I did. So there you go. I have decided it is now time to talk about the commercial. I said in that blog, the commercial made me think, People will buy anything . I was correct in this assumption. The commercial's intensity follows in the footsteps of Girls Gone Wild and available DVD's such as those. It does not, however, match the content. Instead, this DVD series is about.... .... ....wait for it.... ....Trains. It was a commercial for a DVD series called Lots & Lots of Trains . The announcer comes in with something asking if you love trains and here comes Lots & Lots of Trains. Along with this scintillating talk comes an MTV-style montage of train footage. Big trains, small trains, fast trains, slow trains, red fish, blue fish, one ...

As of today, I will have been a member of Weight Watchers for nine days. This may have been the longest commitment to a healthy activity I have ever not quit . I have told myself before, "I'm definitely gonna start working out," as I started the second quarter of an important football game... on Madden ... on PlayStation. "I need to eat better," while finishing off that pesky last bit of the half a DiGiorno pizza I just demolished. "I'm going to start going to the gym," which is similar to the first quote, which is something I said while passing an apartment complex gym while heading out to pick up the Chinese I just ordered so I can chow down while watching the movie I picked up from Hollywood video that I plan to watch while I eat that Chinese food . The food I ordered enough of to feed two people. The food that will be eaten only by myself. I'm actually drooling now. So I was warned by a friend of mine that when starting a diet and w...

Yes, Kermit enthusiasts, I realize he sings about being green. I love the song, too. I have commandeered the chorus of the song for my own purposes because every Sunday (and the occasional Monday) is a challenge, when it really shouldn't be. I am speaking, of course, of the fan support I offer up to the Baltimore Ravens . I love football season. I will watch the Orioles or pause on a Wizards game, and even tolerate a Caps game if the bar has it on. I will kind of almost follow the World Series , and tune in during March Madness to watch some college b-ball (having money on a pick 'em pool doesn't hurt). I'll tune in to the Olympics for curling. None of these comes close to football, for me. And I'm not referring to college ball, but the National Football League . I don't even know what it is about it that puts it at the top. Is it the game itself? Is it because it's only once a week, which makes every game count? Perhaps part of the appeal is...

Cow Creek Ranch is located right outside of a small New Mexico town called Pecos. I don't think there is a stop-light in the entire town. There is a few stop signs, I know that much. Also, they take credit cards. I know this because I bought beer right before heading to the ranch. Can't fish without beer. Seriously, it's in the Fishing By-Laws. That I made up. When heading to the ranch from Pecos, you drive up to a dirt road, onto the dirt road, and follow it for about 45 minutes through the mountains up to the ranch. Even once you pass the Cow Creek gate, you still have about 10 minutes of dirt road to traverse. It is an enjoyable ride, but make sure you're rolling with 4 wheel drive because there are some serious divots to work around. A few scenic moments when you hit the top and work your way down, but mainly it's just a lot of forest and several sequestered houses that you will wish you owned because it would be awesome to live in the woods and not have anyone...

The tranquility of the water. The early bird chirping of the early bird. The sun peeking over the horizon, slowly warming the ground and casting off the fog floating lazily across the land. The half open eyelids and groggy plodding towards the fishing ground to hopefully catch a large slimy fish and unhook a metal hook from its mouth in triumph. This is early morning fishing. We fished later in the day, too, though. The area provided to fish was enormous. The ranch had 7 small lakes, each stocked with trout. There were rainbow trout, brook trout, brownies... I also caught an awesome 2" brook trout, which is pictured here. There was also a river running the length of the property and beyond, with small pools set up at different intervals along the stream. So you could fish a small patch of the river, or spend a little time at your own personal pool trying your luck. They really split e verything up well, dividing the different areas up by room. At dinner the night bef...

I'm not sure why the Powers That Be decided to schedule the extra-curricular activites right after lunch each day. The day before we went horseback riding immediately after lunch. Today, archery. Immediately after lunch. It's New Mexico, in the middle of the mountains, and I'm about to go shoot stuff with arrows. Time to stop whining. I've archered before. I was a Boy Scout in my youth, even though many of the lessons didn't quite stick. I do remember something about being trustworthy, which I feel that I am. I was not always, but I am now. I remember getting an archery badge at a Boy Scout camp, and I recall a similar activity in high school, too. So I'm familiar with it, I know what to expect, and I'm pretty sure I will excell as usual. We met with our guide, Katie, a little while after the aforementioned lunch. I had a huge hamburger covered in green chilis, but that's not important right now. Besides, I covered that in the food blog . I just wanted t...