FYI #NFBW: #Free #Fishing Days #Hobbies #Anglers #H2O #Freebies

Here's a fun outdoors freebie: Many states offer "Free Fishing Days" during National Fishing and Boating Week (generally in early June) when a person is allowed to fish on public bodies of water without a fishing license.

Visit http://takemefishing.org/nfbw for more information and to plan an outing that the whole family can enjoy. (I have fond childhood memories of tagging along on a few trips with my dad when he went fishing. It was fun to dig for worms.) Some people fish for food (remember to check for mercury contamination warnings depending on the body of water you plan to fish), some for sport, and others for the exercise and ambience. Being out on the water or on a bank near the water can be relaxing. Remember there's always catch and release. (Help prevent overfishing and promote sustainable ecosystems.) Enjoy the Great Outdoors!

Who's Responsible for Your #Sports Loss? That Would Be You. #Ethics #Accountability Poor #Journalism #Golf #GolfRules

After reading numerous headlines along the lines of "Viewer Costs Golfer Major" and "Golfer Loses Major Because of Viewer," I have to say that the competency level of journalists in this country has sunken to another low --- and this is saying something. The at-home television viewer who pointed out the golfer's rule infraction is not responsible for the golfer's loss. The golfer is. SHE IS THE ONE WHO BROKE THE RULE (whether intentionally or not). The viewer merely drew attention to what occurred. Losing the tournament rests squarely on the golfer's shoulders. Hey mainstream media, please stop with this ridiculous deflection, we get enough of that from "the powers that be."

Don't even get me started on Tiger (Woods) chiming in...

#SuperBowl Sunday #RiseUp @AtlantaFalcons #SB51 #Party Rooting for the Home Team #WeatherGeek #Smunday

Welcome to Super Bowl Sunday! I will spend a good part of the day setting up for my Super Bowl Party this evening. We're homegaiting. There's still a lot to do. I prepped most of the food yesterday and put it in the fridge overnight, but will cook, bake, and grill today. It's all good. I've got all sorts of snacks and a full bar of beverages, plus I'm also making an actual dinner as the game isn't scheduled to start until 6:30p and probably won't end until 11:00p or later.

Hoping the Atlanta Falcons cap off a great season by winning Super Bowl LI, but looking for a good game, win or lose. Between the good company, the entertainment, the anticipated new commercials and the Atlanta vs New England showdown, it should be a fun evening at any rate. We may not wind the party down until dawn. Good thing tomorrow is Smunday ---in honor of which I'm taking the day off. (I plan to get some yard work done as it's supposed to reach the upper 60s again. Yes, after two days of seasonal or Winter weather, Spring weather returns.)

#FalconsFriday #RiseUp #NerdNation @AtlantaFalcons @NFL @Stanford @GoStanford #SB51 #Smunday

In honor of the hometown (and home state) team making it the Super Bowl this year, Georgia Govenor Nathan Deal has proclaimed today Falcons Friday. Yeehaw! Everyone is being encouraged to wear Red and Black (the Atlanta Falcons team colors) and to Rise Up --- the slogan for cheering the team onto victory. (We're hopeful --- and we're partying, regardless.) There have been numerous Falcons pep rallies and parties all week long at various venues around the city and today is expected to bring more opportunities to cash in for supporting businesses and enterprising individuals alike. Time to make merry with a state-sanctioned blessing. (Football is big business, after all.)

I'm a football fan, but lately I'm more into college football than NFL football. (The NFL seems to have become a league of very public spoiled brats --- and I don't mean only the players --- and it has dampened my enthusiasm. I am also concerned for player health & safety in light of all the current data on concussions and other potential repetitive injury. It is a violent sport.) I still love the game, but nowadays watch it eyes opened. As a Georgia native, I am a (default) Falcons fan without being rabid about it. I hope that the team does well each season, but I may not watch. (I do check sports scores on Monday though.) I only loosely followed the current NFL season, but was happy for the Falcons when the team gelled and performed so well throughout.

I've known quite a few football players (past and present) at all levels of the game, including a few who made it to the pros and some who've gone into coaching or other tangents of the game, so I have some inkling of the ethos, the camaraderie, and the dedication relating to the sport. (As an amateur athlete who participates in several sports and enjoys more still, I definitely get it.) I am excited for the players who've reached the pinnacle of their sport. (And for the team personnel who've worked behind the scenes to build and support the franchise.) It is a rarified feat, win or lose. Congratulations, Atlanta Falcons! Y'all earned this. Relish the moment.

I'm also excited for the Falcons faithful, the long-time fans who've supported the team through thin and thinner. (In the 51 year history of the team, this is only the second trip to the Super Bowl. The one other instance came during the 1998 season when the Falcons lost to the Denver Broncos. I watched.) These are the people who attended games and cheered from home year in and year out when the team was down in the proverbial dumps. It has been fun to witness the sheer giddiness of hardcore Falcons fans as they watch their team gear up for the Super Bowl. People have been going batty, with often comical results.

And I will also give allowance to the casual fans (myself included) and even some bit of leeway to the Johnny-come-lately fans who showed up yesterday, because it has been nearly impossible to remain unaffected by Falcons Fever living in the metro Atlanta area, at least. (Can't speak for the rest of the state, but the metro area is in the throes of a Red and Black wave with people, pets, homes, cars, businesses and lampposts decked out in banners, pins and other assorted paraphernalia.) It's quicker to note the passing cars without Falcons Flags flying than to count the opposite number.

Thus, the unofficial holiday on the Friday before the Super Bowl was to be expected with or without the governor's proclamation. Naming it Falcons Friday merely added kindling to a raging fire. The city of Atlanta is bonkers for all things Falcons right now. No one is immune. Falcons Fever might strike without a moment's notice. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if some folks took personal time off or ahem, called in sick today, in addition to the coming Smunday (Heinz corp created a petition to make the Monday after the Super Bowl a national holiday, and started things off by stating it was giving all of its employees the day off. Promotional tie-ins expected.)

I am very excited for Super Bowl LI (SB51), especially because my "twin" is a Pats fan and the upcoming Atlanta vs New England gridiron face-off gives us more about which to yak. I am, however, at somewhat of a loss in my ability to display Falcons pride on their day, today. You see, I don't have any Falcons gear readily at hand. It's not that I didn't try. I had an Atlanta Falcons banner in my possession --- acquired prior to the season start --- but it was recently swiped by one of my sisters to display at a party, presumably in her office downtown. Thieving city employees! (Sorry sis, I couldn't resist with the local news full of a bribery scandal engulfing City Hall.)

Here's some Red Cardinal and Black for ya!

When I grumbled good-naturedly at this re-appropriation, I was told as I work from home, no-one would see it in my office except for me and the pup, and that the point of a banner is public display. How can you argue with such logic? Finding myself fresh out of Falcons Red and Black but wanting to be a part of the action (albeit virtually), I, a left-out lowly telecommuter, have devised a stand-in using the collegiate colors of my alma mater. I do hope that Cardinal and Black will suffice. Considering that several Stanford Football players --- shout out Nerd Nation --- have gone on to play prominently for the Falcons over the years, with several on the current roster, it seemed somehow appropriate. Rise Up!

The #Weather Gods Are Haters. #WeatherGeek #Tornadoes #Thunderstorms

Boy howdy was it one heck of a weekend! In case you haven't heard, the Southeastern United States got pummeled on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. (There were a reported 15 tornadoes in the state of Georgia alone on Saturday. Fifteen!) Seems we're experiencing our normal Spring weather instabilities in January. We saw thunderstorms, wind, rain and flooding in the metro Atlanta area.

This, came right on the heels of a record nine straight days of 70+ degrees temperatures. We needed the rain, because of the ongoing drought, but the rest was overkill, and we didn't get the worse of it. Places to the south and east of us were really put through the ringer, on repeat, with the Georgia coast getting kicked in the gonads for good some measure. (My thoughts are with all those around the globe affected by the crazy storms and natural disasters of late; it's been a beast of a weather year already.)

Personally, I'm still out of sorts. Pup hates storms and as we had several roll through during the overnight hours, this meant little to no sleep for several nights in a row. (She comes to find me whenever a storm gets going and we sit curled up, riding it through together.) During lulls we'd venture out to canvas the neighborhood, checking on neighbors and inspecting for damages. We were pretty lucky around here (sadly, others were not).

There will be a Wind Advisory in effect until 7:00p, but today is predicted to be drier eventually --- after a few morning showers. (Mere rain doesn't usually rile pup, but the last three days of high water storms proved stressful for her, thus, when it suddenly started pouring down around 2:30a, pup hopped up and came down the hall to get me and we've been up ever since.) Hopefully, I'll be able to crank things up a notch once she heads back to bed --- the rain sounds as if its finally tapering off --- and get stuff done. At the moment, however, all I want to do is crawl back in bed and do crosswords until the sun rises.

No such luck for me though. No rest for the wicked er, weary. Guess, I'll make coffee... On the bright side, the Atlanta Falcons are headed to Super Bowl LI --- a legitimate excuse to throw a party --- and I made Overnight Oats for breakfast. Small steps, small steps....

New #Football #Batman #BarGlassware! #SYWR #Deals #StorePickup #Guarantee #Kmart #BadCustomerService

After Christmas, being that I was on holiday, I played a few games, entered a contest or two, and caught up on the telly. (I am the epitome of a time-shifting viewer, with the exception of news and sports, I seldom watch anything at the time it first airs.) One of the fun things I like to do in my spare time is to enter Shop Your Way Rewards Instant Win Sweepstakes, because these contests give one a chance to win random amounts of rewards points. Catching a Doorbusters period on a specific sweeps is even sweeter because points are earned merely for entering.

I can usually earn several bucks worth of rewards points per week just by fooling around. Add to this any surprise points I'm awarded and any relevant coupons I load to my account, and I can easily end up with a free $5-$10 worth of points available to use on a near weekly basis when time permits. Combine all this with free shipping on items $10+ as a perk of an ever-renewing Shop Your Way Max trial or free store pickup for items under $10, and it becomes very obvious that I get a LOT of free merchandise from Sears and Kmart. (And I'm not the only one, if the various freebie and deal sites are in any measure accurate.)

It's no wonder Sears Holding Corp (SHC) has been flirting with bankruptcy for years, it gives away far too much money value! Don't get me wrong, I love free stuff as much as the next guy and I've surfed the freerider wave along with all the other deal hunters. But you'd have to be obtuse to not recognize that giving away multiple times the amount you take in is not a sound business practice. I'd crudely estimate that I've gotten at least one free $5-$10 item (and often greater value ones depending on sales and promotions) from Sears and/or Kmart every other week for the last two to three years without even trying too hard. (Think of the deal hounds that actually work at it.)

Just a guess, but based upon my own personal experiences, SHC probably gives away at least $15 for every $1 it earns. You can't sustain that sort of loss and expect to be a profitable business. But I'm not a company executive, I'm a consumer who likes deals. So while I shake my head, it's not my fault if the company is being run by idiots. The fact that SHC also outsources most of its customer service operations to a call center that seems perpetually staffed with incompetent fools further complicates matters. When your hallmark is atrociously bad customer service, eventually your (presumed) customer base starts rooting for your demise.

Libbey Football Tumbler, 4-pc set

DC Comics Batman Tumbler, 2-pc set

Meanwhile the fire sale is quite fantastic! My latest SYWR scores are some nifty themed glassware sets, a 4-pc Libbey Football Tumbler ($7.99 on sale) and a 2-pc DC Comics Batman Tumbler ($11.39 on sale). I got the football set totally free (excepting the time and gas required for store pickup) using $7.99 worth of points. Then because the local Kmart store pickup was an abysmal nightmare --- as always --- and Sears/Kmart have a guarantee that you'll get your order in 5 minutes or less, most of those points were refunded, by which time I'd earned some additional points, and so was able to order the more expensive DC Comics set for free, too. And as this second set cost >$10, it was also shipped to me for free.

Both sets will make fun additions to my home bar. I've previously mentioned that my "basement entertainment complex" is being developed around a carnival/fair/circus theme, so novelty glassware is just the ticket! Besides, it's a family bar room, so there'll be as many EANABs available as there will be alcoholic beverages, perhaps more depending on the event. Watching the upcoming Super Bowl is gonna rock while sipping soda or beer out of the football tumblers. And Mardi Gras? POW! BLAM! Batman!