Women...I love Them

I really like women...a lot. Heck I married one.

But the more I am around them the more I conclude that they can be as unpredictable as a bear. Logic takes a back seat to feelings.

Logic is universal and feelings are personal.

In a woman's world the vale to their feelings is transparent. One must simply gaze upon their countenance to see the obvious.

Men of course only see flesh and blood and a confused human that is no longer acting normal within one or two standard deviations of what is usually the range or normal behavior.

I know you must be thinking that there are some issues in the Wreggie household now for me to be writing this. No....it is not the case.

But I can feel a crack in the force that usually precedes the "how could you not have known" syndrome.

There is no way known to man to head it off. I must let the system form (feelings) like a tropical storm and deal with the consequences and cleanup.

Hopefully the system will downgrade and move off to sea.

I'm Proud

I'm proud of some hometown boys that were on Letterman last night. They are from Concord, NC just up the road from my home in Midland.

Enjoy.

Cool Weather Is Here

We are in a temperature flux now. It is cool at night, warm during the day and the humidity is very low.

I'm not fooled...winter is coming and I am panicked.

Most people love this weather. It is hot in the sun and cold in the shade. It is refreshing yet so dry it hurts my skin and it is very breezy so my lips crack.

Yesterday I bought a 2MM wet suit shorty. I will stop living in denial that the waters in the Caribbean are chilly in February. I used to get by just knowing how cold it was back in Charlotte in February but now I'll admit what the locals have been telling me. It is cold down there in the winter compared to summer.

Last February my BIL and I screamed through our snorkels until we got used to the cool water.

This year I will arrive in comfort with my wet suit. I'll now be in great shape with my new "aqua man" hand fins and rash socks. I'll slip old "yellow boys" over the mix.

Oh my!

Doesn't that just make your heart go pitter-patter. The first cousin to the BLT.....The Mighty Club Sandwich.

I have always loved a Club. At the root is bacon.

Dredge a few fries through some thick ketchup and you have nirvana my friend.

When I was a child my mother would cut my peanut butter and jelly sandwich into the traditional club slice. I felt so sophisticated. I called it "5 little sandwiches". I know.....it was only 4.

Today I shall have a club sandwich professionally built for me with fries and a pickle spear.

I was impressed....

Filmed in St Thomas in 4 days on a shoe string budget.

"In an Instant" from Erik Miles on Vimeo.

Brain Filter Failure

Sometimes people just say things without running them through the brain filter.

Just a moment ago I told Gigi, "Honey, I'll be here today until I leave."

Immediately I thought.... crap....that was stupid. Of course I'll be here until I leave. What else could I do?

Gigi replied, "Don't you usually do that?"

Boscoe my parrot broke out in laughter. Even he caught that one.

Cause and Effect...why I dream what I do

Sorry but my dreams have been vivid of late.

A few days ago I was brushing my teeth and became acutely aware as I so often do that I have a scull in my head. Not only that but my teeth are basically an outward extension of that skull.

So I drift off to sleep that night and dream that I am at a boat ramp somewhere on the coast of North Carolina. I see drifting in the water a camouflaged material of sorts. It is a military back pack with the new camo they use now.

I look again and there is a flight suit complete with a helmet. Very cool....I can wear this at Halloween.

As I pull the suit up and I can and feel bones. I see a skull in the helmet. I smell death.

I decide to leave things as they are and call the authorities to report a missing person or body or whatever I am supposed to do. As I am calling I can see the hands on the body starting to move, then the legs and then the face begins to fill out.

I run over to the flight suit and discover it is Richard, a very ...shall we say familiar street person in St Croix.

"What are you doing man?"

"Richard you are dead."

"No I'm not dead."

"Yes you are Richard."

Richard is really perturbed that I have awakened him from his death sleep.

Eventually I left him as I always do.

Draggin' Ass

I'm such a wuss sometimes. My business partner is getting heavy does of chemo every three weeks and hasn't missed a day.

I got my flu shot yesterday and feel like hell. I wish I could stay in bed but I have work to do.

If I get the flu this year I'll be double pissed.

What I Did This Weekend


View St Croix, VI POI's in a larger map

Yes I'm always mentally on vacation and this past weekend I was mentally in the familiar place of St Croix US Virgin Islands. I decided to map the island as best I could from memory. I needed help on a few spots as to their exact placement and referenced a few more maps. Then I took this map and converted all the point into categories and then GPS POI's (points of interest). Then I loaded my GPS and they showed up just fine.

Technically now if you were to visit the island and have a GPS I could provide you with the files and you could drive most anywhere like a local.

Sick Gigi Today at the Doc in a Box

My bride has been sick for 2 weeks...ever since I was in St Croix. It seems she had the swine flu, made a very brief recovery then started slipping into pneumonia. We loaded her with antibiotics and inhalers and will keep her in bed for a few more days.


It was 20 years ago today that Hurricane Hugo hit us. It came onshore at Charleston, SC with 140 MPH winds.
Before we went to bed we were warned by the TV weatherman that we may get some wind so we might want to put up any lawn furniture.

By midnight it was obvious that this hurricane was not degrading as it should and we were in the storms direct path. At 4 AM the hurricane was on top of us with trees snapping, power was out and the roar of tornadoes filled the air on top of the hurricane. I remember the loud sounds vividly.

It took weeks to get power back and years to clean up fallen trees. No one rebuilt or cleaned up for us. We did it slowly as we could afford it.

After 20 years my foliage has grown back to the point that I hired someone just this weekend to clear out some space to give me the elbow room the storm afforded me 20 years ago.

Jimmy...you are an Idiot

I oppose many of the current President's policies. That's okay. That is why we have 2 parties.

Jimmy Carter said that the majority of the people that oppose the President do so because President Obama is black. In other words we are bigots.

I'm a bigot. This is new to me.

I thought I just didn't care for liberal policy and I was entitled to my opinion.

I can't think of when Jimmy has ever form a logical thought. His presidency was a disaster both foreign and domestic.

Shut up Mr. President. You are an idiot.

I was commenting to my colleagues at lunch yesterday about some policy/czar/nationalization of President Obama. He motioned for me to hush because there was a table of African Americans behind me.

I boldly told him President Obama is my President and I am free to voice my opinion.

Let's knock off this race crap please?

On to Mars

Remember the reoccurring dream I have when I go down the road on a skate board laying on my belly?

Last night I was on Highway 74 down in the eastern part of the state headed west to Charlotte. I propel myself with my knuckles like a chimp and was cruising about 60 MPH when I came upon some construction.

The flag guy stopped us so I stopped and was positioned beside a huge mower. Then the SOB let down his mowing deck and almost crushed me. I stood up, flipped him off and started knuckling my way down the shoulder past the construction.

I was drawn to this little house on the highway and stopped to rest. Gigi was in there and had a stack of mail for me to look over and a cold drink for me. She insisted I use her car to continue my trip but I stubbornly insisted I continue on my belly board.

Finally I got to Charlotte and met up with a friend who informed me that I had been chosen to make a manned mission to Mars. It was going to launch in just days. I was thrilled but didn't know how I was going to explain this to Gigi. I would to be gone 2 years.

I looked down and my knuckles were a bloody mess. My friend told me that this alone could jeopardize my chances to go to Mars

Oh my...nooooo....





U.S. Condemned For Pre-Emptive Use Of Hillary Clinton Against Pakistan

It Has Come To This


Yesterday after tailgating I locked up my truck and chained or cabled anything of value in the truck bed and padlocked it. I put any valuables in the newly installed car safe inside which is bolted to the floor and cabled to the seat frame.

As you may recall I installed amour plates under the lock assembly a few months ago to deter break ins. Ford trucks are easy to break into with a screw driver.

I chained the cooler to the truck bed and headed off to the game.

When I came back we decided to have a cold beer. I opened the cooler to find out someone had helped them selves to my beer and cooked food.

Sorry...again my shit isn't yours. Now I will chain and padlock the cooler.

It is tough to attach metal to plastic so hopefully plenty of glue will do the trick with long screws.

Oh Well

Both of my football teams lost this past weekend. The Panthers were humiliated by the Eagles at home.

It's okay....because I am still resting in the bliss of the mother of all wins, so I am set for life.

I was down in St Croix last week at a bar (go figure) about to watch some crab races. I had on my Appalachian State University tee shirt. A woman accross from me in an Ohio State shirt screamed "Go Appalachain" and I smiled and made a few whooping sounds.

A few minutes later a Michigan supporter with his tee shirt started taunting the Ohio State fan. I walked up to the Michigan fan and gave my best incredible hulk muscle flex. He backed down. We all laughed.

That win was two years ago that Appalachian State beat Michigan in the Big House. The victory is still fresh and refreshing to me.

This Town is Gonna Rock!


I am so ready for some NFL football. I spent a great deal of yesterday getting ready for today's tailgate and eventual game at 1 PM against the Eagles.


We should have a good crowd today of 30 people. I have two gas grills all cleaned up and ready to be fired up. Some will bring burgers, I have 21 big fresh brats and about 5 pounds of wings to fry. This time I'm taking a big commercial chaffing dish to keep everything warm so I can cook away.

It is going to be warm with no clouds and low humidity. This is a perfect storm for sunburn so I have the 10X10 shelter for me to cook under and a big fan to keep me cool.

I have done my part....Carolina it is time for you to do your part and win.

Who Am I?

There is a very strange feeling falling about me and it goes against my very nature to write about it. I am certain I will regret having this thought but I must share this odd feeling I am having.

I am looking forward very curiously to winter. I know this is wrong and it goes against my very nature.

Was it the recent gaycation? Am I a cloest winter person?

I hate cold weather. I hate long dark days. I hate defoliated trees. I hate ice. I hate cold rain. I don't even like the holidays that much.

Strangely I am longing for the season that brings this misery.

It was a very wet, hot, humid summer here. So humid and hot that it curtailed a lot of activities that I normally love.

Or perhaps am I getting so old that I just want to sit indoors in front of the heater and moisturize? Was that the meaning of my rolling down the hill in paradise last week?

I'm so seasonally confused right now.

Very True

Not as Young as You Once Were Wreg

I'm back home from the Virgin Islands all safe, sound and sore. Since this was a mancation and my pal Ty's first visit I wanted to show him as much of the island as I could in an abbreviated form. This meant a lot of activity compressed in a few days.

3 days were spent dodging tropical storm Erica and most of a full day was used installing a single roof vent in the Greek. It turns out that the vents were so mangled that robbing parts enough to make one work would have to do.

So when the weather broke the activity began in the form of snorkeling. Michael led us out to a tug boat that best I could tell from follow up was about 600 meters off shore, 75 feet long and 75 feet underwater. A constant current kept us drifting west. The views were fantastic and and the fish were plentiful. The whole thing was surreal and a bit spooky.

Another day Ty and I decided to go "off the wall" at Cane Bay to experience the deep plunge of the ocean from a few tens of feet to thousands of feet in a short distance. It is beautiful and spooky at the same time. Once it gets very deep you can make out big things moving down there and witness beams of light streaming into the darkness and the same time feeling very vulnerable bobbing on the ocean surface with so much water below.

After a few hours in the water we ate lunch and I decided to take him to the tidal pools at Analy Bay.

I should have known better. I wasn't prepared with the correct foot gear or supplied at all with water. Having hiked there once before I was confident I knew the way.

The trail is strenuous with steep climbs and exposed rocks and roots. After a few minutes my calves were burning from the constant climb. I pushed on not wanting a 53 year old to be shown up by a 41 year old that has been training and competing in Triathlons.....what was I thinking? Finally we reached a grassy field where the path is not so clear. This grass is waste deep and blowing wildly. I bore on through the grass although it obvious I was off the trail.

We reached a steep hill. I could see the pools far off in the distance so I decided to push on in the general direction. Down the hill I went only to trip and starting rolling. This is when time moves slowly. I remember folding in my left shoulder under to take the roll and then becoming aware that I may break my neck. Nope...and I rolled again this time grabbing a small tree as an anchor. I steadied myself and went on to start cutting a new vertical path by rolling uncontrollably down hill.

Finally we reached the pools but were clueless as to how to get back. We followed a couple of women hikers that knew the way out. Just as we began I blew out the thong on my flip flop and ended up walking out barefooted and very dehydrated.

Survivor Island

Yesterday was full of activity. I did a turtle walk with Michael and Terry in the morning at Cheney Beach. Basically it involves them walking and looking for new nesting areas and me talking. I did get a chance to assist by holding a tape off of a stake when they were recording the news nest location.

The beach was covered in vicious acting crabs about the size of a dime. These were way bigger than the vicious scorpion that I confronted years ago and they were every bit as threatening. Plus theses guys numbers were in the thousands. I got very close to one and he raised his 1/8 inch pincer in rage. I was tempted to put a finger down to test the strength of his powerful claw but figured I would have been the bigger fool if it hurt and I started flailing about only to fall down and be consumed by thousands of the blood thirsty vermin.

Afterwards we ate a nearly coffeeless breakfast full of substituted items. Apparently they don't inventory a full menu of items in the off season so shrimp was substituted for crab, toast for biscuits and so on.

I went on to The Pickled Greek to begin setting up the hardware for the webcam. Michael started setting up the software remotely.

The tropical storm had moved on from the night before so I took the calm for an opportunity to snorkel for a few hours.

By now it was mid afternoon and my breakfast was long gone. I had visions of buffalo wings dancing in my head and I knew I could get a pile at the Brew Pub. We sat down around 3:30 got a local brew and ordered wings and watch the day go by from the harbor front.

Off to the didtance a most magnificent thunder storm was building.

The wings finally came and we ordered another round of brews. Between the calm air, the Miss Anna's hot sauce, and the saturation of humidity from the pending storm left me a sweating mess but I was having fun.

A rush of cold air ushered in the warning that the storm was immanent and the staff starting collecting beach umbrellas and anything that could blow away.

Then it hit...the mother of all thunderstorms and dazzling lighting and torrents of rain. It went on and on. With each strike of lightening came uprouarious cheers from the open air bar. This was a storm for the ages and I was in it.

Happy Goat Water Friday

I just had Johnny cakes and coffee from Smokies on the east end of the island. You could smell the goat water cooking for lunch.

This car was at the bottom of our driveway this morning. The air bag was deployed, the light on, but no passenger to assist. I guess this is a reminder of what rum can do.

Yesterday there was a traffic stop coming out of Christiansted and I was flagged over to talk to the police. He asked for my diver's license and registration. He just starred at my NC license and couldn't figure out what to ask. He had a very intimidating look and kept starring at me and my license.

Finally I said, "I look a lot better in person don't I?"

He burst out in laughter and said enjoy the island.

The tropical storm is sitting on or around us now. The rain is refreshing.

My New Friend

Zipper.

Most Stuff is Not Hilarious

Hilarious is a word that is completely misused. I think of hilarious as rolling on the floor, can't catch my breath laughter. This is scale 10 in laughter.

I have experienced hilarious myself once. I almost died....seriously I was worried that some tube of pipe in me would burst because my laughter was uncontrollible.

I have had lots of 9 laughter and had a good solid 8 yesterday on this video.


Laughter is so addicting and I love to feed the crave.

I'm headed to the island for a week and will be Facebooking a lot on my iPhone and blogging when I can.

We Reach

I first noticed this term "We Reach" on the sign at the Pickled Greek when they opened. I didn't exactly know what it meant but it sounded Cruzan and I thought that it meant their goal of opening had been obtained.

Having lived with a Cruzan for the past 10 days the term "reach" is thrown around frequently and covers for a lot of words. Typically it can refer to obtaining a goal, reaching a destination, reaching a via or wayward point on to a final destination.

"When you reach we'll have lunch."

Another term Cruzans use is "okay". Okay is an acknowledgement that they heard and understand what you said and nothing further will be said on the subject for now.

So, if you are walking down the street and say to a Cruzan, "Good morning", they are likely to respond by saying "okay" with an emphasis on the "kay". They drag the "kay" out a bit.

What most mainlanders want to hear back is a good morning but the "okay" is an acknowledgement and acceptance of your good morning.

Or if I am in a conversation with a Cruzan and I am siting facts, I will hear "okay" frequently as an acknowledgement that they understand and accept what I am saying.

"Tomorrow I will reach the Virgin Islands".

"Okay".