I RED it somewhere...

Happy Labor Day, and I hope you had a nice time grilling your doohickies and whatsits with your families today. I woke up this morning in a so-so mood, and climbed out of my bunk to read the latest on Evil Gustav. Although I did eventually find the storm details, something else caught my eye on the side of the page first. Turns out, I used to be a pretty fair musician in my day, and rock roots run deep. I saw this little picture of a frizzy/curly haired older gent, but I still recognized him as the Crimson Warrior himself.....yes, the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar. He of the red hair, red outfits, red guitar, who once penned a song called "Red". Need I say more? Hard rock guitarist & vocalist extraordinaire, some younger folk only know him as the guy who was in Van Halen for a while, but trust me he goes back 2 decades earlier, and still tours with his Cabo Wabo band, rockin' the house.

ANY house.

So what has this got to do with anything you ask? A little impatient on the holiday weekend, aren't we? Anyway, here's the thing. Just the other day I was reading about a professional football player (Anquan Boldin), who makes millions of dollars a year. He is threatening to sit out the season or force a trade, because his fellow wide receiver teammate was given a few more millions than he. By coincidence, his teammate just happens to catch more passes, doesn't have a "me first" attitude, and has remained healthy the last few years while Boldin keeps sitting out with nicks and various injuries, in addition to being a pathetic whiner. Still - Boldin makes MILLIONS of $$$$ a year! Back to Sammy Hagar. Sammy has done well in the music industry. We all know that artists are lucky to make 3-5% after agent fees, expenses and the enormous percentage taken by record companies, promoters and distributors. Still, Sammy ain't poor. Having said that, he decided to invest in something he knows extremely well, one of his personal hobbies. Guitars you ask? No. Motorcycles? Small aircraft? Fancy schmancy golf clubs? Maybe a radio station? Eh, not even close. Sammy invested in Tequila. And keeping with the pattern his band even has a song he penned called "Mas Tequila" (more Tequila!). Turns out it was the right move at the right time, and he recently sold off his shares in the company for a tidy profit.

Being an entrepreneurial spirit (thank you Spell Check), Sammy decided against just sticking the money in the bank, and sitting on his laurels. Or his cacti, or whatever he sits on. No, he reinvested it and has opened up an airport restaurant in Maui, called "Sammy's Beach Bar & Grill". The walls are adorned with autographed Sammy and Van Halen memorabilia, with rock music cranking and a very un-stuffy atmosphere. He wanted tourists to know immediately they were in Hawaii, and it was time to get casual. OK ALREADY....I'm getting to the point, if you'd please un-wad your undies. Keep pushin' me and I'll have you swabbing the decks for the rest of your hitch!

Here's the thing that makes this special, and put me in a great holiday mood today. Turns out, Sammy is taking the proceeds from this restaurant, and donating them to local childrens' charities in Maui, through the Hagar Family Foundation. When asked why, he explained "Buddhist theory....do something good, and something good will happen to you." I gotta tell you, the world needs a few more Red Rockers. He'll be opening another airport restaurant in Las Vegas soon, and whether he donates those profits or keeps them, I still salute you Sammy, even if you can't drive 55.

Looks like New Orleans did pretty well today. Projections were for Gustav to develop into at least a category 4 before landfall, but thankfully it picked up speed instead of intensifying, and moved through as a big wind event, but nothing like Katrina. Let's hope the residents don't take it as "crying wolf", and next time they stay put, when it could go as badly as this one went well.

This weekend was The Cap'n's birthday. I won't tell you my age, but my favorite meal as a young 'un was Brontosaurus meat over hot rocks. (Homer Simpson voice): "Mmmmmm, TRE-Mendous." I opened up my birthday present, and guess what I got. No really, guess. It's a gadget! Apparently it plays music, but I'm still confused by the name. It's a little square thing about 2 inches across, but they call it an eye pod. Call me crazy, but I'm thinking any famous inventor trying to make an eye pod would make it kind of roundy, or ovally or something. Thomas Alva Edison would be rolling over in his grave (he is dead, isn't he? I haven't seen him on Jimmy Kimmel Live recently). But I'm a big fan of technology, especially when I can find a pre-pubescent kid to help explain it to me. Thus my trip to the Apple store today. Apple is the brand name. I got that, so it wasn't like I was embarrassed to go in, thinking they sold Apples or something. Just because I'm old and a bit ill-tempered doesn't make me stupid. I walked around for a few minutes, trying not to look out of my element (although the sailor pants and pea coat may have been a giveaway). Suddenly, there he was. Some kid who could be at least my grandson, with an Apple name badge. I had reached Nirvana. I tried to fake my way through or around a question on how to get my eye pod to play songs for me, and he spoke in the comforting tones of a person who has done this sort of thing all his life. All 8 or 9 years of it. Theoretically, I fooled him into thinking I knew MOST of it, and he was just filling in the blanks. I thanked him for his time, but as I strolled out of the store, I knew better than to look back. Ask Lot's wife what happens when you do that. I'm a salty enough dog as it is......