Lucky gets his nails clipped

Today's Sunday adKENtures included a trip with Lucky to Petsmart to get his nails clipped.

Its worth what they charge to have someone else do it.  Lucky's patient when it comes to grooming things (he's not much of a hassle in the bathtub, either).

He looks panicked and his tail is between his legs but he gets through it with no emotional scars.

The folks at Petsmart seem good with animals in the grooming salon.  We've had him get a bath and his ears cleaned and they do a nice job.

Lucky gets his nails clipped while the brown dog on the table looks at his ass.
Brown dog on table is pervert dog.

Sauce shreds my stomach

Anthony and I tried a restaurant today that I had never eaten at in Tucson:  Sauce.

Its pizza, wine, pasta, and panninis.  Plus some other stuff... but that's the featured part of their menu.

I split a salad and a pepperoni pizza with Anthony.  It was a disaster.  The salad was drowning in oil and so was the pizza.

The one highlight of the meal:  We bought a cookie and it was pretty good.

Next time (if there is one), I'm trying a pannini.  Most restaurants can't goof up a sandwich too badly.

The worst part was the hideous stomach ache I had almost immediately after leaving.  It wasn't a good experience for ol' Ken.

And, they didn't have any potato salad on the menu!

Not only was the dinner at Sauce not good, the photo I took of the
inside of the restaurant didn't turn out good either!

The Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrush at Walgreen's

Anthony and I went to Walgreen's today.

As I usually do at the store, I took a few photos of some of the more unusual products I spot on the shelves.

My favorite one in this group is the Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrush.  I gave a pair of these to my friends David and Justin at their wedding reception earlier this year.  That's how I roll.  Walgreen's still has them!

The photos from today's Walgreen's shopping extravaganza:

The Justin Bieber Singing Toothbrush.
It seems impossible that he's prettier on his box than Lady Gaga is on her singing toothbrush box.
But, she looks like she'll kill you while you brush your teeth.
Eeeeeek.

Thick Now Instant Food Thickener.
"For People With Difficulty Swallowing".
Dirty.

Finally... something to drink with your marijuana cigarette.

If there's one thing we all can appreciate... its looking at Hot Booties.

A turkey sandwich, potato salad, and a Diet Coke

I talk a lot about potato salad on Facebook and Twitter.

I thought I'd show you what my most frequent meal is:  A turkey and cheese sandwich with ranch on white bread, red skin potato salad from Walmart Neighborhood Market, and a Diet Coke.

If anything, I'm KENsistent.

Food porn for Ken.

Guy holding political sign at Speedway and Kolb in Tucson

I know its election season.  Its hard to miss when there are signs on every street corner trying to convince me to vote for whoever's name is on the sign.

Tucson's busiest street corners are the worst.  There are a ton of them all next to each other.  I wouldn't be able to read them all before the light changes but they exist there anyway.

I saw a guy actually holding a sign at Speedway and Kolb recently.  I hope whichever political party or candidate he was representing paid him well for standing there with the sign.  It was hot outside.

While I was waiting for the light to change, I did snap a photo.

I bet the only reason he was standing out there with the sign was to pick up chicks.
(By the way, he kind of looked like former Arizona basketball coach Lute Olson!)

Rollover accident at Pima Street and Sahuara

Something exciting happened when I was walking Lucky tonight around Ridgepointe, the apartment complex I live at.

Normally the exciting moments are guessing where Lucky will poop or a chat with a neighbor.  Sometimes, I'll get to overhear neighbors argue when we walk by their apartment.  One night a woman didn't close her blinds before she took off her top and her pancake titties were flopping around in front of the window.  I think my eyesight is still damaged from that moment.  Tonight, it was a little bit more dramatic.

We were about a quarter of the way around the complex when I heard two really loud bangs from the southwest.  I was pretty sure it was a car accident.  I've heard that sound before.

I took Lucky back to the apartment and grabbed a camera after hearing sirens coming down Pima Street.  I knew it had to be relatively close.

It turns out it was close.  About two blocks west at Pima Street and Sahuara, next to Dodge Middle School.  I didn't get in the middle of it so the emergency crews weren't bothered by a dork who had nothing to do with the accident (me!)... but I walked over because it was something exciting.

I stood on the opposite side of the street and heard a group passing by say they couldn't believe the car rolled over and everyone walked away with little injury.  That was good to hear.

I took a few photos... (click on the pictures for a larger view)

The pickup apparently hit the car that landed in front of the school.
Tucson Fire Dept paramedics and Tucson Police were on the case.

The two vehicles involved in the crash in front of Dodge Middle School

Another photo of the accident.

Olives and lasagna

Anthony always makes awesome food.

He made this lasagna a few days ago with sausage, spinach, mushrooms, and a five cheese sauce.

He tried to serve it to me with a side of olives.  I skipped that part.

I've had the blue plastic bowls that the olives are in for about 20 years.
They're as ugly as they were the day that I bought 'em.

Jello S'mores

I got really excited when I was at Walmart Neighborhood Market last night because I spotted Jello S'more pudding snack packs.

I thought it would be graham cracker crust on the bottom, then chocolate pudding, then marshmallow at the top.  They didn't quite do it that way (although they should have).

Its chocolate pudding for about 2/3 of the bottom, then a marshmallow / graham cracker mix of pudding on the top.  It tastes like a s'more but it could have been so much... s'more.

I am not a hater.  But, I won't buy them again.

Jell-O S'more pudding snacks.
At least the package is festive.

Little Debbie - the fall collection

Little Debbie snacks are awesome.

I've never seen this before:  They have a fall collection of snack cakes.  Kind of like a fall collection of clothing I'm guessing.  Its a pretty fun idea.

Fall tree cakes, fall brownies, fall-tabulous

Tire compressor: the sequel

My car still has a bad rear tire.

Its going to be a while before I can buy a new one.  So, I bought a little tire compressor that lets me fill it up by plugging the device into my car lighter.

The first one I bought at Target didn't work right.  It wouldn't stay on.  So, in a rare moment, I took it back and got the one you see below instead.  I think I've returned items at the store approximately three times in my life.  So returning the original one was kind of a big deal.

The new one pumps a little harder.  That can sometimes be a good thing.

Pump pump pump all day long.
Pump pump pump while I sing this song.

The little blue car says nom nom nom

I was walking out to my car in the Ridgepointe parking lot last week to go to work and I had to stop and take a photo of a neighbor's car.

Somebody has a pretty silly sense of humor.

I may never know why someone wrote "nom nom nom nom nom" on this car.
Unless it was supposed to say "won won won won won" and I was just looking at it upside down.

Ladies Council Tu Nudito Fashion Show 2012

Last night I went to the Ladies Council Tu Nudito Fashion Show at Casino Del Sol.

I put on a suit and hob-nobbed with a pretty fancy crowd.  I've gone to this event before (as a celebrity runway walker with a child from Tu Nudito).  This time I was a spectator.

I'm reminded when I go that I'm one of the poorest people in the room.  One of the things they do each year is a live auction.  They auction off fancy vacation packages to things like the Kentucky Derby and the Masters Golf Tournament.  A couple of the packages they auctioned off went for over $10,000.  A reminder that I'm poor.  I tried not to think about it.

I shot video of the fashion show.  I'll try to get it edited and posted later today.

In the meantime, here are some photos I shot at the event:

The theme was Cirque du Couture.
These were a couple of the acrobats that were performing before the fashion show.
Either that or I was watching some fancy foreplay.

This girl was suspended from the ceiling on a ring.
I asked her what she does for a living and she said, "I just hang around".

The runway for the fashion show and the guests getting seated.

My co-worker Jennifer (on the right) and two women I don't know.

Bobby Rich from 94.9 MIX-fm was the master of ceremonies.

This is at the end of the fashion show.
They fired up some confetti to kick off the after party.
Bobby frolicks in the floating paper.

Goodnight everybody!

I clean up pretty well.
With KGUN floor director Lee and Greg Curtis from 94.9 MIX-fm

Space Shuttle Endeavor flies over Tucson Arizona one last time

A story that has made national headlines:

The space shuttle Endeavor, which was piloted on its last mission by Mark Kelly (husband of Gabrielle Giffords), is being carried on the back of a 747 for its last flight before its final destination in the Los Angeles area.

Captain Kelly asked NASA to make a minor adjustment in its flight plan to fly over Tucson so his wife Gabby could see it.  Mark piloted the mission shortly after the shooting on January 8, 2011 that injured then Congresswoman Giffords.

It was scheduled to fly over the University of Arizona campus today after approaching from the east.  A completely random moment on my part occurred today when I decided to walk out of the back door of the KGUN 9 building to see if it would even be visible.

It flew just north of the building.  I got a pretty good photo.

I'm excited because I posted it on Facebook and it has about 120 likes... and it also was featured for about half of the day today on the home page of the KGUN 9 website, and we also used it as our Photo of the Day on the Morning Blend.

I'm always doubtful about whether I take good photos or not.  So, this was an exciting moment for me.

This is the original version.

My friend Robert Villelas punched it up just a tad in Photoshop.
It's being used in one of KGUN 9 newscasts tonight!

Carl's Jr. all to myself

Anthony and I had dinner tonight at Carl's Jr. at Grant and Wilmot.

Just after we ordered, the only other customers in the restaurant left.  I took a shower today so I don't think it was because of me.

We had the entire place to ourselves (except for a few employees) the entire meal.

I pretended it was because I was such a big time celebrity that they arranged it that way.  Truth is, it was just a Sunday night in Tucson and most everywhere is slow on Sunday.

The empty Carl's Jr. at Grant and Wilmot while I ate.
It would have been perfect except they had the country music station on.

Walmart Neighborhood Market trip September 16, 2012

Today is Sunday.  That means a trip to Walmart Neighborhood Market for groceries.  Today we mixed it up by visiting the location at 22nd and Craycroft instead of our usual location at Grant and Alvernon.

Did I bring my camera?  Why, yes I did.

I Tweeted on my @whatsuptucson Twitter that I was at this store shopping and whoever runs the @walmart account Tweeted me back to thank me.  That was awesome!

Anthony grabs some sausage.

Anthony organizing coupons in the napkin department.

Somebody got violent in the frozen foods department.
No, it wasn't me.

If you have a dirty mind, you'll giggle like a ten year old... like I did.
Happy Apples are yummy!

Reminds me of that scene in Austin Powers where he meets Ben Savage's character with the rather large mole.

My dressing is great for dipping... and oh so creamy.

More of my dressing.
By the way, if your blue cheese is chunky, you may want to see a physician.

I thought my nuts were fine, but apparently they need topping.

I know when to stay out of the kitchen and let the expert grocery put-er away-er do his thing.
I took a photo of the putting awaying instead.

Allison's cookies

A big thanks to my co-worker (and neighbor) Allison for sharing some cookies she baked today.

She left them on my patio.  We brought them in, and Anthony ate two in the few minutes it took for me to go to the bathroom.

He does love cookies.

What started out as six cookies....

...suddenly became four.

Shopping cart at Mercedes Benz of Tucson

A random Kenparazzi photo moment today:  A shopping cart next to the bus stop in front of Mercedes-Benz of Tucson at Grant and Wilmot.

It made me wonder if someone ditched the cart and went home in a Mercedes instead.

Classy meets trashy.
Its what Tucson was built on.

The craze behind Gangnam Style

There is a pop culture explosion that is evolving that involves a song and video by Psy called "Gangnam Style".

Thanks to having a TV in my office, I've been able to learn a little about the man.  Psy is from South Korea.  He went to college in the U.S. (Berkeley in California to be exact).  When he arrived in America to go to college, he spoke almost zero English.

I saw him being interviewed today.  He's very articulate with his English these days.  He's also a huge star in Korea and well on his way thanks to "Gangnam Style" to becoming one in the U.S.  Psy also said that he likes to "dress classy, and dance cheesy".

I also learned a little bit about the song.  "Gangnam Style" refer to someone who is proper and businesslike during the day, and lets loose and gets crazy at night.  Also, the only English in the song, "Hey, sexy lady", is in there because there is no proper translation for that in Korean.  The dance that he does in the video is becoming quite popular.  Britney Spears apparently wanted to learn it, and she got a lesson from Psy himself on today's Ellen show.

One other thing I found interesting:  Scooter Braun, the man who manages Justin Bieber's career, is the person who signed Psy to a record deal in the U.S.  When you're good, you're good.

If you haven't seen the video, you can watch it by clicking here.

Or, check it out below.

69 Down 3 to go

I'll explain the title of this blog entry first, then tell you the story that goes with it.

I'm three payments away from paying off the Ken Carr car.  69 payments made, three to go.

The car I drive, a 2004 Mazda RX-8, is the nicest car I've ever owned.  I bought it used in 2005.  I was days away from turning 40 years old and I was making enough money that the payment was easy.  I made about $600 a week extra above my regular salary in appearance fees for the radio station I was on at the time.  I shared an apartment with my buddy Alex and my rent was pretty inexpensive.  I wanted to drive something that made me feel successful.  So, I bought it.

I've learned to live cheap over the years.  I don't take vacations because I can never afford them.  I haven't purchased a new shirt in six months.  I have one HD TV, which I bought for $99 at Target as a birthday gift for Anthony last November.  The other two TV's are standard definition sets which I purchased in 2003 with winnings I got from a jackpot I won at a casino.  I have never owned a house.  I could go on, but you get the idea.

I've been fortunate.  The longest I've ever been unemployed was eight weeks and that was in 1992.  I've always found work, and always managed to survive.  I've been a very lucky man.

Its been hell to pay for this car.  But, it seems I've finally nearly reached the end of the loan.  Unfortunately, I haven't been able to pay for the proper maintenance on it in the last year.  It needs new brakes, a tuneup (there's a fuel smell when it runs, I am hoping that's all that is the problem), and the tires are shot.  It seems I won't be able to do much about any of that until I finish paying for the car in November.  Car repairs will be in Ken Carr's stocking this Christmas.

One of the tires is truly at its end.  It won't hold air more than a day and its more bald than I am.  A new one costs about $170 and I checked my ass and can't seem to pull that much out of it.  So, I went to Target today to purchase a portable air pump for $35 so I can try and make it last as long as I can by airing it up each day.  I only have to drive 2.2 miles each way to and from work so I'm hoping that will keep me going for a little while longer.

They're pretty neat little devices.  It gets hooked up to your car lighter, and it says on the box it'll inflate a tire from completely flat to 35 psi in six minutes.  It even has a built in flashlight so I can see in the dark how sad and treadless the tire is.  A true wonder of modern technology.

I had to laugh when I bought it... because the manufacturer of the pump is Slime.  I hope that's just a creative name for the company and not the last name of the person who started it.  I'd feel sad for the family who had the last name of Slime... because kids in school can be cruel and that would cost a fortune in therapy to deal with for any children in that family.

Here's a photo of the box of the Slime Tire Inflator.  And, I'm crossing my fingers and squeezing my buttcheeks for luck.  Sometimes my bright ideas to temporarily solve problems work, sometimes they don't.  Go Slime go!

"Compresor De Aire"
I don't know French, but I hope it pumps some fancy French air into my leaky tire.

Wet panties on a pole

I like to take photos.  So, I search for things to take photos of.  Sometimes its capturing a moment in time, or a pretty sunset, or sometimes... just keeping my eyes open is all it takes for an awesome photo moment.

Today I came home from work, and I spotted this right next to the parking spot where I parked my car.

I call this photo "Wet panties on a pole".  I don't know the story as to why they got there, but the reason the 'wet' part of the title is in there is because it was raining out.

Art can be very subjective sometimes.

I would have taken these home but I don't have shoes to match.

Random photos at Walmart Neighborhood Market

My favorite grocery store is Walmart Neighborhood Market.  Because the prices can't be beat.

But, every visit comes with a little adventure.  I had my camera last night and have a few photos to share.

Hair Mayonnaise.
Finally... a spread made for a hair sandwich.

This mayonnaise looks a wee bit spoiled.

Mr. Sprinkles!
Featuring a scary looking clown on every container!

These teenage girls were driving motorized carts around the store.
They almost ran me over.  Which doesn't make me feel bad when I say that
the girls should have walked instead... cause they could lose a few pounds!
I feel better now.

Food at a restaurant never looks like it does on TV

Anthony and I had dinner at the Subway restaurant at Speedway and Craycroft last night.

I ordered a Chicken Bacon and Ranch footlong.  It was delicious, but it did occur to me that it didn't look anything like what the sandwiches in TV commercials look like.

I took this photo right after I unwrapped it inside the restaurant.

Even sandwiches need makeup and a stylist before they can go on TV.

Subway. Eat Fresh... as in freshly smashed.

Happy Birthday Allison

My awesome co-worker Allison had a birthday this past week and she got to blow out some candles on her cake in the show's offices.

Happy Birthday Allison!

They yell a lot at KFC

Today was payday.  So, Anthony and I decided to get wild and go out for dinner.  We ended up at the KFC on Tanque Verde here in Tucson, about a mile from our apartment.

I think the food has improved at KFC in recent years.  However, the service there is odd.  It seems every time I visit one of their restaurants, there is an employee at the counter who struggles with the flow of how they get things ordered and made.  They get it done, its just a bit painful to watch.  And its usually a relatively slow process to get what is ordered.

Tonight's visit was the strangest I've ever had at KFC.

When we walked in, there were several people in front of us in line ordering, and one guy behind us.  And, there was one person eating in the dining room.  I didn't consider it very busy.

The guy at the counter must have been new or struggling with his job.  He was being yelled at every five seconds (no exaggeration) by the woman who was apparently the manager on duty.  Or just the bossy one there.  I'd describe the yelling as actual very loud angry yelling.  Anyway, the poor guy wasn't getting anything right if you believed the woman yelling.  But, he got our order right (according to the receipt) and we went to sit down and wait for it to be made.  I ordered a bowl that has chicKEN, mashed potatoes, corn, and gravy.  Anthony ordered their new Chicken Littles sandwich combo.

While we sat in the dining room, the yelling escalated behind the counter.  Apparently either the guy who was working the register had enough or he was relieved of his duties, because the yelling stopped and he was no longer at the register.

After waiting over ten minutes, a different guy behind the counter asked us what we ordered.  When we told him, he said "Uh oh.  Someone else took your food."  They didn't call out our number or anything so apparently somebody back there got a bit confused and gave our dinner away to some random customer.

I heard the woman working back there yell again.  And the guy told us that they'd get our food out shortly.  She said something about having to cook more of what we ordered.  I knew at that point it was going to be a while longer.  I wasn't in a hurry so Anthony and I chatted about his job while we waited.

The food was finally ready after a total of 20 minutes.  To their credit, it was good (and fresh).

I thought about an article I read last weekend about how Yum Brands (who owns KFC) is disappointed in KFC's recent sales.  Maybe my experience at that restaurant speaks volumes about why.  It also is a reminder about how much customer experience isn't valued very much at many places anymore.  I wasn't offered anything as an apology for the delay.  Although I didn't ask for anything.  We did get what we paid for, it just took a long time.  With a helping of yelling at no additional charge.

I'll return to that restaurant.  My experience didn't sour me from going.  Mostly because Anthony has found hair in his food at Burger King and Wendy's and there wasn't any at KFC.  So at least there's one restaurant that is still on the safe eating list (for now).

One big raindrop

Between rain showers yesterday, I grabbed my camera and went to the back parking lot at work to capture a photo of rain drops coming off of a vehicle cover.

It came out kind of artistic.  You be the judge.

Duck

One of last week's show guests brought a rubber duckie on as part of their display to show on camera.

I loved the duck.  It made me quack up.

The duck is wearing a lei.
I guess ducks should get lei'd too.