Oh my they went and changed it on me...

Hello there to one and all,

Not sure how this is going to turn out in that they seem to have come along and did an "upgrade" to the blog program.  So what I am going to do is to post this and see what we get to look at.  Hope it is not too different.  Cannot believe that this marks the end of the first quarter of 2010.  Did you send in your Census paperwork?  I did, by the skin of my teeth.  If you did not get it postmarked today, they will be coming and knocking on your door.

It was an 11 hour day and my back hurts and just not sure why so I am going to close for now.  Markie will be over tomorrow for dinner.  I think he is bringing steaks.  I finally had to toss the lilies that I took the picture of a few days ago.  Boy they lasted a while. 

OK, so here is a sudden development - 4th of July Fireworks Show in Seattle Canceled!

SEATTLE - This year's Family 4th at Lake Union celebration and fireworks show will go dark this year. One Reel, the show's producer, says they just couldn't get a corporate sponsor to make it work this July. Work has begun to get enough funding to revive the 4th of July celebration at Gas Works Park for 2011.

The show draws approximately 50,000 revelers to Gas Works Park, as well as 200,000 fans both 'on' and around Lake Union.

In a statement by One Reel: This event, hailed by Forbes Travel Magazine and Time Magazine as one of the top Independence Day fireworks displays in the country, is free to the public, made possible through the generosity of a single corporate sponsor each year. For the past 15 months, One Reel worked to secure a title sponsor for the 2010 Family 4th at Lake Union, but was not able to find a supporter in time to produce the event this year. "Deciding not to move forward with this year's Family 4th at Lake Union was incredibly difficult," stated One Reel CEO Toni Aspin, "but without the financial support of a community sponsor, the event is not possible."

Last year Ivar's canceled their display on Elliott Bay.  WOWZERS!

Rain, Sleet, Snow, no 5 days!

Remember the old adage from the post office: Nor rain, nor sleet, nor darkness of night will keep us from our appointed rounds. Well, I guess budget do and so they are pushing forward with a 5 day plan for delivery, but then we are one of the few, if not only country in the world with 6-day delivery. My mail has dropped and heck, they will be able to have a lot more simple schedules to be sure and so bring it on.

Today, it was a blend of rain, HARD at times, and then wind followed by sun breaks and then here comes the hail and more rain and what is next? True spring weather! I was inside most of the day so it does not impact me until the commuting times. Normal morning commute is 16-22 minutes and today = 49 minutes. The evening commute is usually 21-27 minutes and today = 1 hour and 23 minutes. Breathing, breathing!

So let's really face the music people, what was the major news of the day? Was it the bombings in Moscow's subway? Was it the follow-up on Obama's trip to Afghanistan? Was it the Christian group that wanted to kill police officers? No, it was Ricky Martin's coming out moment as a fortunate homosexual! PLEASE! Give me a break.

Crushed by the internet!

Hello to one and all. So last week all of a sudden I was posting to the blog on a daily basis and enjoying doing it. Sharing comments and observations and in general catching up on a lot of stuff happening and never really knowing if anyone takes time to read other than my sister. Mind you, she is always on me to write and the week I do she is in Ashland without her computer. Well, yesterday we chatted a bit and then I read and was having a lovely morning and decided to post to the blog. two interesting things happened:

1. Heard from someone I have not heard from in years and found out they had moved to Mexico. We had not chatted in a long time and I read her blog and now know what's going on and she informed me she had discovered what I am doing so now the question is...do we actually reconnect and that is what I am toying with at the moment. It's funny the facebook and myspace, etc. There are people who have been out of out lives for years, if not decades and suddenly they wish to jump back in. Do I want that? One of the reasons I have been phasing out of facebook.

2. As I was reading her blog my internet went out - poof! Just like that. Boy, you never know how much you rely on something until it is gone. Well, I took a nap and then got ready and headed north to Rob & Jodie's for dinner. It was amazing. We laughed, ate and drank until near midnight. Once home, tried again = no internet. Went to bed and this morning = no internet. So I was enjoying coffee and reading and suddenly saw my wireless modem thing begin to do a light show. There are 5 green lights on top. So once it stopped, I came over and poof, it works.

I will never really understand electronics and all this stuff, but it is a fun way to pause and share some feelings and thoughts and maybe make someone smile for a moment. I mean seriously, how could you not laugh when you saw the piano pinky ring! One thing I have realized is that in reviewing Friday's blog posting, I will likely have to get a new camera soon. The pictures looked good and then in posting you see they are blurred. Maybe it is just the memory card, but in reality, it is an older camera that just eats up batteries like they are going out of style. And so after enjoying a cottage cheese omelet and some yummy bacon from Double D Meat Market I am ramping up for a game of Catan this afternoon with the boys.

But what I have realized in the end is that I am not going to be obsessed about posting every day. I mean heck, do I have that much interesting stuff to share? But also, I am not going to go weeks and not say something in that I see enough stuff out there and do enough stuff to not pause and share a bit.

Cheers!

A funny thing happened...

You know how things can just skip a beat and then you are left scratching your head. Well, that happened to me. Last Friday I got a message from Pam, out assistant manager here at Uwajimaya (pronounced Whya-ja-maya) Apartments asking me to stop by the office as they had something for me. I did so on Saturday as I got the message late. Well, Joyce, the leasing agent, got me the two packages from the package closet and they were for Markie. How odd I thought that they would call, they usually do not. Case in point two packages were waiting today and no slips on mailbox or call. So I took them and left. Well, today as I stop by to inquire about the packages (knowing they were due), Pam reaches to the coner of her desk and gives me a gift bag. Ah, so this is why she called. I pull out the tissues and there is a pen.


Not just any pen, but a festive green sparkle pen with my name on it. She said, "Well you did say when renewing 'Don't I get a pen or something for lasting 5 years?'" and sure enough I did! Not the best picture but hey I just quickly took a picture and it has a festive star at the top and my name on the green glitter. Very cute.

I walked into the aprtment and was hit by a wave of fragrence that was just lovely. The lilies had popped and oh my they are stunning. Like they say a picture can be worth a thousand words, look at how much time I have just saved both you and me.


Going to get a grocery delivery here in a few and then I will kick back this evening and relax and enjoy seeing what Gwen and group have to say on Washington Week and then read. Breakfast with Mick tomorrow followed by dinner at Rob & Jodie's. It is unusual in that I am making a Salad Caprese but I take one great liberty. I drop the basil and add English cucumber for a festive crunch. Also taking asparagus to be grilled and Rob picked up steaks today at D&D Meatmarket and I will repay him. He will do the cooking on his grill, the first of the season. Sunday morning Helene is likely stopping by for a quick visit as she arrives from Vancouver and then she is off to the airport for her flight to New York City to see friends. Yes, there very likely might be a game of Settlers of Catan in the afternoon and Moonsong has been so nice to postpone cleaning until Monday as it is to be a nasty day on Sunday and so Helene and I can meet here at the apt. How quickly the canceled Ya-Ya weekend got filled, but hey, what fun.

A week of blogging and a bonus!

Hello to one and all,

So I decided to fess up and share I made an error last night. Qwest Field does not hold 60,000, it holds 67,000. Sorry about that. Need to be more careful. Alas, I am sitting here at just about 5:37pm and looking out and seeing the traffic snarls that opening night brings. So glad to be home already. So above is a good picture of Qwest Field. This is the stadium the Paul Allen was able to sucker punch the city of Seattle into building once they tore down the old King Dome, a facility which Washingtonians are still paying for by the way. Talk about crazy. Can anyone tell me how one of the 10 wealthiest men in the world can get cities to build stadiums for him or dump them on various municipalities? Like Portland and Seattle paying for his sports team's arenas. Alas when people are all screaming about not being able to afford simple things, tonight's home opener is sold out. Makes you pause and go hmmmm!? But mind you I like the Sounders a whole lot more than the Seahawks. Just the way it is. So I plan on making some soup here in a bit and continue reading my current read - "Best Food Writing 2009" that I got for Christmas. The other thing I am quite excited about is that in the post are two presents to myself. I decided to pledge to PBS and picked the original Julia Child Cooks series in black and white for my thank you gift. I also decided to go ahead and get her original "Mastering the Art of French Cooking Vol. I & II." What a treat they will be to enjoy.

Bonus Round:

Where the Prizes are Bigger

& the Stakes are Higher!

Decided to take a bit of time last night and revisit all my blog entries and I discovered something for which I must apologize. I went off to Las Vegas and had a lovely time and even treated myself to a little trinket - do you think it is ever so a little too much? Do tell:

This is the ring I treated myself to as they literally arrived as I was touring the museum. I got the one and only size 13 and that only makes it fit as a pinkie ring. And it is heavy! Has been a lot of fun to boot. And so that is it for this day. I am so glad to be inside with all this dripping wet rain we are having. Amazing how we have had weeks of lovely weather and for the home opener of the "football" aka soccer game, it is just a mess. They are die hard fans!

Blog - PBS Style

Yes indeed, no commercials and only here to share fun information and keep you posted on all the comings and goings that I can think of. It has been fun taking a few minutes each day to do a post. My sister, Janet, is none too happy. She'll log-in day after day and I have nothing to share and so she up and goes to Ashland this week and does not have internet access and here I am doing a new posting each day. She is down visiting Mom over her spring break and I was thinking about that this day as I drove home. For the past three years Mom and Janet have been really nice and come up here to Seattle for the 2nd weekend of December and we celebrate my birthday and then we celebrate Christmas. It is a lot of fun.

Well this past year was for my 50th birthday and I kept them pretty busy for the weekend. But in 2008 they were up and we got to have a wonderful evening down at Markie's house for dinner. Well, Markie has this thing for old mink stoles and furs, not new ones, old ones. Well, here are two of my favorite pictures of Mom and Janet!
















Mom looked so French in her own way with that fabulous hat and Janet was just being glamorous. We sure laughed a lot that night and as usual, Markie made an amazing meal. While I cannot remember exactly what it was I would put a good guess at pork ribs hot off the bar-b-que with a steamed vegetable and a loaf of freshly made bread and salad on the side. Yes, he does it oh so well!

Tomorrow night the Sounders kick off there home opener and I just know it will be loud. Last year they sold only the lower bowl and sold out just about every game. They have now sold so many season tickets that for this game they only sold 83, yes 83 out of over 60,000 tickets to groups. Well, E&A, who I work for got 60 of those and some group out of Alaska got the other 23. Who knew that soccer would be such a draw. Oh and the Sounders do not refer to it as soccer, no, no, it is "football" to them as they do play a lot of the European teams. On the 5th of April it will be round two of insanity when the Mariner's have their baseball season home opener. The fields are next door to each other. Yes, and only blocks from my apartment. Now, tell me again why I resigned for another year? Oy!

Trips and "To-Do" Lists

One of the biggest parts of my staying at E&A has to be all the travel I have been able to do over the years. Until I came to Events & Adventures 12 years ago Mark, the owner, did not really have a travel program except a spring trip to a warm location like Hawaii or Jamaica plus the annual Thanksgiving ski trip to Whistler, BC. Once I told him that there was money to be made in the trips he let me start running some more. We began with Costa Rica in ’99 (id not get to go as I broke my ankle on a snowmobile trip that January) and we went back last year (again did not host but this is because I realized I am not a warm weather vacation kind of guy). Then our biennial New York at Christmas trip began and has popped more as a destination than any other. This was just after London in November of ’99 and before Australia in 2000, of which I hosted all three trips and was exhausted!

We went back to Australia in 2008. There was Italy & Greece and a cruise to Alaska (but I did not host any of those) and then we did a few different ski trips Taos and Whitefish plus Park Cities (for which I am the perfect host as I do not ski and can get everything ready for members!). We have been to New Orleans for Halloween twice (I did lead it the first time and oh my what a time we had) and of course we have been to Jamaica and Hawaii, but I did not go on those. But Markie did take me to Hawaii back in 2003 when I was recouping from cancer surgery. That was a blast!

We did a Caribbean Cruise in 2002 (why did I agree to take 76 people, was I crazy?) and another last year that Dan out of Minneapolis ran. We have gone to Europe 4 times now with different themes and I got to lead each time. Peru twice and China were over the past two years but Jackie & Curtis took those on. We went to Kentucky for horses and bourbon. Some trips we have tried have failed: Disney World, Washington DC, fall foliage tour, the 2009 Alaska Cruise and last year to Germany. Whistler has been every year for 14 or 15 years now and we used to go on an annual snowmobile trip when we were based just in the northwest. Do I even think of including the annual Memorial Day camping trips - no those were not fun for me at all!

Without a doubt the trip to London, Lille and Paris in 2007 had to be one of the most fun. Here we are on the British Eye, the big Ferris Wheel type ride right on the Thames River.

We took a day trip to see Windsor Castle. We had never done that in the other trips and it was fun to actually go out and see another of the Queen's castles. We arrived just in time for the changing of the guard and that was something. The grounds were stunning. There was also the most amazing doll house to see. Additionally, an entire room just for all the china and serving pieces. Could not believe how many guns were on display as well.


From London we took the train to Lille. This is a large city that a lot of tourists do not visit up in the northern part of France. I happen to know it well as a dear friend lives there, Anne. I have know her now for nearly 20 years. I met her through Amy, a friend back in Portland. They were pen pals. Well, Anne and I have stayed in touch and now she has a daughter who is 7 and refers to me as Auntie Chris! I am enjoying the wine of the evening and she is trying to unwind from a long day. We got to enjoy a long conversation after the dinner with the rest of the group.



On to Paris and while I have many favorites to see the Arch de Triumph is right up there near the top. It is just lovely and a must visit every trip. Who would have thought that I would be saying I have been to Paris 6 times. Four of those on the company's dime and two on my own.



All of this travel talk came out of question from a staff person in Houston who then asked if I could get her some pictures of the trips to send along to her. I paused for a few moments and wrote out the above to capture some of the flavor of all that we have done. I easily could have missed a trip or two, but I think not. And now, here was my reply a bit tongue in cheek and a bit on the serious side to give you an idea of all that is going on at once at work.

I’ll be sure to get the photos on my “to-do” list that has phones and those problems and getting the two trips for this year up on the website and confirming why event staff does not have Costco cards and oh wait I need to follow up on why one of the staff is not getting direct deposit, but does not tell me for months and wants an answer soon. We also have the employee handbook and I need to be sure to sit down and get all the forms ordered for all the offices including all the different business cards. Then going on the web and finding new event photos to get resized as Mark now wants all the photos to be the same size. Didn’t get a chance to put the stuff back after they washed the windows last Saturday, but hey, that can wait. Can’t forget that I am suppose to review what offices need what done to them for paint and such since I have all this time where I am just sitting back and enjoying a mint julep on the veranda. But no worries, I’ll get to it soon! See it is funny in that there has not been a day off in the last month where I have not received a phone call about something and always a very good reason, so I am told, so why should I think to try and relax. Not mad, just dazed!

But I do not wish to end this post on a downer note in that I was really laughing by the time I got to the end of my reply. But sometimes one must pause and enjoy life to the fullest and I have to say that when I travel I do so enjoy living life with gusto! That can be seen in the last picture below as I am in a Paris restaurant for lunch and we had just arrived not an hour before and I got to have escargot for lunch. And wine - but of course! Below the picture is a recipe in case you are feeling like cooking some up yourself - Sacré bleu!

ESCARGOT IN GARLIC

□ 1 doz. snails

□ 3 cloves garlic, minced fine

□ 2 tbsp. wine□ 2 tbsp. white wine

□ 1 stick sweet butter, softened

□ 2 tbsp. chopped parsley

□ 1/4 c. dry bread crumbs

□ Toasted slices French bread

Using purchased snails (the common garden variety won't do). Mix garlic, parsley, wine and butter. Cover, refrigerate to firm. Stuff snails into shells followed by about 1 tablespoon of prepared butter. Place in shallow pan. Sprinkle bread crumbs at mouth of snail. Broil until very hot, about 15 minutes. Garnish with lemon and toasted bread to sop excess butter.

Monday, Monday...

Seriously, this could get to be very, very scary if I am able to keep going like this. Four, count'em four entries in a row. I do think there is something in the air. That's right, spring has sprung and so I am just having a rip roaring good time. Got home this day to get the garbage and recycling done. Did I stop there, not a chance. It was on to the laundry and putting all the dishes away and hey, why not get all the ice cube trays filled and water jug done. Then it happened. After nearly 4 years...the water filter died on me. Yup! It just up and stopped. So have taken apart the kitchen facet and oh did I feel butch doing that. Got that all taken apart and went around to the two arrangements of lilies and got all the pollen pods out of them and well, now I get to do a quick post and be on with the evening.

Donate to PBS! It is the spring pledge drive and yes, they drive me crazy, but hey, it is not dumbed-down TV. They show a lot of good stuff and I so love Gwen Iffil on PBS Newshour and Washington Week in Review. But hey there is Antique Roadshow and heck, I turn to Create one of their additional channels with the digital age for some fun on cooking and decorating plus travel.

Due to the spring pledge drive I will be taking leave this night and reading. The "specials" they run during pledge drive time so work my nerves to be sure, but they are enjoyable for others. But seriously, another "Celtic Thunder?" So I will continue reading my "Best of Food Writing 2009" and looking forward to the weekend. Now don't get me wrong, I will take each day as it unfolds, but Friday has 2 dear Ya-Ya's arriving and Saturday will be 2 more. 2 of us are already here plus the honorary member! Friday night will be cocktails here - even on the courtyard pending weather and then on to my favorite restaurant in my neighborhood, Shanghai Garden and then Saturday is going to be a series of fun and festive moments with the Ya-Ya's including a couple of very special moments. Sunday has everyone heading home and that goes for my sister who is in Ashland for spring break and heck, even Markie will head home on the 28th from Cabo in Mexico. People are all over the place.

So for me, it is a week plus and then a fun-filled weekend. I seem to have to prove to my boss of 12 years that I am serious about my job. Funny, he questions that and yet I take a phone call from a staff person at 6:21AM on a Sunday morning...go figure. Hmmm, is this all really worth it? Makes you ponder the possibilities somethings. Hope your week goes well and that you are able to take a moment of luxury for yourself this week!

3-peat = Can you stand it?

Since I am not in Portland this weekend I shall treat this much like my sister said and relax, read and just take each day as it happens. Part of that is trying to get into the blog a bit more. It is quite enjoyable really. I have been spending time reading some other blogs and trying to get a perspective. It is amazing how there are blogs on food, news, sports, poetry, sex, plants, travel, just about anything you want to find out there. So I am going to keep working on mine and trying to find my thing. I love talking about food and do often. Like why is it that I cannot stand Frito Corn Chips except if I eat them with guacamole? Do not have the answer. And one must ask, am I the only person on the west coast who likes a cottage cheese omelet? But if you do like food and wnat a good deal, there is a promotion going on right now called Dine Arouond Seattle and it runs through the end of March, go take advantage of it before it is done!

Part of what I try and do is to share what I am doing but to also bring in other items of interest that happen across my life. Now one thing I gave a lot of attention to yesterday during the beautiful day we had was the courtyard of my building. It is a very structured style that has a very Asian style to it. Now before anyone goes and gets crazy on me, here is why I have picked Asian over Oriental, from a search on the web:

"Oriental" refers to THINGS from the Orient - such as food, rugs, souvenirs, etc...material THINGS. Therefore, when you call a human being "oriental" you are referring to them as an object with no soul or substance. This is why "Oriental" is offensive and LEGALLY a racist term (at least here in the USA).

Asian can be used for people or things, it is not an offensive word at all. Asian refers to anyone or anything that comes from or is related to any country in Asia - from China to India to Vietnam, including the Philippines and Japan, and in some cases that large rural part of Russia.I am unsure why "Oriental" is widely used in the UK, UK English is actually considered a different dialect of English from American English and Australian English, so words have different meanings there.

In the USA it's probably safer to not play with the word "Oriental" unless you are talking about food or rugs...but keep in mind you can call it "Asian" as well with no debate. If the term "oriental" is used in the wrong way at a workplace it could get the person who said it in trouble for discrimination nowadays so be careful.

And since the garden is not food or a rug, I am going to be safe. It really is lovely and especially after dark, the lighting is just lovely and makes for a great space. After pondering the idea for a while I am going to have some fun and this later spring and summer and very likely into autumn I am going to invite friends over for "Cocktails in the Courtyard" and likely to be on Fridays and have drinks and nibbles and just enjoy the space. I am really amazed at how little it gets used overall. The views are stunning. The water feature is a delight and heck even when it was a mess a few weeks ago with soap added, it was still fun. During the winter it is stunning and in early 2009 when we had a heavy snowstorm I remember that someone or several people made snow people in different positions on the benches and around the courtyard. It was quite fun.

So besides taking in the beauty of the courtyard I shopped online and had an order delivered to the house by Amazon Fresh. Love them! Ordered flowers and because a couple of the lilies had begun to bloom I got them for half off. How wonderful. There were enough lilies for me to make two different arrangements. I do love them and so the pink and red ones are over near the kitchen and the white ones are over near my bed. The apt. smells wonderful. I also too time yesterday to keep tabs on March Madness. Funny how all season long I do not care a stitch about basketball, but along comes the tournament and I begin cheering for the underdogs! I work with a lot of alumni from WSU so you know they are not happy campers about UW going on to the Sweet 16. I know at least one very happy camper in Kentucky this morning! But hey, you never know when the next big surprise will happen.

Mentioned how I have been getting back into reading again and I have a stack of books on the dining room table and have been attacking them one at a time. Well, now reading the "Best of Food Writing 2009" and it is something how people are just getting a little too food crazy. Do not get me wrong, I love food, and at times too much so, but come on people...if a chicken was killed further than 50 miles from the food stall it is consider uneatable? It is a book I got at Christmas from Lars & Anita Myfors. They are a couple from Sweden who live on Mercer Island.

This past week I got to stop by for tea with Anita & Lars. They are 2 of the most charming people you will ever meet. I have known them know for more than 6 but likely less than 8 years. We have become fast friends and I had the honor of being included in a stunning birthday party Anita hosted for her 70th birthday. Talk about how knowing how to do it right! Amazing. Well, they are always up to something and while they enjoy much time with their grand daughter Anita is known for her cooking classes where Lars oversees much of the clean-up duties and he also loves to work with forged steel. This is a bench that he created for me and it is just lovely. I cannot begin to tell you. It now sits at the foot of my bed. You may notice that under each ball of the bench is a square. That is not a pad, it is a square of stainless steel to prevent the forged steel from rusting, but it also serves another purpose that I do not think Lars was aware of, it keeps the carpet from getting too separated from the ball of the foot pressing down. Go figure. Oh and does it weigh a good amount. But what a thing of beauty!

And so now on with Sunday and enjoy the day. Cheers!

Posting is not quite what I had planned!

So last night I posted I would be heading south to Portland to see Janet. Now let's back up a bit and look at the bigger picture. Michael had invited me to the coast to join him and his friend Betty for a Vintner's dinner at Bridgewater Bistro. Wonderful, a lovely and relaxed evening of a 6-course dinner with 5 wine pairings. We book a room so as not to drink and drive as the dinner is in Astoria and not in Long Beach and all is planned. Last Saturday, the 13th, we get calls stating the dinner has been canceled for Friday night, the 19th due to a lack of sign-ups. Bummer! OK, so Michael moves the room hold to next month and I have already in play a trip to see Janet as I am down there why not go by and spend some quality time.

Well, that goes bust as I go to leave this morning and the car will not start. Long story short the car has been towed and will get fixed and I am now in Seattle for the weekend. Read a bit of the morning and the weather is mighty nice. Likely to put out the Easter decor since home and got an order placed with Amazon Fresh since they had a slot open for tonight for an 8pm delivery. Like surprise, who else but me will be sitting home on a Saturday night waiting for a grocery delivery. Thankfully it makes it so I can have breakfast in the morning as I had used up milk and other food since I was not planning to be here this weekend. Janet has shared she used this morning to clean out some closets and do some spring cleaning...perfect timing since spring arrived at 10:32am (Pacific Daylight Savings Time) this very morning. I have some of the blinds down due to that intense orb shining bright, but the windows are open to air out the apt. Yes Janet, I can actually go a day or two without the air conditioner!

So since I am now here and not down going to the Sing-A-Long "Mary Poppins" with Janet I may just have to go dig my copy out and watch it here and sing a bit of it myself. Why is it that I just love that movie and yet not a single stitch of it was filmed in London! All of it was done in southern California at the Walt Disney Studios. That would never have happened today. Not a chance. I so enjoy the opening and those wonderful painted images and then all of a sudden you are seeing Mary floating along with that wonderful umbrella that she has with the talking parrot and the magic begins. Perhaps it takes me back to my youth when things were a heck of a lot more simple. Like calling the phone company and making one call and not having to see if they are the provider of record for the inbound or outbound or are you within the service contract. Argh! But I am getting away from the movie. Another movie I do love is "Bedknobs & Broomsticks" that is along the same lines if you thiink about it, ust different setting and of course, Angela Lansbury. God I love her as an actress. So anywho, I am going to do that, but think I need to ponder lunch options right now. A salad might be a good idea and a nap is always a luxury on the weekend that is really enjoyed. So folks, here is a bonus posting that has rambled a bit, but know I do enjoy a good ramble!

Postscript - There are times when you do something totally on a whim. Well, before I post each entry I add the pictures and the various links. Not sure why, but for fun I thought I would add a link to the definition of Bummer. OK, so there were a variety of options under Google search. I choose one and started laughing so hard I just had to add it. I never, EVER have heard of the 2nd option - British - no wonder it is tagged as "uncommon" go figure! So there you go folks.

Spring has sprung!

Hello to all,

Little did I know I had day counters letting me have updates on how long it had been since the last post. Well, the health care bill is likely going to pass. There have been some stunning upsets in the NCAA tournament aka March Madness. I have signed my lease for another year. Dropped a few bag-o-stuff at Good Will. Planning the delayed Fall-B-Q Tour '10 for late October and early November and then back to Disney World in December for 51st Birthday celebration. Going to see my sister this weekend and taking in the sing-a-long "Mary Poppins" at Cinema 21 before going out to Troutdale for some fine dining at Tad's Chicken N' Dumplings!

Life is good and the air purifier has helped in my sleep as has Moonsong cleaning and helping keep the dust down. Going to go ahead and sell the Rooster Dishes and give Mom the $'s. Finished two books this week and loving getting back into reading again. Markie heads to Cabo with latest "The New Yorker" and so I am a happy camper. Liquor cabinet is stocked in anticipation of the Ya-Ya weekend next weekend. Mark is pondering how committed to E&A am I as I celebrate my 12th anniversary working there. OK, so my first call this morning was to the office! WTF? Breathing!

Olympics are over and the tree is down...bummed! Egg wreath is up on the door and need to decorate the apt. for hippity hop fun! Was able to trim another tub of Christmas...cannot believe how I am getting the overall "stuff" really down. It is all about going seasonal. Seriously, all I own is in my studio apt. at this point and that is amazing after an extended "release" and yet...I want to make it even more simple. Is that possible? We shall see.

Do not forget to donate to your local PBS station during this challenging time. Congress keeps cutting funding and it provides the great TV we all look to. Hello "Antique's Roadshow" and Julia Child's first shows = so much fun! Will work on being more focused but my mind is all over the place tonight, perhaps it has to do with that blasted daylights saving time...what the hell is it saving? Sounds like deer are giving people a real challenge from my Mom in Ashland to Kate and Eric in Kentucky. Cheers!

Pleasure vs. Tasks

So it has been a while since I did a post and I can only fault that to this amazing weather we are having in the pacific northwest. You see since the whole El Nino (pretend you see a ~ over the n ok as I do not know how to put it there) thing took hold and has created weird weather all over the country, we have gotten warmer than usual weather with cold spurts tossed in. This has created a lot of drama in people getting sick. I mocked a lot of them until I was struck down. I mean it is fierce! Once I got home from the trip I had a "little" chest cold. Well, on the 12th of February was over at Jodie and Rob's place for the opening and felt fine and by Sunday, the 14th I was down for the count. Did not get out of bed, it was sad. I had to cancel going to a much looked forward to Valentine's Day brunch! The following week was hell! Pure and simple. Rest, drugs, sleep, work, rest, drugs, sleep, work...you get the idea! Only could manage half days and since I had been on vacation felt I needed to try and keep going in a bit. I discovered an amazing drug called Mucinex DM. Sure it is like $14 a box, but boy is it strong. Kicked the pants off the cough that would not go away and I will be kind and not discuss phlegmfest '10!

It took the full box and a lot of rest and finally feeling better. Had to laugh when I call the tele-nurse at Polly Clinic. When I asked if there was anything else I could do she said, "Chris, you are not going to bounce back - you are no longer in your 20's and 30's. You will get better! But this takes time and you need to allow it to happen." True to form I am getting better.

So what that means folks is that for the run of the Olympics, I had a horrible chest cold. Did get to watch some events, but bed rest was #1 for me and I read a lot. Heck, I am current on The New Yorker and this morning I spent the better chunk of it reading a wonderful book my sister gave me for Christmas called Immovable Feast ~ A Christmas in Paris by John Baxter. Quite fun. Going to be taking it down to Astoria on the 19th to give to Michael to read.

Now mind you while rest was foremost on my agenda while ill I was not a lame duck. Michael came up from the coast and we did take the lightrail for a spin since he had not had the opportunity to ride it yet. Mind you this was after we got out of the elevator where we were stuck for nearly 25 minutes (Little did I know it was to be repeated that same week, but I was on a solo ride that time!). From there it was off to the Symphony where Marvin Hamlisch was conducting the Pops with a Tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Quite enjoyable and from what I have come to understand, each program was a bit different. Marvin was quite engaging with the youth in the crowd and that was delightful. He was just stunned that so many people had showed with the day being so beautiful outside. Well, the audience was more than entertained and it would have been without comment if he had included something to acknowledge "Into the Woods" but hey, always leave them wanting more is how the old saying goes!

Afterward, we made our way to one of my favorite restaurants in all of Seattle, Brooklyn. I had hosted one of my birthday dinners there. Michael got to experience the restaurant for the first time that day. Due to the antics of one of the guests at the party, Michael and I both wanted to dine there to erase as much of that experience as possible, but holding on to the dear memory of all those that did attend who did not feel so self-serving. Well, this meal did it. From our arrive during happy hour to being seated it was a meal not soon forgotten.

We began with our martini's of choice and enjoyed a dozen Quilcene oysters each if memory serves me correctly. From there we took our table and enjoyed a four-course dinner. Up first we decided that since we were going with beef Michael especially enjoys Merlot wine. They happen to carry a favorite of mine, L'Ecole No. 41 and it was delightful. The 1st course is a complete and utter display of indulgence - The dry bay scallop with fois gras. It is just stunning and something I treat myself to when I go there. Next up we split a Serrano Salad and this was a lovely melange of meat, vegetables and cheese to really make a nice transition to our main courses. Michael opted for the signature dish - the Carpetbagger (filet mignon sliced open and stuffed with a yearling oyster and then wrapped in bacon and cooked. I went with classic sirloin with a Gorgonzola butter on top. Finally, for dessert we both had coffee and Frangelico's while Michael had the molten chocolate cake I went with the key lime pie. They even put a candle in it so I could blow it out this time. After a nearly 2.5 hour gastronomic extravaganza we rolled into a cab and headed for home.

Michael headed for home the next day and I rested. It would be another week before I was really back on track. Heck even as I type this entry I have noticed a lingering cough here and there. Need to be mindful. So the week unfolded as the medals kept pouring onto the USA count and for Canada it was wonderful as they piled on more and more gold. In the end it proved to be a win-win as Canada won the most gold medals of any country in the history of the winter games and USA won more medals overall than any other country in the history of the winter games. Go figure.

The last week of February saw me pondering the move from my apt. as I got notice of a $122 rent increase. It has been 4 years and time for a change. I really like my apt. but wanted a different view. Sounds simple right? WRONG. I have looked at over 16 different places and while some have had stunning views, in the end, it is the stuff in the apt. that really makes me happy. I like a shower stall, not a bathtub. I love having the washer/dryer in the unit. The black and white in my kitchen is balanced by the tan color of the cabinets. There is the openness of the kitchen to the rest of the apt. Location, location, location. So I mention to Pam downstairs in the office I am looking and get a call last Thursday. Not only have they erased the rent increase, they lowered my rent by $30 a month. Well, that sealed the deal and I am staying put. no move and no dealing with all the hassel of what goes and what gets tossed, although I am still doing that!

Guess I will get started on packing up the Christmas tree now since it was up to only take down and move. Likely next Saturday since Moonsong comes on Sunday to clean. Will likely end up connecting with Direct TV as I refuse, just totally refuse to get Broadstripe. They are a horrible cable company. Yes I am still frustrated with the way that some Asians drive and the various sporting events do get me in a bit of a dither, but overall, I have a great view and the apt. really is perfect for me. I can go down and ride the ferry if I want to look at water and mountains or even go to one of the many parks and take in the view. One thing I am going to do is to get back into mass transit. Got away from it for a while and well, I miss it and want to get this old body moving again.

So this posting has been all about getting you current on what has been happening. A couple of things that did not get written up in details but should be noted:

Still play Settlers of Catan and it is a blast. Have won more than
lost, but it is not about that. It is about the fun of taking time with
friends and enjoying myself.

Got to have breakfast/brunch with 2nd cousins Amy and Damien last week at a
place called The Pancake Corral. Everyone needs to eat at a corral at
least once in their life.

Yes I mentioned getting stuck in the elevator, not once, but twice in one
week and while I did get a bit miffed, it was not directed at the staff, but oh
they got to hear it. But they are wonderful here and to take care of the
place.

Overall, the family is doing good. Mom is battling a cold herself and
they do get a grip, speaking from experience. Janet is coming up on spring
break and loving her pond and ducks. Steve and Karen seem to be holding
their own. Mike and Joyce are proud Grand Parents now and still are
dealing with challenges of raising their own kids. They are much better at
it than I ever could be.

The country is facing some serious challenges of its' own right now.
We are so stuck in the mud nothing is getting done and it is hurting
everyone. Not sure if we are really recovering or gearing up for who knows
what. Kinda scary and yet we press on.

Finally, it seems that some of you have had challenges posting a comment to this blog. Seems it can be a challenge. Some reasone it only likes certain email addresses. Sorry about that. Hope all of you remember that next Sunday, we have daylight savings time kicking in - get ready.

Cheers!