The Countdown Has Begun...

The new year is spreading across the globe as I write this in that I have watched fireworks go off in Australia, New Zealand and multiple cities in Asia.Just amazing to watch the firework displays as we welcome 2011 and yet there is devastating flooding going on in Australia while snow is the story in the northeast US. Celebration and sadness go hand in hand as we go through the next hours. Yet, one cannot pause and be in wonder of the past year as so much has happened. I continue at E&A and cannot believe it is nearly 13 years there. The past year has provided so many fun memories both at work and with friends. Tonight Markie will be over and we will be welcoming in the celebrations as the clock strikes midnight from London to Paris and across the US, we’ll just see if we make it to midnight locally to see the fireworks explode over the space needle. 8AM comes way early and that is the start time for the Tournament of Roses parade out of California. We'll see how it all turns out. Whatever you do I wish it to be a fun night and that the new year is filled with fun and joy. I look forward to sharing my fun adventures with you as we go into the new year!

The Blog...Updated

Hi folks, well if you take a look at the 26th and 27th of November you will see how the Whistler trip wraps. Lots of pictures of dinner at the Bare Foot Bistro.

December has multiple updates of how the month unfolded.

Hope all had a good holiday.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

So now let's get back to the blog...per usual, or as it will be.

And So hear I Am...

Almost caught up. No Way! Yes, I have let go of the daily posting, I have a job and it takes a lot of time and the laptop is not a keyboard I really like so in the new year I will likely be switching out this laptop to a tower and keyboard. Boy, I really like to be able to watch TV and do the computer work, but seriously, do I really need the computer overload? There are times, like at Michael's when I do not need all the media crap. In fact, did I tell you about the trip over? After opening the gifts on Christmas morning, thank you to Markie, Janet, Mike & family plus Kate & Eric out of Kentucky, I drove over to Long Beach, WA and it was a delight. Upon arriving, Michael had chopped liver waiting with cocktails to be followed by Chicken N' Dumplings. Can you say YUM! We were stuffed and yet so much laughter.

Next up was a good night's sleep and the morning brought fresh biscuits out of the over with leftover chicken N' dumpling gravy. I was in food heaven. After that we read, napped and Michael was in the kitchen being an amazing conductor for the Boxing Day feast. Hank and Cooper (the dogs) wanted more attention and the rain really made for a low key day. I napped and read and got to play a couple of games of Yahtzee with Michael. Oh my God - I got three Yahtzee's in one game and that set up the dinner!

Yes, we had garlic stuffed prime rib with Yorkshire pudding along with oh so fluffy potatoes and light and lively green beans. It was AMAZING. The finale was pumpkin mousse with gingerbread crumpled on top. Why did 3:30AM have to arrive so early the next morning? But it did and back to seattle I went...knowing that a tradition was honored and will be kept for years to come. Big Hugs to Michael!

The Christmas of 1, Yes 1 Ornament!

OK, so you all know me as the guy who loves, seriously loves this holiday. I really do. Heck, even with the trip to Whistler and down to see Mom I got the tree up on the 9th of the month and then the following month I decked out the rest of the apartment. It was just the tree left to be decked out and figured I would do it on the 18th but decided to go to the gift grab. The 19th had Moonsong cleaning and by the time I got back to the apartment I was tired and needed to get some other things done. The following nights had me dining with friends and making phone calls. Gifts needed to be bought and were not and the tree waited with one exception. The “Polar Express” ornament that was a FABULOUS birthday present and was put out by Hallmark in 2007. When I opened it I cried. Such a sap! Well, I put that ornament on the tree and decided that Helene and I would deck the tree on the 24th. No worries.Well, as you can see we did not. No much laughter followed and it is totally ok! Seriously, I have never laughed so much before. I get so stressed out by the holiday and you know what? Why? No reason. I just buy into the hype and so on this year, the yeasr when things did not go quite as planned; I have a tree that did not go quite as planned. I present the tree of one ornament. In case you do not see the one ornament here is a close-up and yes, I do believe! Get over it.But oh be prepared, I shall be back in full force next year and it will be over the top and yet festive. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Yes, I Do Have An Office

So do not even think you can have my Zebra Print Chairs...I know who you are! Yup, that is how I have to welcome people into my office. Mark thought they were not cool. Little did he know. Everyone loves them. I know I do. now the new talbe is coming in as my desk is just too small.You know, it is funny. I have this office and yet I really do not like it. I use it as it is there. People love to come and visit for all the things to look at from the chairs to the trinkets from my tips and friends. Here is a look at me with crap behind me and yet there is more, oh so much more. If you want to see the rest, have no fear as my staff has decided I need a new table/desk in the new year and so it shall be. Not a lot of paper but oh is there he stuff.

Faerie Gift Grab

When will I ever learn? Not soon enough. Had a lot of second thoughts about going to the annual gift grab I decided to go since I was picking up Wonderful and heck, Dennis was not going to be there – right? Wrong-O! He was there and a lot of other slugs and it was a night I would like to soon forget. But hey, there are moments…Yes that is Tyler, Moonsong and Larry – our host having fun. Here is a close-up. You have to laugh. It makes the night go faster.It was a joy to see Randy in the picture with me as he had a heart attack earlier in the month – seriously. I had not had a chance to see him and so this was a delightful gift.Randy and Tyler along with Moonsong are dear Catan players and I do hope to do that more in the new year. I really enjoy the good old fashion board gmaes. You can ask Jodie and Rob as we play the train game and the is Yahtzee to boot!

With Visions of Sugar Plums

Alright, so I am not in the picture, but you get the idea...it has been a really full week with the visit to Mom over and now Christmas coming in but 10 days. Trying to get the halls all decked and know I do plan to get the backlog of tales caught up in the coming weeks, but right now I am just trying to stay rested and get the daily chores done. This blog is all about having fun and there will be times I don't get to it, and other times I do several posting in a day. Know I will get it all caught up and you'll hear about Whistler and Ashland plus the holiday fun! Cheers!!

Birthday Fun!

OK, so it has been a great day and heck I still have the evening. First birthday call arrived at 6:15am from the east coast and throughout the day the phone, facebook, Gmail among other social media have brought hundreds of good wishes. Tonight I am enjoying a sight for sore eyes, My tree is up and shining bright. Yes, it sounds crazy, but I was determined to have the tree up and glowing to enjoy on my birthday.

So, after plowing through emails and enjoying a lunch buffet my staff put on and there were gift cards, chocolate and special surprises galore. Oh and can we talk, they even had a Red Velvet Cake for me. My favorite to be sure. Francesca, our Accounting Manager was behind it all. Thank You my dear!

Got home a bit after 4pm and did a plethora of chores and just kept plugging away until I plugged in the lights at 5:05pm and above is the result. Quite pleased and tomorrow I will deck the rest of the apartment and the tree will be the focus of the weekend. I do so love this time of the year. Holly Jolly, holly jolly, Hooooooooooo! Ho! Ho! Ho!

We Found the Wreath & Doves

Mom headed off to church as she always does on the 8th of December. It is the Feast of The Immaculate Conception and back in 1959 she went into labor after watching a John Wayne movie and then going to church. Did I mention my middle name is Wayne? So I decided to go looking for the wreath and doves. They could not just vaporize into the sky. Sure enough, I found them in the laundry room and they took there positions as you can see. Yup, that is Mom and oh how I love her.

Visiting Mom Kicks Off The Holidaze!

I headed south the first weekend of December and landed in time to hear the last minutes of the Civil War game between Oregon and Oregon State as UO sealed their place as #1 for a spot in the SBC Championship game on January 10th. Dropping Mike back at Meredith’s place I headed for Mom’s house and proceeded to get lost. Now that was a first, and yet fun. Arrived at Mom’s house by 4pm. We had a lot of laughs and much chat pursued. Mom made a dinner that was fit for a king with steaks, baked potatoes and a yummy salad. Dominoes played a key role and after four games we tied at 2 each.While at home Mom wanted to take me to the Jacksonville Inn for an early Christmas Dinner. We decided to do that Tuesday evening. It was a delight. Here is Mom toasting the evening and not to be outdone, yes, I did enjoy the Valley View Viognier. A low acid wine with floral aromas and an apricot quality. It is so richly aromatic that even though it is dry, it seems sweet.We both decided to go for the pork dishes on the menu. I happened to opt for Escargot to kick off my meal and it was heavenly. Then the salads arrived. Delightful. As you can see below, Mom choose the grilled boneless pork loin served with caramelized onions and stewed white beans. Further, she is not a fan of brussel sprouts so opted for the green beans. Can you say YUM! I decided to go for the bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with chicken fried pulled pork served with maple-roasted butternut squash puree and warm brussel sprout salad.Oh they were both so good and yet we decided to take half of each of our dishes home so we could enjoy their desserts. Mom went for Warm Marionberry Strudel with Frangelico Crème Anglaise and Inn-Made Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. I went for the meringue and raspberry cake. They served the wrong item first, but finally got it right. We went to look at Christmas lights and then home. Mind you, we also hit Standing Stone Brew Pub for lunch with Courtney. This was after decorating the house for the holidays, with one major exception. Mom and I could not find the wreath and doves that have hung over the fireplace for years. Where were they? Mom did not know and no one could find them. What happened? Stay tuned, ok, look at the next posting!

Home Town Bound

Hey folks, I am on a plane tomorrow afternoon to fly down and see Mom for a few days. Shocking as it sounds, leaving the computer behind and totally unplugging to focus on my few days with Mom. Back next Wednesday in time to turn 51 on Thursday. For those that do not know Ashland, starting at the top is a picture of the Elizabethan Theatre that is used in the summer for evening Shakespeare performances. The middle picture is of the Plaza downtown. We rarely get downtown any more. The bottom is a place where we spent many many hours in years past, Lithia Park and oh what a beautiful place it is.

World AIDS Day

Yes, this is the White House today. I am so pleased to see that such a significant presense is given to such a serious issue. This is a day we need to pause and remember all those that have died from this horrible desease. It is not just a gay thing, but rather global wrath that has taken far too many far too soon. I know there are more than I can count who I would love to be able to say hello to again as they had their lives cut short far too soon.