...and I just got off the phone to my brother, John. He has been playing Santa Claus for many years now and I suppose he is looking forward to tomorrow when he can hang the hat and red pajamas up in the closet for another year. His beard is the real deal however, and it seems to get longer and bushier all the time. He tells me he has given up trying to weed out any new crop of stray hairs that have appeared on his face. Next year,with a full white beard, moustache and eyebrows you won't be able to tell if he is pissed off ...even as he goes, " Ho, Ho, Ho... Merry Christmas! We had a nice chat reminiscing about adventures from another era.
This past birthday marked my fifth year at the Culinary Institute of America where I am the Concierge ( a French word for slave ). I stay on the job for two basic reasons... the insurance benefits are good, and it keeps a roof over my head. Most days I have only a minimum of crap to put up with; and as always, the food is great. When the weather is nice, I still ride my scooter to work and when it is cold, I drive my little Ford Potato . Hey, can it get any better than this?
I still like to draw, take pictures and make little movies. Usually on the days that are not that busy, I will end up doodling at my desk using a ballpoint or pencil. I have scanned a bunch of these doodles and have colorized some of them. When I get home, I upload them onto this here blog, and it makes me feel like I am at least using some of my creative abilities.
When I purchased my first Mac back in 97' I thought that I was going to be a lot more prolific, and have a lot more to show in terms of my Art work than what I've actually produced. Mostly, I have ended up buying more Mac stuff... l like Ipods, printers, scanners, external hard drives, ink cartridges, digital cameras and the like. It is fun, but I have spent a lot more digital "Stuff" than I thought needed since the time when I first ordered the old Power Computing Power Center 132 Mac Clone. Thankfully I have given away much of the old SCSSI based equipment to my friend Nick Towne, who is just getting into the game. My apartment is still so filled with computers and peripherals that my neighbors have taken to calling this place "Mac World".
My tenure as president of the Men’s Club at Our Lady of Perpetual Help ended in September and now I am secretary. It was a challenging position trying to organize and execute Parish Festivals, St. Patty’s Day Dinners, Crab Feeds, Monthly pot - lucks, but I am proud of myself for rising to the challenge. I only hope that we get some new blood there at the meetings because it looks like the same 15 guys do everything !!
Speaking of volunteering, I still assist with the Napa Valley Food Bank during the monthly pickup and distribution process. They let me have a couple of bags of groceries and I get to supervise the breakdown of the boxes each month before the locals come to get a few extra groceries to tide them over the tough times. I am truly glad that this was here for me when I was unemployed and finding few resources to keep me in the chips.
Now as 2008 approaches, I am looking at ways to improve my lot in life and make a contribution at the same time. Granted, sometimes "failing to plan" is "planning to fail," but little has served me better than just being still and affirming the values that have kept me happy from year to year. I still consider myself to be a work in progress, with plenty of room for improvement. So, here's to you my friends... praying that each and every one of you come to enjoy Peace and Happiness... everyday in every way.
Love and hugs
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