Happy Halloween!

Yesterday was my nephew's baby girl's second birthday. Maisy is a bright and curious child and looks more like her mom than my nephew Ian. I hope she received the email I sent her. Lot's of changes are happening at work. My former supervisor Desi moved back to the east coast. Jenn from Special events is moving down to Ventura with her boyfriend, Ryan and Anna from Sodexho is moving to a new job in the city. Already we have a great person working the reception desk. Liz came downstairs from her position as hostess in the restaurant. She is working on her master's degree in psychology and still manages to stay on top of everything going on in the main part of the building. Today I am bring some of my chef hats to work to give to some of the staff upstairs for Halloween. I think it is going to be a fun day.The picture above is of two of Francis Ford Coppola's chefs from Belize where he is currently filming. They came to the Napa Valley on a special tour and this was taken right before they came inside the restaurant to have their lunch. If you can guess the weight of that pumpkin, I heard that the restaurant will give you a prize !

Something New

I've just discovered Shot Codes. It is a way to learn about a person's blog or website by scanning their "Shot Code". First you must register by visiting W-1.com and download a free mobile app. select a ShotCode, and purchase gear from the online store ( at $50 to $57 a pop). Owners can connect their symbol to an Web site. So, if you happen to see one of these unique logos at a club or event, you surreptitiously snap a photo of it with your phonecam and a tiny app directs you to the wearer's LinkedIn, Facebook, or MySpace profile. Then you can decide whether a "Hello" is in order.

Dateline Wednesday

The wonderful thing about going back to work on Wednesday is that it is "hump day" ( getting over the middle of the week) for everyone else which means at least THEY have gotten over the Monday-get-back-to -work Blues. It does not mean that I get to have a sour grapes attitude when I greet my coworkers enter the building just because I am starting my work week.My attitude has to set the tone for people coming into the CIA. There are times when the energy is absolutely electric and everyone is anticipating a fantastic opportunity of some sort. My calendar shows that Mercury is finally going direct today, which means that it has been in retrograde for the past couple of weeks. Computer ills, mechanical things and missed appointments should remedy themselves today. Today should be a good day.

Day of Rest

Sunday is traditionally a day of rest. I try to be observant of this to the best of my abiliity. Even when there is a wedding or some other special event going on, it's good to know that people still think of the Greystone campus as a former monastery. Thankfully some people hold the property in reverential awe ( perhaps it's the pews or Georgian arches that make people think of this as a monastery. )As a concierge, I do NOTHING to dispel this romantic notion. It is a pleasure when the voices in the Atrium lobby are in a hushed tone. Children who run around yelling are the bane of my serenity.When I went to mass this morning in St. Helena, I missed most of the sermon because of two children behind me who were figiting, crying, complaining and yelling. Five minutes into the mass, a late arrival plopped herself down next to me reeking of cigarettes. She startled me, and I scooched over without appearing like I was trying to physically remove myself entirely from the vicinity. I realized how sensitive I am to light, smell, movement, noise and touch. Truthfully, my maturity as an adult is directly contingent upon my ability to exercise patience and tolerance in the most trying of situations.I am not the only one who suffers... we ALL do! Given that I do have a choice to react or respond every moment of my life, I do make every attempt to strengthen my emotional resolve.