Halloween 05'

Today I stayed inside even though it was a gorgeous day. I got hung up on my computer all day. I feel sad and depressed today. I should be happy, but I am not. I am feeling sorry for myself. My nephew's wife Kate had a baby girl and I haven't even called yet to congratulate them. I am sad because I have never married or had kids, or have been able maintain a relationship for longer than a year or two. My friend Reid and his wife Jenny invited me over to spend halloween with them and thier kid, William. He is cute, and they were just planning on just stay home, eating pizza and entertaining the trick or treaters as they came by the house, but I couldn't even get my interest up enough to go. I called him right at the last moment to tell him I was bailing. Now I am writing about it...Oh blah dee, Oh blah da.

First Rain of the Season

The clouds were thick and grey today when I woke up. It looked earlier than it actually was, and next week is the beginning of standard time. The weekend is starting off well for me. We have four new hires for concierge. The women are drop-dead gorgeous, but the acid test will be to see how well they perform. So far, they all seem pretty competent.I went to the dentist on Monday to have my teeth cleaned. My, the things we have to endure to look suitable for our guests.

Life Challenges

I don't really understand how computers work, but I do know how I go about fixing a computer when it is not behaving the way I think it should. I set about very methodically and sequentially, attempting step-by-step to remedy the problem. Computers always follow a certain protocol, but electricitiy and processing speeds will vary, thereby frustrating us as we try to determine if a certain process takes time or has already occurred. The law of unintended consequences will rear it's ugly head at the worst times and we usually are at our wits end. It is then time for a break. Anyone who has ever owned a computer has experienced this type of frustration and some of us have learned the hard way, to: follow instructions to the letter. Be patient. Listen and look for clues. Be patient. Endorse yourself for making the attempt... and again most importantly, Be Patient.

Cool Fall Day

It's overcast and cold. The weather people say that another hurricane is brewing off the Gulf Coast. This one we will call "Wilma." I work with a woman who informed me in no uncertain terms that her name is "Vilma" not "Wilma." I stand corrected. I don't know how much more of this we can take. I am back at work, feeling a little better since my flu episode on Friday. I had a couple of productive days off and bought a new keyboard and mouse for my old computer. Now hopefully, It will operate much better.

My Titanium

I actually love my Ti book. I bought it for 800 bucks about two years ago from my friend Ried's old girlfriend, Carol. I beefed it up with 768 MB's of RAM and an Airport Express Card. It is loaded with some good apps, like Photoshop CS, Illustrator 10, Firefox and Safari browsers and the ILife 04' Suite to boot. Although it is running Panther ( OS 10.3 ) The interface is just a joy.I can pretty much do anything on this machine that I can do on my e-mac or mini-mac. Two drawbacks are the fact that it does not have a CD/DVD burner or enough juice in my CPU to run an ISight on IChat. But hey, I have that stuff if I need it.

Saturday Night Taiko

Here it is, Halfway through October and what makes this day momentous are two things. The first thing is that I had to take the day off because I was recovering from Food Poisoning. I had eaten some soy beans from Trader Joes that did not agree with me and i could barely keep down a bowl of Oatmeal. The second thing that made this day memorable was a Taiko Show that Ellen Ushioka, Ed Ohde and a large Troope had performed at the Jackson Theater in Santa Rosa ( I work with Ed and Ellen at the CIA). Ed was the MC of the show, and did a very good job.He was witty and informative as well as being wickedly funny. Taiko is the art of Japanese drumming from centuries ago, but reborn near Sebastapol in 1995. This celebration was the 10th year of Taiko in Sonoma County.

A Visit to the City

To see my sister, Rita. Which was just great. We went for a nice walk through the Haight street district where we went for a Pesto Pizza. later we ambled down towards the Hall of Flowers and eventually to the "New" De Young Museum, which will be opening shortly. Already thier were people up in the observation tower, but they were privaledged members who got an early preview.I was snapping lots of pictures which regretably were deleted from my camera after I downloaded them to my IPod, not thinking that I would'nt be able to upload them again onto my computer, AAAaaaarrrrggggghhh !!! After returning back to her place, we had a nice steak dinner which my brother in law prepared, and then watched a football game until it was time to head back home to Napa.Also, in the world news, there was a terrible earthquake in Pakistan. Yikes! this sure has been the year for natural disasters!

Banteron from Boca Raton

Greetings Mi Amigos !

This is my first little Quicktime movie that i tried to post to "Ourmedia." A website which offers public videoblogging and an RSS feed for free! (yeah, nice when/if it works).The link to the movie goes to my earthlink website which is where it has been for ages. Since I am just beginning to go public with these bizarre flicks, bare with me. I know this is an old video which was made around 1997, but hey! I made it on my first web cam which was a logitech ball that plugged into my 7200 Power Mac using an 8-pin connector. I ended up getting so frustrated with the thing one time, that I swung it around my head a couple of times and flinged it across the room in a moment of rage. I am not proud of those moments because they have cost me time, money and friends in the past. Today is a new day though, I am enjoying my life and making the most of what I have learned with this new tech.( A nod to Wellbutrin® as well.)

Cat Butt Gum

I just finished giving a tour and felt a little self concious while talking to some guests because I had the dreaded "coffee breath." Thankfully, after asking Eileen if she had anything that would remedy the situation she provided me with a couple of pieces of "Cat Butt Gum." Well, needless to say it was delicious!... and helped me overcome my dilema. Now ain't that sweet ? Speaking of sweet, check out this great site for learning how to decorate cakes!

Cake Decorating Tips from Wilton

October Blues

Today, I learned that my friend and co-worker Melissa has given a two week notice, and is leaving the Culinary Institute. She stated that she took the job because she didn't want stress to interfere with her effectiveness on the job. Apparently, she was yelled at for omitting something that should have been posted in our daily events newsletter.This type of behavior is so unnecessary so I don't blame her... considering the source of this aggravation. She is a highly skilled professional who is very talented and doesn't need someone "barking in her face" for a simple oversight. It hurts me that she is chosing to move on, because I thing she is a real class act. Nonetheless, it is her choice and ultimately it does come back to choices. My attitude about these types of situations is: " This too shall pass. "

Soap on a rope

Gee, October sure snuck onto to the scene quite promptly. Last night I went to a going away party for Mario at Ristorante Allegria in downtown Napa. Mario is Edward Clunies-Ross' brother in law and a decent chap who is joining the Air Force. The next ten weeks will determine if he has the "Right Stuff." The dinner was held in an old bank building. I arrived early and had myself a Seven-up with Roses lime juice (my favorite non- alcoholic drink). I sat at the bar waiting for the rest of the party to arrive as I watched the Los Angeles Angels get spanked by the Yankees in a playoff game that will determine who goes to the world series. Eventually, a gentleman named Gavin arrived and after he introduced himself we chatted for a bit and I asked him to watch my camera and sunglasses while I went back to my car to fetch my wallet ( I don't feel secure in restaurant with only my change purse ) . Later, when everyone arrived, we proceeded to the old bank's vault where we were seated for dinner. Edward brought the nice bottle of "Arida" from Vineyard 29 that I gave him. Dr. Marco said it was quite smooth after he took a sip. Dr. Marco is Edward's Croatian friend from the Queen of the Valley Hospital where he works as a Radiologist ( I think ). The dinner was great as we indulged in a variety of Italian dishes. I had the Pasta con Polle . Their was much talk around the table about wine, sports cars, the military, work, television commercials and food. All in all it was a very pleasant evening.Edward paid for the whole meal, to which I am very grateful.Mario was given the nice gift shown around his neck by Gavin.