Thats what friends are for

Dieter has been driving me to meetings, feeding me and keeping my company over the past couple of weeks since my accident.I have been recovering nicely yet have periods of great discomfort and pain.I've been asking lot of questions about how best to proceed on a daily basis with my friends and family. I have been getting a variety of answers in the realm of legal advice, medical and insurance advice, and even a little motherly advice too! I think that everything is proceeding accordingly.

Typing with a cast on

This is tricky, because I have learned to touch type and now I am going back to looking at the keyboard ! A very bad habit! This cast I am wearing is made of rigid fiberglass material, and my hand is forced to stay in one position. Last evening I had a very wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my neighbors Andre, Dinora and her brother.They all signed my cast with a sharpie pen to commerorate the occasion. We gobbled up a delicious boneless turkey with barbecue sauce and homemade fries. Later we played Poker and watched Spanish Television to while away the hours.Dinora is expecting a child in February, and is starting to get pretty big. We laughed and joked as we speculated on how the Turkey we ate had no bones. Mmmmm and... Hmmmmm !?

More from Streamwood Santa

This is a video message for a little girl named Jessica. Ol' Santa sure has an appetite for milk and cookies!

A Santa in demand

My brother John called to say that he made the local news in Chicago.This is the time of year that he dons his red outfit and lets the beard grow out some more. He has a little cold this evening,but in a short period if time should be back in action.Now if he gets real popular, he might need his helpers to schedule some bookings out here on the west coast.Check out this NBC LINK or just watch the embedded video below:

Wake up call

It has been almost a week since my accident on Hwy.29 and I am recovering a little more everyday , but I am not out of the woods yet.
Today I went for a hike up to my favorite sacred site locally. I am speaking of Coyote Peak at Bothe State Park, a two mile hike up through the park from the valley floor.My good friend Don Freeland and Dieter Dopplefeld joined me. We didn't talk much, and we didn't have to... The beauty of the fall was in full splendor.
Tommorow I will be attending an appointment with a bone specialist to have my hand and clavicle observed and treated.My nephew Ed will be picking me up pretty early. I still suspect that I am still in the state of shock even though I am functioning normally. I have ugly purple and yellow bruises all over my body.My face is just the most obvious damage that occurred.My scooter is history now. It is sitting in a storage yard until the police report is released.

Worlds of Favor

This year's Worls of Flavor Conference was rather subdued. Many of the attendees have been here before, some for the second and third time. It was a pleasant affair. Not too rushed, better organized.I got to have my picture taken with Cat Cora (?) the first female Iron Chef. All in all things went okay. Marnie's mom passed away on Saturday morning. We had a run-in on Friday night and when her shift was over she left in a huff. I don't think she was present during her entire shift. She was trying to help everyone, but it all just became a hindrance. Logistically, the transportation system up and down the Napa Valley needs help. It can become rather unreliable when you need to get someplace after hours. Shuttles, Bus-lines and Cabs are not on the same page.It rained, but today is going to be sunny. There was lots of schwag after the conference this year. I think I will ride my scooter to work.

Barack Obama

Congratulations to our newly elected president. I hope and pray that the next occupant of the oval office will guide us with vision, direction and humility. I was really very impressed with the way Barack Obama spoke during his acceptance speech. The man demonstrates a cool, clear-eyed outook on what we as Americans will be facing as we move into 2009 and beyond. We may be near collapse in terms of financial stability and global repute, but we still stand strong as a people who are united in the principle of service and compassion. The next four to eight years will be tough, but I think Obama is correct in his assessment that we will persevere. My hope is that he will be strong and protected by a benevolent God as he carries out his duties in the elected office.

Hoping for the end of the Bush Legacy

A Seesmic Special in which actor John Cleese is interviewed by a Seesmic staff member. This man's opinions are most reflective of my own. I love his sense of humor, as well as his sense of the absurd. I have become more a fan of John Cleese as I've gotten older, than I ever was when watching his comedic acting on Monte Python during my college years. His observations about George W's first term in office are dead on... I was really pleased to learn that I was not alone in my belief that his candidacy and subsequent presidency was the most deceptively corrupt political staging ever foisted on an already suspicious American public. The worst part being, that most of us will suffer the legacy of this man's decisions long after he leaves office.