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.

Camus Tuesday

Today was nice out, as it has been for the last couple of months. I drove to the Santa Rosa Mall to get a part for my Iphone . I also went to the ATT Store to reset my password on my Iphone and learned that I have a combined account with two separate passwords. After six attempts I was able to reset the password. Lovely. Then I went to Revolution Moto to find out where I can add more oil to my motorscooter if the need arises. I found out that I have to remove three panels in order to do that. Things used to be so much simplier ( or so I think they were ). A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing they say. These are complicated times. When I was at the Apple Store I was shown a little device that looked like a minature tuning fork. It turned out to be the device i would use to remove a "SIM" card from the IPhone. Back in the old days, you would use a paper clip... which still works, but then I guess someone would be out a job. Anyway, I am fried and feel like escaping somewhere. I will let you know in another post where I went.

Summer's End

Actually, it ended a few days ago but I am feeling like writing about it now. The highlight of my summer was the trip to L.A. to the Disney Studios which lasted all of twenty minutes after having driven six hundred miles. Today is the beginning of the "Healthy Kitchens, Healthy Lives" conference and I am still trying to find a way to get my chef's toques out there. Last week I was given a clean bill of health by the heart doctor who let me know after a surgical procedure that my heart was not blocked and that I just had high cholesterol. Now I just have to remember to take an aspirin every day along with a statin pill. I should exercise more, but my right foot and ankle suffers from neuropathy. I can walk okay, but after being on my feet for a while it can really hurt. Enough about my aches and pains. I am looking forward to quieter times as Fall approaches and the economy slumps. This should be a very creative period for me.

Relay for life

Last night after work and after the Saturday AA meeting I walked over to the Calistoga High School Track where the "Relay for Life" event was happening. I don't know if it was last year or the year before when my sister Rita went into to the hospital with a diagnosis for Cancer. Anyway,all I could do to keep from falling apart was to participate by walking around this 440 yard track. I must have put in about ten laps. Last night I walked again, looking up at the full moon above and appreciating the beauty of all the little white bags filled with sand and lit votive candles surrounding the track. Each bag had the name of a loved one who was directly affected by the disease. I recall giving five bucks to the organizer who put Rita's name on a bag and assured me that it would be included in the large array. Last night I walked the track, thanking God that Rita was still alive and that I too, was alive. There was a kid about 13 years old who was running laps in the opposite direction. I told myself that I would continue walking until he stopped. He kept going and going. Finally after I walked about ten laps ( and he probably ran about twenty ) he stoppped. I went up to him and gave him five dollars to donate to this worthy cause. Tommorow I go in for my heart treatment at the Queen of the Valley. Wish me luck.

Stuff goin' on...

Monday I will go to the Queen of the Valley to have exploratory surgery. I am looking at maybe getting a stint or an angioplasty for my heart. I am 57 and have a blocked artery. Great. The other thing is that there are many conferences and weddings happening this month at the CIA and I don't have time to go see my friends really. I just am not motivated to do much lately. The dog days of summer are over, and so is my get up and go. I think I want to go on another vacation. Then again, I would feel guilty about spending money I don't have to buy things I don't need , to please people I don't even LIKE ! Tomorrow is another B&P graduation and I have hardly gotten to know any of the students that have gone through this section. It kind of makes me sad in a way. Somehow, I have the feeling that I am going to be at the CIA until the day I die... whenever that is.

Busy Weekend

We had two weddings on Campus this Labor Day Weekend. The Red Hat Society filled up the 1:30 PM Cooking demo and with the walk-in traffic there was a lot to contend with here at Greystone. I started the day by going to mass. St. Helena Catholic Church is undergoing a major renovation so they are asking for a lot of support. I dropped my lunch money ( all of ten bucks ) into the collection basket and know that I will feel the pinch. I am doing what I can to bring some extra cash in, but I won't be paid until at least the first week in September. Once I got to work, I had to set up both the Concierge Station and the Camera station in the theater for the cooking demo. After everything was set up, I noticed that I was missing my name tag. The only place I figured it would be... would be back at the Church, probably where I parked my motor scooter. This would be a likely place because the name tag has a magnetic back and it probably latched onto my keychain and subsequently dropped off as I left to go to work after mass. Anyway, it is a shame how attached I am to the damn thing.

Okay, my bad...

I haven't been keeping up with my blog lately, but it's not because my life have become a boring as a bag of potatoes. I spent most of my summer working on the Chef's hat designs and trying to figure out how to make it cheaply and where to sell it. So far, I have made five and have sold them for twenty bucks each ! That's a good start and has inspired me to make more. I am currently working on a pirate chef's hat and have had good success with it. My next design will be a "Hell's Kitchen" motif. I don't plan on stealing their logo, but I do plan on making a generic one with a pitchfork and some fire to give the idea.Our purchasing agent, Jim has gone to a trade show this past weekend and tells me that he will investigate to see if he can locate some disposable chefs hats without a company logo on them that I will be able to purchase wholesale.Hopefully, that will be one cost-cutting factor.

My Question for Mick

Not long ago, I visited a web site promoting the Rolling Stones documentary, " Shine a light". There, I found a button that read, "Ask the Stones a question". So I was instructed to upload a video of myself posing a question to any of the Rolling Stones. I had heard in the past that when the Beatles had gone to India to study meditation, that the Stones went to Haiti to study Voodoo. This idea had always piqued my curiosity, so I decide to ask Mick that specific question.

Mick's Answer

Watch the video

An Answer to a question I posed to Mick Jagger

Taking the time

After getting all my domestic chores completed ( i.e. Laundry, shopping, bill paying, etc.) I can now enjoy the second day of my vacation. It is Sunday, August the 3rd, 2008. I started my day with mass at 8 am in St. Helena.I offered a prayer for my friend Herschel, who is going through tough times right now. After mass I spoke with Eve, who is another renegade from Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Calistoga . Ever since the mass times got consolidated there, I've been attending mass at St. Helena because I can still make it to work on time around 9:30 . Eve, said she has been attending mass here because she doesn't much care for the "social environment" at O.L.P.H. We had a conversation as we walked down towards the Sunshine Market. She wanted to get a little something to eat, I wanted to stop by the ATM to pick up some cash.
Eve is quite spontaneous and also a little fragmented when focusing on a particular train of thought. Her father was a Russian Orthodox Jew and her mother was Irish Catholic. She is very bright, and very spiritual ( and yes, very opinionated too ). I can say that, because I know of her past. I know also of her struggles. She was pregnant at seventeen and like my sister Terry, was an artist who tried to raise a child on her own. She admits to her staunch independence and in a reflective moment, will say that she suspects that (like me) she is growing eccentric as she gets older. She gave me a loaf of bread that she purchased at the Model Bakery before we parted ways this morning, mentioning that there are bargain prices to be had for the day old products. I promised to draw her a picture in reciprocation for this gift. I ended up taking my sketchbook to the Napa Valley Coffee Roasting Company for a cup of Joe and a little social time. There, I eased myself into reading an article about saving money verses spending it, in the current issue of the Bohemian. Garnering enough courage, I broke out my sketchbook and began drawing a picture for my friend Eve. It was a loaf of bread, dontchaknow. How apropos.

Observing Beauty

I started my day by observing a video project that my co-worker, Lisa had created. She spent about four months taping short clips of butterflies up near her place in St. Helena.The video was about eight minutes long and featured some gorgeous footage of Monarchs, Pearl Crescent and an assortment of sixteen other species. She had the music of Enya playing in the background which made for a delightful experience. Later on in the morning I went to our herb garden here at the CIA to pick flowers and herbs to put on display for our guests to enjoy. Lisa helped me with the arrangements and had some good suggestions about how to preserve flowers.If you put a drop or two of lemon juice in the water, it will act as a natural preservative.

Making my own Pesto

Tonight I picked a few sprigs of Basil from our herb garden. My neighbor Andres Quinteros let me have a few sprigs of fresh mint from his garden, and I had a host of other ingredients which I was determined to combine to make a dynamite Pesto sauce.
First I chopped the Basil and Mint using a traditional paring knife creating what is called a schifenade(?) and then mincing a garlic along with a handful of smoked Virginia peanuts, In a medium size mixing bowl . I scooped all the fresh ingrdients and added a half an avocado ( peeled ).After that I added lemon juice and four tablespoons of freshly grated Paramasean Reggiano cheese. Lastly, I mashed up the avocado, and poured some extra virgin olive oil into the mixture. Lastly, I sprinkled in a sufficient amount of Kosher salt to taste. This stuff is what summer snacks are all about. I used a baked cracker to scoop out some of this Pesto, just to satiate my taste buds. Smiling, I washed the cracker and Pesto sauce down with a big gulp of Lemonade. Yum !

Watching what's next

Although I don't go for the use of expletives for emphatic effect (especially when they are used arbitrarily) , this slide presentation has an interesting message.It is a commentary on social networking when used as a way of marketing interest

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A Visiting Dignitary

Timothy J. Keating, USN is the current Commander of the United States Pacific Command. He previously served as Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command and Commander, United States Northern Command. He assumed his current assignment on March 27th, 2007. Keating was born on November 5,1949 in Dayton, Ohio. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1971. Following duty aboard USS Leonard F. Mason (DD-852) in the western Pacific, he completed flight training in August 1973. Today his family and friends were our guests at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Following lunch, they were given a complete tour of the facility. It was a distinct honor to show these folks around and at the end of the tour I was decorated with a commemorative medallion.

Making the Trip

Leaving Sunday evening around 9:30 PM and arriving in Ventura at noon on Monday. Phew ! I drove all night down 101 after crossing over from 280 at Gilroy. Smoke haze was everywhere from fires throughout the south land. I was destined to be at my meeting at two in the afternoon. I learned about the Gap fire after continuing from Ventura on through to Burbank. I overshot my turnoff and frantically found myself in Pasadena realizing I had to double back and find Western street with some time to spare. The meeting with three of the consumer products people at Disney proved to be a valuable experience, but only after my objective was met.I then jumped back on highway 5 to make it back to Calistoga by 10 PM Monday night. This was after a meeting that only lasted 20 minutes at best! I drove and drove with little time for rest. Eventually arriving in Visalia around four o' clock. From there I got on Highway 99 which led me around 200 miles out of the way. Gradually, I breezed into towns like Merced and Tracy, eventually finding my way to Walnut Creek . Luckily I got back on 80 going north to the wine country. Today I am baked.  I know what I have to do now. I have to take this referral contact that was offered to me from my meeting with the Disney Folks in Burbank and bring my" product idea" to a woman in New York who already has a license to sell goods from the Magic Kingdom. I will introduce her to what will be a complimentary product that will help sell an apron that has already produced for them.

Having Expectations

I can get quite philosophical when it comes to expectations. On the one hand, I expect a miracle because I have faith that I am serving a purpose on this physical level. On the other hand, one tries to have no expectations, so that they can at least observe the process of things, and learn enough to proceed through life without too much disappointment. At this age, I've gained some insight by conducting myself in such a way as to avoid making similar mistakes as the ones I have made in my past. Everything communicates. Everything is trying to tell me something. I wish I could be more specific about what I am referring to; Except that I just woke up and am still reeling from a dream I had about people in my past that showed up at a pool party. A photo album was brought out in this dream, so I know I am being told to reflect on someone or some incident in my past. This Summer feels a little like Winter to me emotionally , because of some unresolved issue that is beckoning me forward. More will be revealed.

Change in plans

I've heard it said that if you want to make God laugh, make plans and obsess about the outcome.
I am still planning a trip to Burbank on July the seventh. Originally, I was going to be driving my Aprilia Motor scooter down south but have reckoned that a rent-a-car will be the best approach. Especially after my sister Martha put the Kibosh on the whole idea. Besides that, my backside would be mighty sore after even a hundred miles of driving I am sure. This trip's aim is to be an educational experience. I hope to learn how best to promote myself , and how to negotiate with business people on their terms.

Thinking ahead

I am looking at driving to Burbank on my motor scooter.I just had it tuned up over a week ago and the coolant has been replaced. I know that I can keep up with traffic because if I wanted to; I could go around 85-90 mph on a straightaway.My co-worker, Marnie thinks I should rent a car because it is such a long drive. My plan is to drive throughout the night From Sunday, July 6th to Monday,./ July 7th.I have an appointment to do a presentation at the Disney Studios in Burbank on Monday afternoon at 2PM. This is very important to me, and I hope to learn a lot about how to proceed when trying to get something accomplished in the business world.This is really the first time I've made a decision to really pursue a course of action with regard to a product invention. I am thinking carefully about my options and opportunites.

Lazy, Hazy, Crazy days of Summer

... and it isn't even officially summer yet. Today, is Friday, June 13th and I figured that Anton Ego the food critic from "Ratatouille" is the perfect image for this day where superstition runs rampant.It is my neice Erin's birthday and I am not even sure I know how old she is, but the weather is pleasant enough,and it looks a little hazy at 11am in the morning, but that should burn off by noon. Its days like this that I think of the expression, "Another ho-hum day in paradise" when I look out the door of the main entrance here at Greystone. It seems like I blinked and the hot weather arrived. It never ceases to amaze me how time leaps forward. I was longing for the month of March, because to me, that is when the winter weather starts to fade away and all the lusciousness of Spring bursts forth.Now I am thinking about how the Fall will be here before you know it.The tomatoes on my sun deck are growing bushier every day. There will be some fresh-ripe fruit by the end of August. Earlier this week was a salmonella scare on tomatoes throughout the nation. Most of the students are out on field trips today. The CIA is quiet except for the radio playing in the barrell room, the birds chirping outside and the occasional voice of a chef. Not the usual clanging of pots and pans up on the third floor.We don't even have any special events scheduled for today. I thought that June was supposed to be a big wedding month. You sure wouldn't know it this month.

Stwahbaywees !

I took this picture of Stephanie who works in our Campus Store(She is one of our famous Spice Girls) of the Spice Island Marketplace.The shot was taken at our
Annual Staff Picnic last Wednesday evening. The food was fabulous, as was the camaraderie .We also tossed rubber rings from a distance in an attempt to land one around the neck of a wine bottle prize just for giggles. There were several winners at this game (and a large variety of wine being displayed).Several younger staff members who had won bottles, decided to stay afterwards to imbibe in their bounty.

Today is Sunday, June 8th,and after my last blog I mustered the courage to call the Disney Product Development division to find out when I will be able to participate in a Video Conference call. I was told to call back in about a week, and I will do just that. It is rather slow here at the CIA today. Yesterday was the big showcase event here in the Napa Valley. The Wine auction at Meadowood concluded and most of the attendees headed home today.My interest in attending the wine aution as a volunteer sort of waned this year. Last year, I sort of stood around trying to look busy when in actuality, I didn't do diddly squat. I felt it was best not go back.

June, Moon, Spoon...

I'm a poet and I know it. In fact, last week I admitted to being ALL of it. My coworker quickly added that I am also full of it, too. Today is Wednesday, and I am heading back to work. My Apple TV is terrific except that I don't have cable and cannot access mainstream TV. Don't you have days when you actually get all the tasks that you set out to do, done? Yesterday was like that. I went to REI in Santa Rosa and bought a jacket. I actually returned a jacket because of a broken zipper and bought an extra one as I was given a brand new one for the one I returned. Sweet, huh? REI is a great place to shop. Then towards the end of the day, I went to vote no on "N". Mission accomplished. I almost voted "yes" on N because I was tired of the ruthless campaigning against it. Every time I turned around I saw a sign, received an email, a phone call, or a piece of junk mail. It got tiresome. Anyway, my blog marches on and I haven't even time to reflect on what I am typing. Blah !

Wide Screen Anticipation

Tonight I am going to meet my friend Don after work to drive with him to my nephew's house down in Napa to pick up a wide screen TV for my apartment. This week I purchased Apple TV which is a remote server that will transfer content from my computer to the monitor.One can download movies,songs,images etc. from the internet to be viewed on this system. Even this blog can be viewed on the big screen. I can hardly wait to set the whole thing up. My apartment is only a one bedroom, so I am going to have to rearrange a lot of furniture and items to make space for this new addition. I feel that my collection of Apple products is gradually making my apartment into a digital studio that will inspire me to continue to create imagery, videos and a whole variety of other media that will help me build my portfolio.

Don't look down !

I have added this link because it is fun to watch! Can you imagine hiking along this path with a camera, videotaping as you go along?
The music only adds to the drama. Check it out here:

El camino del Rey

Shoulda Stayed in Bed

I am so tired today. It's Sunday, but in effect it's my Friday because I have the next two days off(Thank God).Geez, even the internet seems sluggish today.Tonight there will be a small wedding here a the CIA. Only 35 rowdy drunkards to deal with on the Memorial Day weekend. Things could be a lot worse, believe me. The weather has been weird today. It rained yesterday, was sunny this morning and the rain is supposed to return tonight.I don't know what I will be doing on my day off, but for starters I will have to write to my nephew Justin and let him know that I listened to his CD. Some of the songs are better than the others. He has one called "Happiness" which is a nice little instrumental that I would like to add as a background to one of my Quicktime movies. The other thing I need to do is get more rest ! Yawn.

Too Cool! Mick answers my Question !

Recenty, I went online and came across a page on youtube™ that solicited questions people may want to ask the Rolling Stones. So I decided that I wanted to ask Mick Jagger if he studied Voodoo in Haiti. I heard somewhere that he had, and I wanted to hear his response. So check this out here !

Hear his response...

Now if you want to see both his and Keith's responses to other questions, go to: Living Legends and see for yourself. See, I wasn't jiving you !

My Friend, Reid

My buddy Reid started his own toy business many years ago. He is a very bright and modest man, with a keen business sense. Over the years I have watched him divest, invest and rebuild a business by his unrelenting commitment to the success of a product he created. I think this has served him well, long before I met him over fifteen years ago.He has always been on the lookout for ways of increasing his customer base and finding new ways of marketing items that support his main product, Flexiblocks™. The education community has certainly served him well, because this product is highly educational for youngsters and oldsters alike. Lately, I have encouraged him to start a BLOG so that he can have a place where people can comment on his product and stay in contact with him. If you want to visit the website he refers people to; Go to flexiblocks.com and have a click around.

In case you missed it...

I downloaded the video from the internet and compressed it using Quicktime Pro so that I could post it here. The Corkscrew Collection was featured on Modern Marvels on the History Channel about a month ago.I am still suprised at the number of people who said that they saw it. Anyway, I know the link to the website was posted a few blogs back, but I thought it would be nice to have it play here just in case the link gets broken.I apologize in advance for the "Flip for Mac" logo emblazzoned across the screen.You see, the orginal video was a windows media file and had to be converted to a mac format for cross-platform viewing. I have the trial version of this processing program because I am too cheap to shell out 30 bucks for the fully loaded version. So just Enjoy what's there!

Sunday Serenity

Today, our cooking demo Chef Steve Ruggenberg came in to prepare for the daily cooking show and promptly informed me that he was ill.Luckily, there were only nine people on the books, so I did not have to rush about returning a lot of phone calls to let these folks know that the demo was canceled.After he left, I posted a few signs and made a few phone calls to the supervisors to let everyone know what the story was. The morning hours were cool and foggy.Early May in St. Helena feels more like late winter than late Spring in the Valley. Many bicyclists were riding up and around the Silverado Trail and Highway 29 as part of a Charity Ride for Diabetes. I think my nephew Edward is participating. Last year I donated a couple of bucks, but this year I've been stingy. Last night I went to " Scooter Rosa 2.0" for a party and raffle. After shelling out 40 bucks for a Shwag bag ( that I have yet to receive ) and a chance at a new Vespa scooter, I sat down with a few other motorscooter enthusiasts for a Ginger Beer and plate of Buffalo Wings. The event was held at the Russian River Brewery.I was reluctant to enter this place at first. It had that typical stale beer and barf smell which is foreboding to say the least.I got to talking to my new friend Damien who has been working for a dry cleaning business the last 11 years of his life.He also tells me that he is into video production, and has learned most of the processing software for this endeavor from scratch. An hour into the conversation, the winner of the scooter was announced.We looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders. I left shortly thereafter to ride back to Calistoga. I felt okay about spending the forty dollars because it went to a good cause. The money collected went to Big Brothers/Sisters of Santa Rosa.

My Twenty Seconds of Fame

Today I found out that the segment of "Modern Marvels" from the History channel had been posted to the web. I've created a link to the portion of the show that featured "corkscrews" and am featuring it here.
Modern Marvel's Corkscrew Episode The other two people in the video are Karen McNeil who is the author of the Wine Bible, and Crystal Collins who is the education coordinator of the Rudd Center for Wine Studies at the CIA. All in all, the vignette featuring Brother Timothy's collection went very well, and I am pleased to the producers of the show for their superior editing skills. They really made me look like a pro. A good forty minutes of shooting was refined down to twenty seconds ! So far, I have recieved several compliments about my appearance on the show, and would probably be a regular viewer of Modern Marvels if I had a TV and a cable connection to watch it on... Right now, I am in the process of inheriting a large screen set that my nephew wants to replace with a new flat screen model. Perhaps after my next paycheck I will have some extra cash to upgrade my home network. All I will have to do is purchase the newest version of Apple TV, and add some selective content, and this TV will turn my one bedroom apartment into a home entertainment center ....Wow & Whoopee!

Rita's Birthday

Today is April 23rd and it is my sister Rita's Birthday (She is the tall one in the back when this picture was taken many years ago). It is also a gloomy looking day, but let that be no reflection on our relationship. She is a great sister and a wonderful mom to her two boys, and now she is a wonderful grandma to her two grandchildren. Rita has been a stable influence in my life, because she has been the most accesible person in the family to talk things over with; Whenever I have needed to hash out a problem, she has been there. I recall one time when I was around 14 years old and she convinced me not to run away from home.I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if I had ignored her plea. On another note, My friend Reid and I went to see the new Rolling Stones movie,"Shine a Light" today. It was fun.I hope that I have half the energy Mick Jagger has when I get to be his age. After the movie, I am bringing a fresh salmon that we will be cooking for dinner.Reid is a Salmonaholic if there is such a thing. Anyway, I initially wanted to send a card to my sister letting her know what I've been up to...but am having trouble with my" dot mac" account today. Grrrrrrrr. I hope that I will still be able to get a nice little ecard off to her before it's too late.

Keeping up with it...

Wow, it has been over a week since I've blogged ! Shame on me. This is so much better than writing in a diary because of it's vulnerability, and potential to reach an outside audience. At times, I've wanted to reveal more about myself here, you know... kind of like the "baring your soul" variety of blog.I think it would be difficult to filter out what would be ego-blather versus what would actually be making a contribution to my readers. After all, wouldn't that be the job of a good editor? Wait a minute, I'm not only the author, but I am also the editor! ( duh! ) This is so like the committee running constantly in my head. But hell, if I can't express it, I am stuck with it! ( What is it that I was talking about, again? ) Oh yea, this blog. My paranoia tells me that some "meta mind" in the background is tabulating all this data and information to eventually dispatch the white coats to deposit me in a rubber room. More than fearing for my sanity would be the idea that someone would be put away for having an opinion or that I am dangerous to the community as a whole.I am shocked at how hard some people work to control the behavior and opinions of people not like themselves. I think that we all need to be more generous and charitable in our opinions of others.. and let it begin with me.

Not liking Facebook

I recently deactivated my Facebook account. I find it annoying, unpleasant and user unfriendly.I tried having a game of Scrabble (called "Scrabulous" online) and when I clicked on the link to continue the game, it did not take me to the playing board to plot my next move ( sorry... a simple gesture, shouldn't have to jump through hoops for that! ) Then I got an email from a college sweet heart. She wanted to add me to her friends list. I replied to her email because the link she supplied brought me to MY PROFILE PAGE not hers ! I know what is on my page... duh ! I then searched for her in the search for friends feature and was unable to find her. Oh well... Now, I've come to the conclusion that social networking is just idle bullshit that only serves to tittilate the easily impressionble. I think like most people, I may have jumped into this WAY too soon. Now I'm just pissed for doing just that.

I have been told by Jason that my scooter will be ready on Thursday. I will believe it when I have driven it back from Santa Rosa and it is parked behind my Ford Aspire. I could hardly sleep last night thinking about it. I still owe the Credit Union around a thousand bucks before it is officially paid off. It couldn't come at a better time because the weather is getting better and better now that spring is here. On another note, last Friday I appeared on "Modern Marvels" a show about gadgets on the History Channel. I was demonstrating some of the most unusual corkscrews in Brother Timothy's collection here at Greystone. All in all, the filming took around an hour, of which two minutes got aired. I was quite pleased with what got shown. My co-workers also got to have what artist Andy Warhol dubbed your "Five minutes of fame." I already have been quite shocked by hearing back from the people that actually stayed up to watch it. The company promised me a DVD sometime in the future, so I will get to bring it out and show it at family gatherings. That should be good for a few chuckles and a yawn... tee hee.

Who reads this stuff?

Okay, so the scoot is STILL in the shop, awaiting parts and refurbishing.I have been told that it is under warranty, so I don't have to worry about the cost of labor and parts.I will know for sure if the scooter is ready to be picked up on April 10th. My guess is that the mechanic can't wait to see it leave the shop because it has been there for over a month. I don't want to get these people mad at me, because I will probably need them in the future for regular tune ups. This is just embarrassing.I now surround that vehicle with the white light of the Holy Spirit. In fact, I surround the shop where it is being serviced with the white light of the Holy Spirit ! May all Peace and Harmony prevail ! Amen.

Nursing a cold

Yesterday did not start out well for me. Driving to work, the old white "potato" that I drive had a blowout. After changing the tire and getting my hands filthy, I drove the rest of the way to work on the little doughnut tire that served as a spare. Thankfully, I was able to get a new one put on later on in the day.You know when you have a cold when your voice makes you sound like a progressive jazz d.j. from West Oakland on a late night radio show. I was telling the women at work that I was going through puberty again.I hadn't realized how much I use my voice at work until I found it difficult to talk. Throughout the day my chest was aching from coughing up crap.My supervisor let me go sometime around three.I stopped by Safeway to buy some cheap expectorant to move the nasty glop on out. This morning, it was easy to tell that my body needed the rest it got. stretching and yawning felt especially gratifying... kind of like a cat on a warm window sill that arches it's back and opens it's mouth wide enough for flies to go in and out. After a big bowl of cereal and posting to this blog, I'm heading back to my feathered respite.

Holy Saturday, Batman !

Today is Holy Saturday and I went to work today.I am still pretty tired today from not having a good night's sleep. My new friend Chet came by for the cooking demo, and she has become quite a regular to these cooking demonstrations. She and her friend are Filipino, and cute as buttons. I think she likes me, but I might just be dreaming.Today's demo was some God-awful Potato Gratin dish with Portabello mushrooms.I wanted to like the demo, but it just seemed like an inordinate amount of time spent on bland ingredients and boring utensils.I don't plan on preparing this dish for myself or anyone else anytime soon.The last demo that made any impact on me was the Quinoa Salad demo. I went right to Cal Mart to buy myself a package so that I could prepare this dish that has proven itself to be quite versatile and delicious.You can make Quinoa with peppers, onion, garlic, lemons, avocado and other savory ingredients.The other nice thing is that it is a complete protein with loads of nutrients and other health benefits... like, it's great for your heart and cholesterol reduction.Anyway, I don't know what I am going to do for the next couple of days without my scooter, but suffice to say that I left a message with Moto Mechanica requesting an update on the status of my joy ride.Come tuesday I should know something (keep your fingers crossed ) Just for giggles I made this silly movie below for your enjoyment. Also, the picture at the top of today's blog is my neice, Erin. We were having fun making goofy faces with the Photo booth application last Christmas.I just hadn't gotten around to posting it.

Live and Let Live

This past week I attended Pat Freeland's memorial. It was a very nice affair that took place at her husband ( and my friend ) Don's house over in Oakmont. Don is my running buddy who will push me to run to the top of Coyote peak at Bothe State Park on my days off.We had a pot luck dinner and I brought the fixin's for garlic mashed potatoes. There were only six of us there, mostly close friends of Pat over the years. After dinner we had a great cake made by Laura. We sat around and shared stories about Pat and the things we remembered best about her. She was a very spiritual person. It's only a few days left before Spring and already the weeds around my apartment are up to my knees. So, in a flash of inspiration I put on my work gloves and went outside to pull them up. Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day and I wore my Sullivan's Tavern sweatshirt to remind myself that I have Irish Ancestry ( Do I need to remind myself of this ? Sometimes I wonder ).Recently, a second cousin by the name of Clancy Mullen sent an email with an attached file which turned out to be a very accurate family tree. He wanted to cross check the data that was included in this account. Now I pretty certain that my big ears came from the Sullivan side of our family, rather than the Ryan side.Also, my brother John has insisted that we are in no way related to former president Zachary Taylor, contrary to a rumor that was started by my niece, Elizabeth.

The Scooter Saga Continues...

Here it is Tuesday, March 4th, and it is my day off. I crossed my fingers as I went out to start the scooter this morning, as I know the starts have been rough... if at all. This month would be no different, as my scooter problems have been going on since last October.After numerous tries, I finally got the damn thing started. When I drove it to Moto Mechanica, Eli was waiting for me as I drove up. I explained the problem and he immediately got it into the shop and on the rack. He turned the fans on it to cool it down so that he could recreate the problem as I had explained it to him. He said that when it cooled down, he would try to start it and hopefully know how to proceed.Then I went for a hike into town. After a couple of hours he called me to tell me that it would start and that the problem could not be diagnosed unless I left it overnight. OY ! I called my friend Don and my friend Reid already this morning, and begged them for a ride over there, then to call back and cancel after that would be an annoyance I thought. They got the scooter started (not a good sign). I walked back to the shop from downtown Santa Rosa. I prayed the Serenity Prayer so that I would be prepared mentally for the worst case scenario. Eli was still on break when i arrived, so I talked to his assistant. She told me about a battery charger that I could hook up so that I would not have to take the battery out of the case every time I wanted to charge it.I suspected that I had one of these already so I ended up driving my scooter back to Calistoga to install it. I still will have to bring this monster back next week to get some fuel filter chamber valve replaced.If it ain't one thing it's another ... to be continued.

A Visiting Dignitary at the Napa Valley Premier

This event is where all the vintners in the Napa Valley get together for a barrel tasting to see what will be their featured wines for the upcoming wine auction in June. I usually see a wide range of folks from the Napa Valley at these events. Unlike the Mustard Festival, this will attract mostly wine writers, media types, local vintners, wine merchants and then some. Around 700 people will be in attendance. Security will be in abundance as many people who don't have tickets to this one may make am attempt to get into the building.I will be on hand to direct traffic inside the building and to give out local information. Later on, I will be running the cameras for the cooking demonstrations.Now it is Monday, and I have a little time now to rehash what happened on Saturday. Much like the Mustard Festival, it rained all day and there were plenty of umbrellas at the main entrance of Greystone for the guests of the Premier.The Conciege desk was completely taken over by the people from the Vintner's Association who were registering the attendees. Around noon time, I wanted to get a glimpse of the action in the Barrell Room. Before I head upstairs I talked with James our security guard, who informed me that William Shatner ( the original Captain Kirk of Star Trek fame and more recently on Boston Legal as Denny Crane ) was somewhere in the building. I went to the Teaching Kitchen first, then walked back down to the Barrel room. Nada. Since I had to be back to do the cameras for the one thirty demo, I didn't have much time to catch up with him. Jeff Pettigrew our special events captain, informed me that he was wearing a black leather jacket and walking with a cane! ( that shouldn't be so hard to find him then, I thought.) Lastly, I took the elevator back up to the Teaching Kitchen to see if I could find him there...and as the doors opened... there stood Denny Crane !! (Shatner) waiting to ride back down. Immediately, I made myself the official "operator" as no one else was in the elevator, and proceeded to invite his whole entourage to board. The ride down was uneventful, save for the fact that he asked his handler for a telephone number of someone in the 415 area code. As eveyone got off on the first floor he was the last to leave as I held the door from the inside. I notice that he and I were exactly the same height which wasn't that astounding, really. Our directors, Charles and Ruben happened to be near the elevator as Bill took one last look around before leaving the building to get into his limo. I think we were all a little star-struck.

Engagement Party

Tonight was a festive time had by my nephew Edward and his wife, Antonella, their little baby daughter Mila and Ed's brother in law, Mario and his newly engaged fianceé Angela. We met at the Wine Spectator Greystone restaurant at around 6PM and sat down to a fabulous meal. Edward had the Meyer Lemon Risotto with scallops, I had a Chick Pea Indian Curry Dish. Antonella had the Roasted Chicken, Mario had a Flank steak and this was only after we sampled the delicious temptations. The temptations are small sample-size dishes of delectable delights consisting of a variety of appetizers. Mario talked about his engagement to Angela with much warmth and tenderness. The meal was topped off with a great dessert of Creme Bruleé and a Chocolate Lava Cake which oozed warm chocolate ganosh with around 65% Cocoa Powder. WOW ! Mila kept us all entertained with her cute faces and attempts at language. After dinner we went for a late evening tour of the Culinary Institute of America. A great time was had by all.

Valentine Ruminations

Well the good news is that I brought my scooter in last week to be serviced. These past few days have been cool and clear. Riding back and forth from work has brought a great sense of joy back into the day. Naturally, I have my ITunes going and I am bundled up as I tool up and down Highway 29. Last night I drove it to the Crab Feed that took place at the church I attend in Calistoga. It is always easy to get a good parking spot on that thing.This event is sponsored by the men's club and is usually attended by the same people every year. Something about attending this church and participating in the men's club is suddenly seeming very ho hum to me. On one hand, I am grateful that the church is there... but on the other hand, it seem's like it is lacking the vitality that I am seeking. It is Lent now, and I am checking my motives and reflecting on many things as I walk with Christ through forty days of abstinence ( I am not telling you from what ). My lust for life is on the increase though. Slowly but surely, we will be rolling into spring and summer when new life busts out. Tonight, my nephew will be at the Greystone Restaurant, and I will be joining him when I get off of work. I look forward to this gathering.

Mustard Magic

The Mustard Festival came and went. I was really suprised how fast the facility was cleaned up and put back into shape. The night before was quite a show (as well as a fiasco) with men and women in their best formal attire getting wet as the rain came down outside in buckets. Even with the tent construction over the main entrance, many people were forced to stand outside in the rain due to a backup at the door as the folks inside were checking their umbrellas . It was very cold outside, so people were quite antsy to get inside to sample food, wine,desserts and a wide assortment of treats from many restaurants around the valley, including out own Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant. I took a bunch of pictures,but had to contend with image instability, even though I had my monopod attached to the camera. After the evening wound down, I got home to jump into bed and remembered a set of keys that someone dropped off with me to give to security. I had to bundle up and drive all the way back down there to return them... THAT NIGHT. Evidently, one of the volunteers had misplaced them on the shuttle bus and would not have been able to drive back to Napa in their own car unless these keys got back to them in a timely manner. Oy Vey ! To see more of these images go to: Mustard Magic

Maureen

A few years ago, I was living up at Mont La Salle in the hills west of Napa. This is the Christian Brother's Property, and I spent a year living there, and working as a maintenance man. One day, after a long draught the brothers were at breakfast and one of the monks looked over and asked the other," Who was that woman Maureen, that you asked us to pray for during the prayers of the faithful?" The other Brother replied," I was praying for More Rain !! not Maureen !! Today, it seems like the rain just keeps coming. It was supposed to be intermittent but the weather report says that it will probably be around for the whole weekend.The Mustard Festival is gearing up, and the crews are putting up the lights and stages for this weekend's event.I will bring my camera and post some shots as soon as they are available.

Who reads this stuff?

Okay, I suspect that this blog is just an exercise in vanity and futility, but I never kept a diary for very long so this is the next best thing. Today, my motor scooter is on my mind. Yesterday I was able to get it started, but I have been needing a new set of rollers and timing belt installed since last October. It is started to concern me because there is a little "play" in the back wheel which makes it shimmy a wee bit. I also had to buy a battery charger and remove the battery for recharging. It was VERY difficult. I finally got it out, but lost a screw and an Allen wrench in the process. They dropped down into the front of the faring and I can't get them out unless the whole faring gets removed. I'm a little flummoxed because I have been on such good terms with the dealer ,and they have been most helpful in the past.I think it may be the manufacturer's fault. Aprilia is an Italian company and I happen to own the only scooter of it's kind in Northern California. Naturally, Revolution Moto wants to secure Original Equipment Manufacturing ( OEM ) parts to support the integrity of the scoot and to keep the bike under warranty. My problem is that I need to find a way to drop the scooter off at Moto Mechanica (the maintenance shop) and get back home to Calistoga, or find a way of entertaining myself for six hours while the scooter is being serviced. This is not what I had in mind when I purchased this machine... I envisioned minimal maintenance and endless hours of scootering.

Start building the Ark

It is so wet outside that we now have been warned of flooding here in this part of the Napa Valley. A few years ago, we had a very distinctive lake across the street in Markham vineyards. Hopefully, it won't be as saturated as it was in the past. My car hasn't got much tread left on the tires and my scooter is down with a battery that needs to be recharged, so I am holding my breath until Spring. Last Monday, I came to the CIA to be interviewed by a fellow named Bob from the History Channel for their show, "Modern Marvels". It seems that they wanted to know more about Brother Timothy's Corkscrew collection which I was only too happy to serve as curator.The show will air on April 4th, so I am going to have my sister TIVO it, because I don't have a Television connection.I must say that I am not an expert on corkscrews, but I probably know more than your average Joe off the street. Luckily, I was able to give fairly decent explanations of the devices as I tried hard not to look at the camera.

Mac World 08'

Yesterday, I drove to San Francisco after an appointment with my dentist, Dr. Young. It looks like I am going to have to get a crown replaced, so I opted for gold. After my appointment, I drove south and ended up parking up near my sister's house on 21st street in the City.I brought my camera and sunglasses,as it was a nice day and Mac World is always good for some impromptu shots. The registration line took an inordinate amount of time to get through. Even though I had pre-registered,they couldn't locate my priority code, so I had to fork over 5 more bucks. Last year was $20.- for an exhibits only pass. This year I paid $45.- (( what a rip ! )) The exhibits were so-so, and I've gotten more out of Mac Worlds in the past than I did this one. The highlight for me was finding a VGA adapter for my MacBook (which I got at the Mac Store... not the Moscone Center where the Conference was held ) and finding foam earplugs for my Etymotic earplugs.I think this will be the last year I will attend, unless something extraordinary beckons me to return.Today is the "Worlds of Healthy Flavors" Conference at the Culinary Institute of America. It is busy and I hardly have had time to type this blog.I didn't sleep well last night. My scooter didn't start this morning, and my mechanic doesn't have the new parts I need to service it. This is not a good sign.I will have to pray more about getting really happy where i am in the moment.

Learning Mexican

I met with my neighbor Andre and his wife Devon last night. After some discussion around a cup of coffee,we decided that we could help each other learn each other's respective languages. The game plan as it stands now,is to write a paragraph each week and have the other critique what has been written.Andre understands and can communicate much better than his wife,Devon. However, she is going to be practicing just as much as he, and will be testing as he grapples with the finer points of the language.We both have Spanish/English dictionaries, so it'll be a hoot seeing what the other comes up with; It has been established that we will write about our experience during the week,and submit to the other what we have written every Tuesday. We shook hands on it.No fair copy and pasting anything. This is a gentleman's agreement. We shall see how it turns out.Today I read what I had written to someone who is bilingual and this person told me that what I had written was understandable, even if I got the tenses mixed up.

Kris moves on...

Today the clouds came and filled the sky with a dark pallor. The blustery winds kicked up and blew dirt and leaves all over the main entrance to the building. Many folks still came in to see if the store was open as I sat and drew pictures most of the day. At one point, the palm trees were swaying back and forth outside as the rain began coming down in almost vertical sheets. We have learned that our buddy Kris is leaving. This was quite unexpected. Now it looks like no one is making use of the umbrella stand I put out by the main entrance. Chef Andrew made some split pea soup for lunch at the De Baun for anyone dropping by for a hot bowl. Upstairs, Carmello made roast chicken for the rest of the skeleton staff. The maintenance guys from Sodexho were busy the whole day taking down the Christmas decorations, putting in new flooring, and mopping up a pipe that burst near the Campus Store. All in all, it was a long miserable day for them. I was happy that the day went by quickly. Two more storms like this are on their way for tonight , tomorrow and Saturday. Flooding is anticipated, and snow will be falling down around 3000 feet. It saddens me that our special agent Kris's last day (Kris Christopherson from purchasing )will be on Sunday. He is a great guy, and will be sorely missed. Fortunately, He has found a position at Osprey Sea foods, which should be a good fit for him. He is a dedicated and inspired individual, and I wish him all the best as he leaves the CIA.

How great...it's O8'

It is already early into 2008 and I've accomplished an early goal.I drove with my friend Dave to San Francisco to run with the Dolphin South End Runners across the Golden Gate Bridge. Yes, it was freezing cold and windy ... but ENVIGORATING !! Dave was ahead of me most of the way, but I caught up to him at the finish. All in all, we covered about four miles. Two over and two back. Afterwards we drove to the Embarcadero to meet up with my old running buddy, Dan McGill. He is now 81 years of age,and lives alone in a high rise on Battery Street. After buzzing us into his building, we visited his apartment to change clothes before heading down to the Hyatt Regency for breakfast. Sandy Olsen, who is also a dear friend, met us in the Atrium. I ordered Eggs Benedict while the others ordered a variety of dishes like waffles, omelets and the like. We sat and chatted over copious amounts of Coffee, this was long after we had eaten all of our food. As we parted ways, I remarked how pretty Sandy looked, and how well we have aged. Dave and I walked with Dan back to his place before heading back north to the Wine Country.That evening, we went to see the movie, "Atonement" which was in my opinion, a movie that is trying too hard to be an Oscar contender.It has wonderful cinematography, an interesting (and I use that term, diplomatically) screenplay,but tended to be drawn-out and over-produced.If it gets nominated for even two oscars, I will be suprised.

Is it New Year's Yet?

Wow, this Christmas sure flew right by didn't it? Edward, Antonella, Mila, Rita, Hamish, Antonella's brothers, mother and girlfriends' were all there to celebrate. We had a serious game of Monopoly ate a great dinner of Cabbage Rolls, Mashed Potatoes and salad with Egg Nog pie for dessert. When it came time for the presents, we all gathered around as Ed distributed the gifts in a very Diplomatic and Democratic way. Everyone got some nice things to take home.Today, the weather is sunny and cold. The wind has picked up a little and it is supposed to rain on Friday. No one is here today at the CIA except for staff and a trickle of tourists.The maintenance department are upstairs in the Teaching Kitchen, polishing all the brass fittings on the French Bonnett Cooking Islands and blasting Mexican Ballads from Banda de Fiesta Radio.Some tunes are alright, but when the men start singing along, I want to lose it. The restaurant manager is walking around making sure that her customers are acknowledged. She is new, and I've noticed that most new employees ( managers or not ) are hyper-vigilant about their roles.One positive thing can be said about adhering to a facist regime... Trains run on time and stuff gets done.Now my question is, How much web surfing can one do in a day?