Enlightenment

It has been said that " What you don't know, can't hurt you." I disagree... It's NOT what you don't know that can hurt you, it is what you DO know that I'SNT SO ! Besides, admitting that you don't know is like having "Beginner's mind" in Buddhist teaching.
But is not knowing ANYTHING, the same as knowing NOTHING? That last sentance reminds me of a joke that my sister Tara's husband, Michael told me a long time ago about a Buddhist priest that went up to a hot dog vendor in New York and when the vendor asked what he would like, the Buddhist priest said that he would like, " One with Everything"... Get it? One with EVERYTHING? Yea,right. Anyway, Bertrand Russell the philosopher, had it right. He said that "No- thing was a thing." Well if that doesn't beat all.Anyway, it is Friday and I am dog tired after a long week of working with people. Today is my "hump day" as I have two more days to go before I get to take two days off. This week was good news and bad news. The good news is that my friend Reid's wife, Jenny... had a baby boy... yet to be named. The bad news is that my friend Don's wife, Patricia has had a brain tumor removed and she won't ever be the same again. I pray for them both, as this is not going to be easy for them.

My Wired Persona

I don't know what to make of myself. Here i have garnered some Hospitality,Computer and Artistic skills and I have no idea where I want to go with them. I do my best to be of service to people where I work, where I play and where I worship. I drink coffee (two cups a day) to regulate my energy level and to regulate... well, you know. So I guess you could say that I am a wired guy.To create this picture of me on the cover of WIRED magazine I went to a promotional site : http://www.condenet.com/promo/xerox/and uploaded a scarey picture of myself. Then I thought of some gag headlines and they did the rest. Pretty kewl, huh? Anyway, I thought this would be a dynamite pic for my blog.

Wake Up !

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It is Springtime 2007 and it has arrived early this year. Already I have renewed my allergy prescriptions ( i.e. eyedrops, nasal medicine and allegra ). With this global warming thing, the prediction is that the pollen count will be very heavy this year. Who knows what the future will bring, but I don't discount Al Gore's premise in " An Inconvenient Truth". It will be nice to ride my scooter around though, because the bugs haven't taken over quite yet. It is usually at dusk when they come out in droves. Nothing a wet washcloth wouldn't be able to clean up, however. It's fun tooling around the valley, breathing fresh air and listening to my Itunes all the while. This is definitely better than an "e-ride at Disneyland".

Sketching and reflecting

Today, I worked and sketched and worked and... it seams that so long as it stays rather quiet at the CIA, I will be able to upgrade my drawing skills. It is a wonderful therapy and people who come by the concierge desk will compliment me. Later on in the day we set up for a wedding. This means I have to take down the computer, put the phone away and stand out front and act like a host as the guests arrive. This is fun, because I like seeing people all dressed up with thier families and friends in a good mood. That is what working at the CIA is all about for me. Tomorrow i do the cameras at the cooking demo and generally have a nice mellow work day. I love coming to work and watching as the weeks go by. Time has never gone by as swiftly as it has since the new milleneum, but then again it has never gone by so smoothly. The changing seasons and what i choose to do with my life has been on a pretty even keil these last couple of years.

Corn Beef, Cabbage and Blarney

Last night was the annual Corn Beef and Cabbage Dinner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church where I am currently president of the Men's Club who is sponsoring this event. I was very pleased at the turn out and participation of the members of not only the men's club, but women of the parish who came forward to assist in making this event a success. Most of the crowd was over 60, but more like "18" in vitality. The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour from 5:30 to 6:30 PM as many of the guests arrived on time to fellowship with their fellow parishoners. A beautiful rendition of "Danny Boy" was sung by Alice Costello, amazing stories and Jokes were told by Laverne and prizes were raffled off as the evening moved alone. Some terrific wine and cakes were won by a whole assortment of people who bought raffle tickets. The grand prize was an autographed picture of Joe Montana being inducted into the Football Hall of Fame which was donated by Joe Sr. Lenny and Sonia Murphy won that one, and Lenny informed us that he also has in his possession an autographed "baseball" of Joe Montana which in itself is quite a rarity. Millie Hunt was enjoying her dinner too, and happened to mention that her 93rd birthday would be celebrated on the following Saturday. The chefs and helpers should also be mentioned here... A Big Thank You goes out to Don Williams, Joe Birleffi, Ruben Garcia, Ron Mashburn, Marcia Stagnaro, Pat McBride, Patty and Bill McMahon, Kitty McGuire, Ray Davies, Rich Holston, Rosemary ( our favorite waitress ) and anyone else that made this a very happy event. One sad note though, at the end of the evening, Ricki, who had rode her bike to the event had taken a fall afterwards and ended up with some broken bones. A new parishoner by the name of Nicole, rode with her to the hospital to make sure she was cared for; This really was inspiring to have a newcomer take action like that, and we will keep them both in our best thoughts and prayers.

Thirty years ago...

I was detoxing in my own apartment on Sutter street in San Francisco. I had already gotten an AA sponsor and had worked the first three steps. I was ready to move on with my life. That same week I gave notice at work for a leave of absence. Two weeks after that I resigned. Unemployment afforded me plenty of time to go to meetings. My first sober job was getting people on tour buses in front of the Hilton Hotel in downtown San Francisco. After about six months on that job, I felt stifiled and began running the hills of San Francisco after work. I would make a meeting every day after my run. This was my time. Gratefully, I have not taken a drink or an unprescribed drug since that time. Much has happened between that time and now, and one thing is certain. I never want to go back to what it was like on my last day as a drunk.

I feel silly

Today there must be a full moon or something. I feel giddy and tickled that I was able to get all of the group photos that I took of the graduating students off of my Ipod and back onto my laptop.I had to download some software to do that though.This morning I had a nosebleed. I think this happens when I use too much Flonase. The stuff really works well on my allergies, so I have come to depend on it first thing in the morning, after I take my wellbutrin.I am usually upbeat, but today I got in a pissing match with one of my co-workers at the CIA. I was wrong and went off on her just because I decided I didn't like her and that she was being arrogant. I think that I am the one that is arrogant. Then a weird thing happened.An AA member walked in to use the bathroom.He told me that he has 15 days to get off of the property where he is presently living.I feel bad for the guy, but not enough to do anything for him. I didn't even let him use our phone ( or my cell phone ) when he mentioned that he noticed that we don't have any more pay phones at the CIA.It looked like he had been back on the sauce.he was a bit bloated and red in the face.I think that this was a sign from my higher power. I am going to try to help this guy out next time I see him.The image above has really nothing to do with this post other than the fact that I wanted to add an image. I know the chef on the left. He is a friend of mine.

My Love of Fat Tuesday

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Today is Tuesday and it is called "Fat Tuesday" because tomorrow is "Ash Wednesday" the first day of Lent. Everyone gets their Ya-ya's out on Fat Tuesday, because they are supposed to be abstinent during Lent. Lent is the forty days Christ spent in the desert beforing being crucified on Calvary.Most people will abstain from meat or caffiene during Lent. I have done this in the past and have been successful. Although I am not really excited about it, I intend to make this a successful season.I will have thirty years "Clean and Sober" come March 13th.Thankfully, THAT obsession was lifted, and I chose not to return to drinking or using drugs.It wasn't like I was "Giving something up for Lent" However., Today I remain grateful that I didn't die that way so I do things to stay on a spiritual path.It would be a long road back if I were to return to the old ways of thinking and acting. Tonight I am participating in the parish "Crab Feed" which will be a hoot. Most everyone is older than me and have come to enjoy this annual ritual of stuffing their faces with pasta and crab.My job as president of the Men's club will be to keep the whole thing somewhat organized.It should be fun and yes,a bit challenging to say the least. The little video on top is something I downloaded and modifed for your enjoyment.Kind of silly, huh?

Empire mine

This picture is a bit of an illusion.You are looking at a mine shaft that is actually on an angle looking straight down into the earth. It has been dug down over 5000 feet, and branches off into many other areas underground. it's 5:30 AM on Wednesday, and I am still reflecting on this latest adventure. On Monday, I drove my little scooter all the way to the Empire Gold mine in Grass Valley... a distance of 150 miles. It was a fairly easy ride and the traffic was not hard to navigate. The scooter ran great and I got good mileage all considering. I stopped at a few places like Noah's Bagels in Davis and In & Out burger near Sacramento, filling up with coffee, pizza bagels and double burgers on my way up. When I got there around three thirty, I had an hour and a half before they closed the gates, but was able to get a great personal tour of the grounds (after I introduced myself as an employee of Greystone). The ranger took me through the Bourn Cottage, the Social hall and the museum area. I was then free to explore the mine shaft myself. I took many pictures of the surroundings. Even the garden was a beautiful sight in the winter. There were Ponderosa Pines, Magnolias, Gladiolas,Chinese Wisteria and even Olive trees. Bourn must have been one charismatic guy to have his workers create such magnificent properties like Filoli, Greystone and this place. The drive back was a bit cold, but with my Itunes keeping me company, the trip went by fairly quickly ( I was home in three and a half hours). I should do things like this more often.

Eileenafizzle

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This is one of my favorite co-workers.She calls me "Christafizzle" and I call her "Eileenafizzle". Don't ask me how this started.She doesn't care much for having her picture taken, but when she put that fez on, I figured that qualifies her as a major party girl.Actually, she works hard to make sure that anyone who wants a party will get exactly what suits them.Her bubbling personality is contagious and she knows it. So if you are not in the mood for a splendid afternoon, be sure to avoid her.Tell them "Christafizzle" told you so.

Lens Flare

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I am really beginning to love having the ability to do short videos that I can upload within minutes and have anyone view them from anywhere in the world. This is what people have been calling "citizen journalism" and it rocks ! The other item worth mentioning is that this whole process does not cost a fortune and with a little training, anyone can be a part of the fun.

Here's looking at you!

Next Monday I will be starting a fast that will last 24 hours. I am having a colonostopy ( lovely ) at the Queen of the Valley Hospital. I have to drink about two quarts of Ginger Ale and take this stuff that is going to clean me out thoroughly. The only reason I am mentioning this is because I am now 56 and I need to have all my working parts checked, to prepare for my twilight years twenty years from now. Hey, you should always be prepared ! Today I am going on my scooter to the Coffee Roastery to have my cup of joe and to read the paper. Hopefully, I will meet up with a kindred soul who's ear I can bend for awhile. I may even bring my sketchbook to do a few drawings.

Meanderings

The first day back at work is always a little intimidating. All at once you feel like the new guy again... but that's good. Having what the Zen Buddhists call a "beginner's mind" is helpfull in overcoming any negative patterns you have established that block personal growth. It's like having an open mind with the added benefit of discernment. All in all, it was a pretty good day. The Healthy World's of Flavor Conference started today. It is by no means, anywhere near what the Grand event of the year is like in November but it could be in the future. The "World's of Flavor" takes the cake as the showcase event of the year.On another note, I am doing a lot of research on a history project I have taken on... Basically, I've come up with a lot of factual data about the Greystone campus. Brother Timothy's oral account of what took place on the property from an interview taken in 1975 reveals how the Christian Brothers succeeded as one of the top wineries in the Napa Valley during that era.

Reflective Thursday

Today I got up and went to work. I forgot that I had arranged to take the day off to go to a memorial service for Sister Clare Wagstaffe. She was the aunt of my co-worker, Eileen Wagstaffe, and if she was anything like Eileen, she was a beautiful soul.Once I got to work I realized where I should be and clocked out. From there I went to St. Mary's College in Moraga for the memorial mass.Sr. Clare was made an affiliated member of the Christian Brother's Teaching Order and will be buried at Mt. La Salle. Once I left the chapel after mass I met up with Eileen and walked with her for awhile, just to reflect on the beauty and strength this person had contributed to Eileen's life.I didn't want to go to the reception not for any other reason than I didn't think I wanted to chat with Brother Mel or some of the other brothers. I don't really no why... so I took off for Napa. On the way back,I listened to The Dr. Dean Edell show on KGO and he was talking about Prostate Cancer in men. I realized that I was now 56 and had never had an exam.This is something that concerns me because cancer has occurred more than twice in my family.So, I immediately made a left turn and drove to my physician's office to be checked out. Luckily, I was taken in a given a referral for an appointment on Monday.I will keep you posted.

My date with Kitty

Today is Tuesday, January 14th, and we are still in the middle of a cold snap.Yesterday, I had a nice run with Don,who suprised me with a silver bracelet that he made by hand. It is very cool looking and the agreed price of $70.00 was immediately paid.Money is tight, but I should be able to afford it after a I am paid this Friday.Then at 1:30pm I drove my car to the Century Theater in San Raphael to see the movie. "The Children of men" with Kitty. She and I were both limping as we greeted each other. She, because she needs to get a hip replacement, and me because I think that I have torn the miniscus in my other knee.Yipes. Anyway, the movie was pretty good.It was set in the future under the premise that the last child had already been born some years before and that no one was able to reproduce for whatever reason.There was much fighting, guns and violence in the movie, but it still had a pretty good story line which was like a modern day story of the Nativity of Christ.After the film we decided on having pizza across the street at this little pizzeria which had a delicious Pesto Pizza. During dinner, Kitty presented me with a cell phone that she was giving me as a gift because she needed a new (and better) one for her job. I was happy to recieve it, but will probably only use it for emergency calls.All in all, it was a very nice date.

It could happen to you !

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It has been so cold here I couldn't find my johnson to take a leak! ...and now I've got a man-vagina!... (well, you get my drift).This isn't like me.I was so inspired yesterday that I tried updating my blog here at the local Coffee shop.I went to hook up my camera, but only drew uncomfortable attention to myself.Now I question my own motives for having this video blog.If everyone had new IPhones we would all be taking a shitload more pictures and posting them wherever we wanted... just because we have the technology to now flaunt it ! I mean privacy concerns, copyrights and increased legislation are not making anyone's space anymore safe (either for the recorder or the one being recorded ).Yesterday at MacWorld, people were snapping pictures with thier fancy digital cameras everywhere I turned.If I was part of the witness protection program, I could have been tracked by the mob so easily by now.Think about it...only fifteen years ago Faith Popcorn (a marketing futurist ) predicted that we would all be "cocooning" ourselves with this false sense of security and all the products and services that go along with it. We have gated communities, alarm-devices, minature survellience cameras, tear-gas pens and stun guns .This is so lame.Does anyone feel any less terrorized or intruded upon? Does anyone really feel more safe ? People now have a hard time distinquishing between private and public space.Most will saunter around with their new kewl cell-phone and a snotty feeling of entitlement when they are nammering away to their friends who are two aisles down in the supermarket. Or better yet, at the checkout stand feeling totally "put-off" when the clerk interrupts your oh-so important call by asking you if you wanted paper or plastic! Privacy control and security are all part of this illusion. We might as well assume that we are all on the lamb, and this is just another symptom of our sick society.Perhaps one suggestion would be to walk around like the Blues Brothers with Fedoras and Ray-Bans on. An old hippie once told me..."Just because you are paranoid, does not mean they aren't out to get you!" No truer words were spoken. Now as new-media celebrity, and police victim Rodney King has implored us to do over a decade ago..."Can we all just get along?"

James Brown Popcorn

This was the hardest working man in show buisness. Without his moves and grooves, Michael Jackson or Prince wouldn't have a leg to stand on... This was one of his better performances.James Brown VIDEOS and MUSIC at : http://www.getpedia.com/1/jamesbrown.htm

Chris Rock - How NOT to Get Your Butt Kicked.

Very funny clip of Chris Rock. www.upyourvideo.net

The Winds of Change

The new year continues to unfold around here at the C.I.A. Meetings are going on which tell me that something BIG is brewing. I shouldn't let the resturant closure or the Campus Store Inventory deter my natural momentum for keeping the ball rolling around here. The weather today was a cross between sun, rain and wind. Whenever it gets windy, I suspect that changes abound.My employer wants me to compile a history of Greystone that can be viewd on a flat panel monitor for the Atrium (which will undergo a huge change).I have been the one who has cataloged a whole variety of pictures and documents relating to this place.I feel confident that I can produce a multimedia production which will really showcase the best of what we have here.I plan to begin this project with the legacy of William Borne and Everitt Wise.Then I will talk a little about winemaking before Prohibition and after the Phyloxera epidemic.Then I will speak briefly about the Bisceglia Brothers and finally mention how the Christian Brothers came to the Napa Valley.I am looking forward to this project.It will be especially gratifying to talk about the marriage of wine,food and art after the Paris tasting and before the C.I.A. opened it's doors here.

Happy 2007 !

Just like an old fuddy duddy, I went to bed early and woke up around midnight to the sound of my Mexican neighbors honking their car horns, blowing off fire-crackers and pumping up the mariachi music full blast. Needless to say, I got up and put on my earphones and sat at the computer. I figured out that i could call my sister in Australia and that it would only be around 8pm where she was. We eventually got hooked up on "Skype" and did our best to work out the audio/video bugs so that we could chat anytime we felt like it. I don't make any new year's resolutions because my will power has always translated into won't power, and that is too much of a perfectionist set up for me. The good news is that I haven't found it necessary to take any drink or mind altering substance for almost 30 years. Actually, my sobriety date is March 13th, 1977 so that is the date that I will thank my fellowship and higher power.This year should be a good one, God willing.