Last dog day of Spring

It has been a while since I have posted to my blog ( probably because I am the only one who reads it ) But it is good to do this every once and awhile. Today the heat was over 90 degrees and I am back at work trying to get ten things done at once. Even though it is relatively slow on my first day back after two days off, I have found that I can stay busy doing this sort of thing! Today, I got on my motor scooter at lunch and drove as fast as I could to Calistoga to pick up a pay stub for verification so that I can be compensated for the days that I took off to do the mock trial down in Napa. I was pissed that I was not paid for those days.Of course it was my own problem because I failed to tell Connie or Bob that I wanted them to be considered either a personal day or a floating holiday. Anyway, I hope to see some big $$ on my next paycheck. Incidentally, I received an e-mail from the Concierge manager at the Meritage in Napa. I will interview with them to see if I am going to be paid any more money than I am making here. I would like to make between eighteen and twenty dollars an hour.If they don't offer a comparable package, I won't be working there.

I like the quiet times in the late afternoon her at Greystone. Most of the people who were coming to visit the facility, have already ventured on to other places. Today, we are having a dinner party for the Federalist Party out on our terrace in front of the building. Our workhorse, Juan Carlos Anaya called in sick today so the special events team will have to set up all the tables and chairs.The Valley is busy this weekend because of the Annual Wine Auction at Meadowood Country CLub. I usually volunteer to assist there, but I want more than an apron and a chance to look at celebrities for my time. The last two years were enough for me.The weather outside hss been nothing short fo Spectacular, and it will be fun driving my motor scooter home from work.Perhaps I will go out tonight, I have not decided one way or the other.

Oy Vey !

It seems that everything is related, especially when it comes to computer problems. I downloaded the most recent version of IWeb from my software update feature from my .mac account. After creating a few new pages to upload, I found myself getting error messages.When this happens, I immediately back track to see what could have possibly happened.It has been almost two weeks since I last blogged. Finally, I was able to post some new pics to my IWeb site. It is Memorial Day and the pool is again open at Bothe State park.I took Thursday and Friday off this past week because I had a few floating holidays coming to me and I wanted to recoup the money I lost from being suspended for three days from work ( another story, another time ). Suffice to say, I did pretty good because I was paid $350.- for two days at a mock trial. Not bad, huh! Right now I have a load of laundry to do so that I can dress nicely at work. And this is just in... I am now the new president of Our Lady of Perpetual Help men's club... of which Mr. Joe Montana Sr. is a member ! Being a Catholic in a small town like Calistoga is a good thing. I hope that I can still say this after a year on the job as their humble servant.

End of the Work Week

Today is Mother's Day and the restaurant was very busy.According to one of the managers they did over 320 covers. The cooking demo featured Eggs Benedict with Black Forest Ham . Chef Steve Ruggenberg is our new Demo Chef because Dianne Kind moved on to work for Elaine Bell as a pasty chef. She will be much happier, I am sure.I was able to Google the origin of Eggs Benedict and print out 15 copies after one of the participant's queried the name. Steve didn't know so I got right on it. I copied and pasted the Google article and adjusted the point size of the text so that it could fit on a single page in a word document. I then printed out a copy and gave that one to Carol ( the other Concierge ) to run the copies. It was sweet how effective the internet can be in the instance.Now I found out that Yahoo has IPod Maps, so that I can determine a destination and have Yahoo make a map for me that I can download on to my IPod. SWEET !

Blogaversary

I just realized that I have been posting to my blog here for a year now. I didn't know it could be so easy. I am still thinking about adding more links and video/audio enclosures. As soon I get more inspired, I might add even a podcast or two. No generation has been better documented than the current one, and with the advent of the Internet we have all emerged as reporters in a McCluhan Galaxy. As I write this, I am listening to my ITunes, writing an e-mail to my sister in Dubuque , and checking out the world events on my Yahoo splash page. If my sister Nancy were still alive, she would ask... email? internet? blog? ITunes? but in very short order, all of these terms I becoming the venacular of a global society.

Mixed Messages

I love my job because I love people... and they generally know this fact when they come to visit the Culinary Institute.I like to have the answers and solutions that they seek. A few days back I ran into a problem.First I got into trouble for attending a Gemstone meeting which is a voluntary employee service meeting.It has never been clear to me that I could not attend. This was the first time I was pulled out of the meeting because apparently someone needed to cover the Concierge desk. I knew this, and asked our Administrative Receptionist cover for me. My supervisor saw this as a breech in my responsibility. I returned to my post without a word. Later I was asked to help someone in our education department by offering to lead a tour for the Flavor Summit group.
My supervisor had already gone home and I was left with another decision about leaving the desk again. I asked the Receptionist to cover for me again. and she said she would but would have to leave soon. Well after the tour was about to get started, someon else who fancies herself my supervisor noticed that I was away from my desk. She came to find me and started to pull on the door of the theater where the welcoming Introductions for the Flavor Summit was taking place. To spare her the embarrassment of interuppting the speaker I held the other door from opening. I suspect that this made her angry and she reported this incident to my boss. I was suspended for three days when I thought I should be getting a pat on the back. What is that saying that no good deed goes unpunished ?

The Story Unfolds

A letter from Martha, my sister.

Thanks for all your kind thoughts. Fortunately we only sustained facial damage. The awning, sign, outdoor lights, and cracks in a few of the windows right around the main doorway were the only real damages we took. There was a little smoke and water damage to the stock but really minimal. No one got hurt in the store. But the guy that died was a good customer named Fred. He who used to date a former employee of ours. We kind of thought it might have been him because the staff recognized his car. He was a pretty decent guy, a pain in the ass sometimes, but really a friendly person. So it makes the whole situation that much sadder that we knew the person who died.
The accident and fire started about 6:30pm. It is usually a pretty busy time as people shop on their way home from work. I was just out of the store by about 5 minutes. I was walking Camille (my granddaughter) up the hill. I'm so glad we just missed the explosion. I was almost to 21st St when the helicopter was hovering overhead. I knew something was up but didn't know what. When I got to the top of my stairs I turned and saw the smoke from the fire. As I open my door, my phone is ringing, and it's Chris, my brother, calling to say he just saw on the news about the fire and it looked like it was in front of our store. My heart dropped out of me about then. I ran to the attic and sure enough, it was the store. I tried calling and got no answer. I called Terry on her cell and she told me a car had exploded and the awning was on fire and they were getting all the people out over the fence into the Mix (Uncle Burts) a bar off our alley. I felt so useless. I wanted to be able to do something, but with Camille, I couldn't leave. So I called the Insurance company and got the ball rolling there. Ernie had been out and was just coming home when he saw the smoke. Terry got ahold of him and he came home and walked down to the store. He couldn't get through the police line at first until he found a cop he knew. Terry called back to let me know that her husband Richy's car was one of the ones torched. That is probably the biggest loss this family sustained. Ernie, Terry and Richy stayed at the store until about 9:30 getting as much of the water up as they could. Terry and Richy did a great job of keeping everyone calm and the situation under contral. Actually all the employees were really cool and worked together to make sure everyone was out safely. We evern had to help some of the people in the apartment next door as they were trapped upstairs in their apartment. So they got onto our roof and we let them in and out with everyone else.
We spent Friday cleaning and going through everything to assess our losses. The staff really pulled together as a team and the store hasn't look this shiny ever. They were so good. But it sure does open your eyes at times like these. We realized we don't have a good evacuation plan. We were lucky that there were no elderly, or wheelchair bound in the store at that time. We only had to get one dog over the fence. But at least we had that route. I was worried about the computers since I hadn't done a take home backup in a long time. If the fire had gotten the upper floor, my office would have been toast. Its times like these that make you give life a lot more respect. You just can't take anything for granted. You have to enjoy ever day as if it could be your last. And I think we must have an angel on our shoulders. All the times we've had anything happen to us, they it never seems that awful. We must be doing something right.
So take care, be good, and thanks.
Martha

Fire !!

Saturday, April 29th. It was only two days ago when a big fire occurred in front of my sister's store in the Castro district of San Francisco.Eight cars caught fire after someone careened off the street into a parked car. A gas tank exploded and immediately the other cars ignited.Two people were seriously injured and there was one fatality.The facade of the store was completely torched as all the awnings went up in a blaze.Today, my mind is on different things.It is only two more days until I pick up my new motorscooter. I can hardly wait.The days are spectacular, and I want to go riding everywhere.

Spring has Sprung !

High pressure is building up off the coast of northern California and a light breeze is keeping the clouds away. Finally, it seems that the flowers are blooming and the nice weather is coming in... Next Tuesday is Labor Day and I will be picking up my new motor scooter ( an Aprilia Scarabero ) it's an italian motor scooter that looks like a vespa but has more juice ... 85 mpg and 85 mph. It has been a long time since I have been on a two wheeled vehicle, but I think that it will be perfect for the summer. Besides, with the price of gas being what it is, it makes sense to purchase a vehicle that doesn't use much.If you want to see where I am going to buy my scooter, go to: www.revolutionmoto.com and be amazed !

Presidential Perspective

It has been a little while since I have blogged, mainly because I have been staying busy in other ways. The rains have finally ceased for the time being. It has been a very WET late winter/ early spring here in the Napa Valley. I think that grapes are going to suffer this year. Many oak trees have fallen over and there has been significant flooding up an down the Valley. Yesterday, I saw a helicopter practising touching down and taking off. When I asked someone what that was all about, he said that the president was coming this weekend to visit St. Helena. Great. We had Dick Cheneny come visit about 6 months ago and I guess he enjoyed his visit so much he had to tell George W. This probably means that he will come visit the CIA for lunch or something and the secret service will be all over the place, looking obvious. Well, I for one have been through this drill before. Welcome to the REAL CIA Mr. President.

Significant Day

Today is Apple Computer's thirtieth birthday and the rains have been going on now for weeks. It has been the wetest March on record.I have been using Apple computer's since 1995. I purchased my first computer in 1998. Since that time i have been part of the the whole tech revelution. I started out learning how to use a word processor and luckily, since i was going to Santa Rosa Junior College I was able to get an e-mail account and learn different programs like Photoshop, Illustrator and the like. My first program was Mavis Beacon's typing program. From there I learned how to use Adobe Pagemaker, Aldus Super Paint, Macromedia Freehand and how to use a scanner. Everything was just catching fire then. My teachers were Barbara Sikora, Max Hein,Michael McGinnis,Barbara Harris,Carmen Sheldon and Cyndi Reese ( who made working on the computer most interesting to me ). Today, with fried retinas and nimble fingers I can honestly say that I have entered the digital age with aplomb and have not looked back.

Going through the motions

Admittedly, there are some days when my job goes on automatic pilot. At least it sometimes feels that way. I have a set routine that I adhere to when I arrive at the Concierge desk. I usually have to restock the literature racks, answer the messages for Demo reservations, check the signage and the bathrooms, wipe the fingerprints off the main door, greet anyone walking through that door and making them feel that someone paid attention to them. I actually love this job because of the people. People cna be fabulously great or a colossal pain in the tooch. I honestly, sometimes think that my attitude is creating an environment for people to enjoy themselves, while they are here.

Family fun using Instant Messenger

Last night, I got home and wanted to show off my laptop to my sister in Portland. So I opened IChat and found that she and my other sister in San Francisco were online and text each other. So I created a Chat room for all three of us to exchange information. We reminisced about our childhood in Greenwich, Conneticut and swapped tales about the neighbors at that time in our lives. Then we got the idea to include other members of our family into the mix. I called my brother in Chicago in hopes that he might be awake and eager to do instant messaging with the rest of us. He obliged, even though he was in bed at the time. He booted up his computer and went to do a Google search for the latest Mac version of AOL's I.M. After the download ( which took about five minutes ) He called me back to have me walk him through the installation process. Well, wouldn't you know, that he tried and tried to get a secure password and username to no avail. The setup was impossible and I could not really be of assistance since I could not see the monitor. Unfortunately, he gave up and went back to bed. Someday, I hope that all my family and friends can meet online wherever we are. This would be a big step.

One Gorgeous Day

Today is March 18th, the day after St. Patricks day and the first day of sunshine in quite awhile. We had double rainbows in the Valley before sunset last night and the rain actually was refreshing. The ACAP students had their graduation last night and the parents of many of them had me take pictures of the families before the reception took place here in the atrium. Connie Willis is a student who had gone through the program and wants to be the next Rachel Ray ( a cooking show personality on the Food Network ). She actually has done some television work on the home shopping network but feels that she will be more qualified now that she has graduated from this prestigious school. She is quite shrewd at getting her way sometimes, but is not at all malicious. She is just agressive and works at getting her way at any means possible. I gave her family a long tour throughout the whole building yesterday and she was grateful. A whole new crop of Students will be coming to start the Spring semester classes shortly.The activity and foot traffic is certainly picking up as the tourist season begins

Tuesday Afternoon

The weather has continued to be stormy, cold and windy. February and March have really been wet and wild this year. Today, i am trying to find something to write about because this blog is starting to be reflective of how boring my life appears here on the web. I tried to upload a " racy " picture from the Academy Awards Gala but the server wouldn't do it, So I am left texting my observations without any imagery to back it up. Perhaps I will be able to upload a shot on this post ( i hope so ) , but if I don't I will probably try again sometime in the near future.

Academy Awards Gala

I stayed over until 6:30 pm last night at work. The Napa Valley Aids Project sponsored the Academy Awards Gala event that was held in our Barrel Room at the CIA. I watched as the room was transformed into a 70's style party. It was attended by lots of people who watched on a very large screen as the awards ceremony unfolded. The movie "Crash" won best picture and Phillip Seymour Hoffman won the best actor award for "Capote." Reese Witherspoon won best actress award for "Walk the line" which was a movie about country singer Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter. The movie, "Brokeback Mountain" won the award for best director Ang Lee. I enjoy watching this event every year because i try to make a point of seeing all the movies before the Academy Awards are handed out.

My Badge

Badge
Originally uploaded by banteron.

I am now an official Flickr Professional Photographer thanks to the NCMUG and Derrick Story who is well known in the Mac Community. I am now proud to be his collegue. This badge is my official certification in an elite group of digital imagers and Photoshop users. As the staff photographer of the Culinary Insitute of America's Greystone Campus, I am called on to take pictures of all relevant events, weddings and other gatherings requiring official documentation.

Good Day Sunshine

Today was just beautiful here in St. Helena. The enchanted magnolias are in bloom and it is only the 12th of February. The east coast has been hit with a huge blizzard and snow is covering several major cities. The airports have all been closed. Here in the Atrium lobby of Greystone the morning has started off rather quietly, but it has picked up sense then.In San Francisco Last night was a parade in Chinatown celebrating the Chinese New Year of the dog. Tuesday is Valentine's day and the men's club at the churh I attend will be featuring a Crab Feed. I announced this event at the 8 am mass telling the attendees that the event was SOLD OUT and suddenly the congregation began to clap. It is amusing what people find worthy of applause. It was touching, however.

Waiting for Monday

It's only Saturday, but I am already looking forward to my days off. The weather is just beautiful outside and I plan on taking full advantage of it.The only event that is happening tonight at the CIA is something that the Montessori Family Center from St. Helena is putting on.They are calling it "Shanghai Nights" and it is a fundraiser that the locals get gussied up for to bid on wine, and eat extravagant food. On another note, I went to my regular home group meeting last night at the hospital. I am back attending that meeting now, because the old secretary has moved on ( He really got on my nerves, So I decided that I needed to be around "oldtimers" for awhile ).Nurse Kitty is just being her bubbly self, and it seems that we can be civil towards each other since I have made amends. Tommorow I will do the first reading at mass and sell tickets to the Church Men's club Crab Feed after mass. No big deals in my life right now... Just honoring my committments.

The Breakdown

This Sunday moring I woke up early to get a head start. I was responsible for being the first lector, taking the collection, announcing the Crab Feed for the men's club and selling the tickets after Mass. Then I head for the CIA where the big breakdown after the Mustard Festival event took place. There was a lot little messes and things that needed to be put back in their rightful place. I don't really feel that things are up to speed for the day until I have all my ducks in a row, so to speak. The weather has lightened up a little bit, but the digging and renovation taking place around my apartment leaves a lot to be desired.My phone is not working again... their was not hot water this morning... my rent was raised 90.00 a month to 840.00, my PG&E bill skyrocketed to 75.00 a month from 25.00 and I HAD MY HEAT TURNED OFF since the beginning of December. When I went outside I smelled a gas leak around the apartment so things aren't going so great.