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.

Merry Christmas

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Today started slow. I got out of bed, took a shower and made a milk shake.Then I sat down at the computer and called all the members of the OLPH men's club to remind them of the meeting taking place on Wednesday evening. Then I jumped in my little white potato of a car and drove down to Napa. There I went to my nephew Edward's house for a wonderful day of opening presents and eating Croation Cuisine.Ed and Ant's new baby Mila will be Christened on New Year's Eve so I hope that I can take next Sunday off. The picture you see here is of the little tyke in a good mood. She is five months old, and quite a talker. She likes to stick her tongue out and give everyone a raspberry.Then she cuts little farts and breaks up laughing.She had us entertained for hours.The time went by quickly and before you know it, it was dark outside and people were stuffed. We had already chatted and exchanged gifts. I recieved a nice shirt from Rita and Hamish and a Nike+Ipod Sports kit from Ed, but unfortunately I have the wrong kind of Ipod! Also,I don't have a new pair of Nikes to slip into...Which, by the way are necessary items to get going with this program.So,If I buy a Nano, it would be my fourth Ipod, and I am sorry, but that is ridiculous! The other present I got was a cool book about Motor Scooters from Mario( Antonella's brother )I really appreciate his thoughtfulness. All in all it was a great day and I hope we do it all again next year.

Festive Appearances

I enjoy my work but
I have an overdeveloped sense of responsibility that a lot of people read as control. Today, a group of thirty people did not show up for one of our cooking demonstrations at 10:30 AM. We called the group to remind them and only got voicemail. Patricia Landis is in Panama taking a vacation and she is the one who made the reservation. I let her know how I handled the situation.I am also training someone to work the concierge desk even though I haven't been called on to do so. She is a nice person who is my age. Her name is Marnie and she lives locally. She is the manager/owner of a workout gym in St. Helena. So far we have been enjoying working together. I hope it continues that way. She is the best friend of Mary Lee who is someone who has been on-call as a concierge ever since I have been here.This a picture of them and a friend at our Christmas party which took place on the sixth of this month.

What have I done?

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Another silly movie showing me fumble around trying to find the right settings, etc. Generally making an idiot out of myself.

The Return of...

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After my attempt at staying in shape, I went to ACE® to buy a shower curtain because I am having my bathroom painted in the morning. I spent most of the afternoon cleaning and scrubbing the floor, then the shower tiles , the toilet, the sink, etc. etc. I don't want these guys who are doing the painting to think that I live like a pig. My apartment needs a good dusting every week though.Where does all this grey dust comes from? During the summer months the spiders make good use of it, as it becomes the choice material for making thier webs. Where am I going with this...hmmm. Well as Banteron told you, This morning he went for a run/walk with his buddy, Don. They yabber on about their lives and what new projects they are working on just to stay busy. Then it's time for a cup of mud. Today Bant had his usual roasted brew only this time it included a big dallop of Espresso Ice Cream in the cup. Yummmm ! This weeks blog is announcing the return of "Banteron from Boca Raton". My alter-ego.

Sketching what I see...

I have been practising my drawing skills here at work now that it has been kind of slow.Yesterday, I drew this teapot to learn how to do reflective objects and chrome better. It is tricky and requires observation to get all the detail. I don't always draw things the way I SEE them. I rely a lot on my imagination, or rather what I THINK something looks like. I don't know if I could make a living doing this quite yet. I could be a lot more disciplined around this practise. I am building a portfolio and plan to have another show at some point. This time I will plan it a little better.