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 !