We got our eggs dyed for Easter today.
2012/03/31 18:00
Pup got some new sun glasses.
I like Tristan's sabre-tooth tiger T-shirt and I asked if I could borrow it. Tristan thought that was very funny. "Pop pop you only wear big shirts."
2012 Heart Walk on the Onondaga Community College campus.
2012/03/31 13:00 Karen and I were at Tim Horton’s this morning. That’s usual for us to be there on a Saturday morning. There was a man and an eight or nine year old girl there. I am assuming they were father and daughter. The little girl stood in front of the glass display cases filled with doughnuts, muffins, Danishes, bagels, and other assorted baked good delights. “What do you want?” asked the father. “I want a taco with no cheese.” Today we were at Tim Horton’s after having completed the Heart Walk. The Heart Walk this year was on the OCC campus. It was cold and drizzly but the weather was still nicer than for last year’s Heart Walk. Last night was Karen’s GNO (girl’s night out). I was bartender serving cocktails before and after they went out to dinner. I made a lot of daiquiris and a lot of zombies. I went through two bags of limes and had to make another batch of simple syrup before the night was done. Rob dropped off Audrey and they had Spike in the car and so Brego and Spike got to play for a little while. While the girls were at dinner Phil delivered some ice cream for later and he got a tour of the Tiki lounge. The Tiki lounge is still a mess after being closed down for the Winter.
2012/03/27 08:00 I am off to toil for the Evil Empire all day and while I am so engaged the dog will be home doing what I want to be doing. C’est la vie!
Brego taking it easy.
Talk to the hand.
Enjoying breakfast at Pardzee's (technically I don't consider French fries breakfast food but then I'm not five years old either).
Last night I went to see the musical “South Pacific” at the Onondaga County Civic Center. This was a Famous Artist’s presentation. Karen and I met Marguerite, John, and Kathy at the Blue Tusk for dinner before the show and then we walked over to the Civic Center. It was a beautiful night for a walk. The musical “South Pacific” was first performed in 1949. It is considered one of the greatest Broadway musicals. The original production won ten Tony awards. The ten Tony awards included all four Tony’s for acting; a feat that hasn’t been duplicated. The 2008 Broadway revival won seven Tony’s. The musical is based on James Michener’s 1947 Pulitzer Prize winning book “Tales of the South Pacific”. The book is a collection of stories based on Michener’s experiences during the war. The stories take place in the Coral Sea and the Solomon Islands. For the musical the music and lyrics are by Rodgers and Hammerstein. One of the central themes in the musical is racial prejudice. The main character, nurse Nellie Forbush, struggles with the fact that her love interest, the French ex-pat Emile de Becgue, has two mixed race children from a previous marriage. The young lieutenant Cable falls in love with a native girl, Liat, and worries what life with her would be like because of prejudice. All this is illustrated in the song “You’ve Got to be Carefully Taught”. When the musical went on tour in the early 1950’s and headed to the South there were calls to cut the controversial parts. Support of interracial marriage in the South was considered pro-communist and implicitly a threat to the American way of life. The state of Georgia actually passed a law that attempted to prevent “South Pacific” from being performed in the state (the authors and supporters of the bill, and their spawn, are probably the base of Rick Santorum’s support). The authors of the musical and their backers refused to make the cuts. They said they would rather the production fail than compromise their principles. The production we saw Thursday night was outstanding. This was the first time I saw a staging of “South Pacific” and I was not disappointed. Karen marveled at how good the lighting was and what an impact it had on the sets. It was a memorable evening.
2012/03/25 18:00 This morning we skipped Tim Horton’s and went to Pardzee’s for a proper breakfast. Karen had an urge to go. I had the Par-Four special; a Belgian waffle, two eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausage links, home fries, and toast made from Italian bread. After a big breakfast like that you really just feel like curling up on the couch and taking a nice long nap. Last night we went to Sean and Tina’s for an ugly sweater party. Caitlin and Gus were there and I gave Caitlin one of the 2012 Patron of the Tiki Arts T-shirts for her birthday (soon to be a collector’s item T-shirt).
2012/03/23 18:30
2012/03/19 18:00 Syracuse recorded a record high temperature for the second day in a row. Yesterday we hit 80 and today we hit 78. For today the record that was broken was over one hundred years old. I guess from what I'm reading this warm weather is expected to continue for a little while. It should be in the high 70's through Thursday. Friday is supposed to be in the mid 60's. I have to admit I am enjoying this beautiful Spring. Of course it is way too nice to be sitting inside in front of a computer screen all day. Unfortunately that's what I have been doing. We should be able to take a laptop and go outside and work.
Karen's flowers. Spring. I love my wife.
First fire of the year in the Tiki Fire Bowl.
Fork tender corned beef (eight hours in the crock pot), boiled pee wee potatoes, boiled baby carrots, steamed Brussell sprouts instead of cabbage. A day late. Day after St Patrick's day. No Guinness in the house and I wasn't going out for any (too tired out from all the work outside) so I had to settle for the Saranac Pale Ale I had in the fridge. Delicious. Peace out.
2012/03/18 23:30 Had a great Sunday. This morning Karen was feeling better. She was feeling well enough that we went to Tim Horton’s for coffee and the paper. Tristan went with us. We came home and Tristan and I went outside and started cleaning up the yard. It was a beautiful day and time for the annual discovery of what faired okay over the winter and what didn’t. There were some of Karen’s flowers that made an appearance. We had the first fire of the year in the Tiki Fire Bowl. I had some corned beef in the crock pot all day – eight hours. After the fire burned down I came in and had dinner. Karen and I watched the season finale of “The Walking Dead” and it’s time now to retire for the evening. Yes, it was a great Sunday.
2012/03/17 23:30 After I left Adison and her friends on Tipp Hill I went to see Sean and Tina. I had some bar-b-que’d meat and some of Sean’s homebrews. I left early because Karen was home and not feeling well. I wanted to get home and check on her. When I got home she was out cold in a deep sleep. Tristan and I went grocery shopping at Wegmans. We have a new routine when we go grocery shopping. I get my cart and Tristan gets his cart. What I touch goes in my cart. What Tristan touches goes in his cart. So, in my cart – milk and eggs. In Tristan’s cart – fortune cookies (two boxes because you don’t ever want to run out of fortune cookies). In my cart – bread, rice, and potatoes. In Tristan’s cart – Spongebob Squarepants cheesy puffs. I think you can see where this is going. When we got back from grocery shopping we made some pizzas. Tristan helped out and unfortunately some of the sauce touched the crust when he was putting the sauce on. He wanted to wash the whole pizza shell off and start over. I said no and a temper tantrum ensued complete with tables being tipped over. Tristan had the tantrum not me. Michael and I watched “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Shores” while we ate our pizza. Can’t say I thought it was a great movie. Not even good. The best part was the character Blackbeard which was played by Ian McShane. Ian McShane was in “Deadwood” and he’s a great actor.
Adison and yours truly on Tipp Hill during St Patrick's day celebrations. The neighborhood was wild.
Adison called for a ride after the St Patrck's day parade was over. I picked up her, Aaryn, and Michaeal Tinti. Drove them to Tipp Hill.
2012/03/17 19:00
The Milkweeds performing at Creekside bookstore.
2012/03/12 18:30
Night brings no comfort, a rider on the storm
Lookin' for reason in the face of destiny
'Cause faith has no meanin' in a broken dream
Where there ain't no one, and no one's who they seem
You know heartache comes full circle, yeah
And the scars on the soul never fade.
Great White, “Loveless Age”
Random picture. The little baby Alice is walking.
2012/03/17 12:00 Happy St Patrick’s Day! An Irish friend of mine said, “I am so sick of these Irish stereotypes. As soon as I finish this drink I’m going to punch somebody!” I started this website on St Patrick’s day in 2007. That was the date of my first post and the date the site went live. Today is the five year anniversary of the Khan Tiki Mon’s Bar and Lounge website. The site now has 54 pages. And the site has an official T-shirt. Today is Saturday and another work week is behind me and I am one week closer to retiring. It’s a beautiful spring day. We were supposed to go to the St Patrick’s Day parade today but Karen was attacked by an intestinal bug and has been throwing up since early this morning. We were also supposed to go over to Sean and Tina’s for a cookout after the parade. I might still go to Sean and Tina’s by myself. It is inevitable that I will get the bug that has afflicted Karen. Whatever befalls one of us in this tight little petri dish we live in seems to make its way around to everyone.
2012/03/11 20:00 It is the second weekend in March. There is snow on the ground and it is cold out. I am ready for Spring and I am just kind of hanging out and waiting for it. I got my tickets for the Hukilau in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Hukilau this year moves from June to April. Karen will be going with me this year. She didn’t like Florida in June and so she stayed home last year. She said it was too hot. It should be nicer in April. It will be my fourth Hukilau and Karen’s second. I started a page on the website for Hukilau 2012. In the news this week there was a story about a boy that drew a picture in class of his Dad with a gun. The teacher was concerned and she turned the picture over to Child Protective Services. When the father came to pick up his son after class he was placed in handcuffs. They searched the family house and found a plastic squirt gun. Doh! I want to know if the boy next to this boy drew a picture of his Dad with a dragon would the Department of Environmental Conservation investigate the illegal harboring of an exotic species? I am reminded of the time my oldest told his teacher that I would drink and drive with him and his sister in the car. Luckily the teacher pursued it without involving law enforcement and was able to determine that the drinking and driving occurred when I drove them to school everyday with my coffee in a Spongebob travel mug. Kids don’t always know or understand what they are saying or drawing. Last night Karen and I spent an enjoyable evening at the Creekside bookstore in Skaneateles enjoying the live music provided by the Milkweeds.
Third??!! I saw the disturbing headline above on MSNBC. I have to admit I have always been a fan of what nature has provided. Two. Pairs. One on each side. One for each hand. Where would you put the third one, in the middle? The whole thing reeks of “Franken-science”. Just because science can provide a woman with a 3rd fake boob what kind of a madman would pursue such an abomination? And why is the government sanctioning this weird science?
2012/03/09 19:00
2012/03/01 23:00 The Winter months are all behind us for this Winter season that has just passed. I am looking forward to the Spring and Summer ahead. I worked the ‘leap-day’ yesterday. I still think the extra day should be a holiday. There were 220 page views for the website in February. I ordered my T-shirts today.
Leap year (bissextile year) is a year containing an extra day. A year with 365 days is called a common year. Leap years occur to keep the calendar year synced with the astronomical and seasonal year. I have no problem with the concept it’s just that this leap year the extra day stands between me and my retirement. Plus, why does the extra day have to be a work day. I think the extra day should be a holiday. An astronomical holiday.
Brego and the little baby Alice bonding over Cheerios.
2012/02/28 22:00 There is an extra day in February. Where did this extra day come from?
Later that evening the little baby Alice was showing off her new game. She feeds the dog from her high chair. She seems to get a big kick out of it and so does the dog.
2012/02/25 10:30 It is Saturday morning. It is a wintry and blustery day outside. There hasn’t been enough snow to stick to the roadways but everywhere else is blanketed in white. This is the last Winter weekend in the Winter that never really was. Last night Karen was out with her girlfriends and it was just me and Michael and Tristan. We watched the movie “Horrible Bosses” on DVD. It was way funnier than I was expecting. I liked the movie. To keep things interesting Tristan dumped an entire pot of coffee that Karen was keeping in the fridge for iced coffees. What a mess. Michael and I had to clean it up.
2012/02/19 23:45 It is late Sunday night and normally at a time like this it would be time to acknowledge that the weekend was over. However that is the beautiful thing about a three day weekend. We’ve got another weekend day ahead of us. Monday is like an extra Sunday. All righty then. Let the weekend continue.
2012/02/20 10:00
I will be enjoying this weekend's 'big end' today.
The completed design for the 2012 Patron of the Tiki Arts T-shirt.
2012/02/18 20:00 My T-shirt design is complete. I am happy with the finished design. Next step is to get the design turned into T-shirts.
My "Office Space" T-shirt.
2012/02/16 23:30 Someone stole my stapler off my desk at work today. I know some of you reading this are going to think this is a joke. Please rest assured that this is no joke. I am completely serious when I say that someone stole my stapler off my desk at work. I have had the same stapler for about thirteen years. I had the stapler when I worked in the “C” building. It moved with me to the “F” building. It moved with me to the “E” building. It moved with me to the “A” building and it moved with me to my present location in the Beacon North industrial park. I guess technically I can’t say that it was “my” stapler. It was after all company property. I am hoping that whoever took it is enjoying the humor; is a fan of the movie “Office Space”. In the 1999 film about white collar workers at the fictional firm called Initech there is a stapler that plays a pivotal role. Said the character Milton Waddams, “Mr. Lumbergh told me to talk to payroll and then payroll told me to talk to Mr. Lumbergh and I still haven't received my paycheck and he took my stapler and he never brought it back and then they moved my desk to storage room B and there was garbage on it... And I said, I don't care if they lay me off either, because I told, I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time, then, then I'm, I'm quitting, I'm going to quit. And, and I told Don too, because they've moved my desk four times already this year, and I used to be over by the window, and I could see the squirrels, and they were merry, but then, they switched from the Swingline to the Boston stapler, but I kept my Swingline stapler because it didn't bind up as much, and I kept the staples for the Swingline stapler and it's not okay because if they take my stapler then I'll set the building on fire...” I worked some tonight on the T-shirt design. I was not happy with anything I did tonight on the design. I will get back at it tomorrow.
Latest work on the T-shirt design.
Shag designed lunchbox is super cool. I made some macaroni and cheese for dinner and then settled in to do some more work on the T-shirt design.
I have said it here before. Anything new in the house the cat has to sleep in it, on it, or under it. I went bowling after work today and my vertigo didn’t impact my bowling. I had a pretty good night bowling. I bowled a 120, 172, and a 155. Overall I beat my average. When I got home from work I was super excited to find that my new lunch box had arrived in the mail.
2012/02/15 23:00 I have been thinking about some of the stuff that the doctor told me in the emergency room yesterday. She said the crystals in my ear canal were migrating and that is what is causing my balance problems. I forgot to ask if the migration was seasonal like birds flying south for the winter or final like a pachyderm marching to the elephant graveyard? She also told me not to operate heavy machinery or to do any heavy drinking. I would guess driving a bulldozer while blotto would be right out! Last night Tristan had put up his fire truck play-set pop-up in the living room. He left it there when he went to bed and this morning I found the Elsie cat sleeping inside.
Random picture of the sweet baby Alice with her lamb hat.
2012/02/15 07:30 I spent most of yesterday in the emergency room. The story starts on Sunday I guess. I was working in the bathroom putting the new lights in. At one point I got very dizzy. I was feeling very light headed. The feeling passed and I continued working. On Tuesday morning I had a similar attack but much more pronounced. I got a little dizzy in the shower but then it got way worse. The room started spinning uncontrollably. If I didn’t have something to hang on to I would have fallen. This episode passed as well. I went to work and called my doctor figuring I would make an appointment to come in. She said that with my medical history she wanted me to go right to the emergency room and that I shouldn’t drive myself. My co-worker Mary drove me to St. Joseph’s hospital. We went to the new emergency facilities addition. The new emergency rooms had only been open for twelve days. Over the next eight hours I had blood work done, peed in a cup, had x-rays, an EKG, and a CAT scan. The PA gave me a ‘drunk test’. I say that because it was like a field sobriety test. “Touch your nose and then touch my finger.” I had to walk a straight line and then turn around. Mary was very nice and stayed with me for hours. When they took me for the x-ray I couldn’t help but notice that the x-ray machine said Kodak on it. I recently bought a lot of Kodak stock right before they filed for bankruptcy. My theory was that the stock would come back. From some of the stuff I read there are parts of the Kodak business, non-retail, that are doing okay. I figured this x-ray machine was probably part of the Kodak business that was going to survive. I quizzed the radiologist tech about the machine. Well, the good news is that I wasn’t having another heart attack and I wasn’t having a stroke. The diagnosis is “benign positional vertigo”. I have an abnormality of balance in the inner ear. There has been the formation of crystals, called otoliths, in the semi-circular canals of the inner ear. The crystals are shifting and the movement of the crystals within the canals interferes with the nerve signals and gives my brain wrong information about balance. All this causes an abnormal back and forth movement of the eyes, nystagmus, and that causes the sensation of spinning. This type of vertigo can last for six weeks but usually resolves itself before that. When I got home from the hospital I did some more work on the T-shirt design. Here is another element in the design.
This is a section of the design. Stay tuned for more. Same bat time… same bat channel… This is kind of exciting huh? Being able to watch my design unfold before your very eyes?
?? What? I’m pretty sure that my fortune cookie fortune is talking about me dying. Your fortune cookie fortune is supposed to be something light that is funny when you add …in bed, to the end. My fortune cookie fortune is not supposed to be something that makes me think about my own mortality. Last night Michael and I watched the movie “Your Highness” that we got from Netflix. I was really looking forward to a very funny movie and it wasn’t. Just not as funny as promised. While it did have Natalie Portman in a thong and Zooey Deschanel in a push-up bra I still can’t recommend the film. Karen and I had our coffee and breakfast treats at Tim Horton’s this morning as usual and then I came home and finished putting the new lights in the upstairs bathroom. We are doing a redecoration, remodel, project in the bathroom. The work I’ve done so far has come out very nicely if I do say so myself and I do.
2012/02/13 21:00 I am working pretty seriously now on my T-shirt design. I have decided to post my efforts to date and then I will post progress as I have some.
2012/02/12 17:30 Yesterday after coffee at Tim Horton’s Karen and I went to LaFayette to see my parents. On the way we stopped at Ollie’s Discount to get a vacuum that my Mom wanted. While we were at Ollie’s I was wandering past the bargain books and I noticed a big book on sprinkles. I thought that’s pretty cool since my five year old grandson just loves sprinkles. If he doesn’t come with us to Tim Horton’s we bring him home a doughnut with sprinkles on it. As I got closer to the book I realized that it didn’t say sprinkles it said sprinklers (with a subtitle ‘and drip irrigation’). I realize now that it makes some sense for there to be a book about sprinklers and a book about sprinkles not so much. After we acquired the vacuum we stopped in Jamesville and dropped our trash and recyclables at the Onondaga County Resource Recovery facility. From there we went into the Valley and got some Chinese food to take out to my parents.
2012/02/06 14:00 Yesterday was the Super Bowl. As much as I like the Giants I dislike the Patriots even more and I was quite pleased that the Giants won the game. It was a close game. It was an exciting game. The outcome wasn’t assured until the final seconds of the game. The half time show was the best I can remember. You have got to admit that Madonna puts on a hell of a show. It was a very low key Super Bowl for us. We stayed home. I made some chili. Michelle came by and she was our only guest. Michelle hadn’t seen Tristan since last summer and volleyball at Trapper’s. She was sitting in our new chair when Tristan came back from the store with his parents. He took one look at Michelle and his stranger anxiety kicked in. He yelled and ran right into the closet to hide behind the coats. Karen was sitting on the couch and she called out, “Tristan, are you okay?” And a voice from the closet called back, “I’m in the closet. What do you think?” Before Michelle left that night Tristan had warmed up to her and they had a good time.
2012/02/11 10:00 There is a dusting of snow on the ground this morning that wasn’t there last night. There is just enough snow to frost most everything white. The snow stuck just about everywhere except the roadways and so the plows won’t be out. There isn’t enough snow to shovel but I’ll have to brush off the car windows before I venture out. February is just about halfway over and while February is usually the bleakest month of the year it hasn’t been much to complain about this year. This is the mildest February that I can ever remember. Yesterday at work the rumors were flying once again about a voluntary severance package. Rumor has the company sold and that is supposedly bringing another buyout offer. I am trying not to get too excited because more than likely I will just be disappointed one more time.
2012/02/05 13:00 I have a pen that works pretty well. And I have paper. Sometimes it is hard to write things if your writing tools are not up to the task. If your writing tools are sufficient and you can’t write anything of use to anyone then you have a real problem. Karen and I had coffee this morning at Tim Horton’s and then we went Thrifty Shopping. Today is the Super Bowl. I have seen at least two businesses with signs saying they were going to close early so that their staff could enjoy the Super Bowl with their families. That’s funny. Is the Super Bowl becoming more institutionalized than Thanksgiving? I don’t know. I am sitting in the van waiting for Karen to finish Thrifty Shopping. I like buying used things. Recycling and repurposing is good for the soul. As I look at the stuff in the Thrifty Shopper I wonder about the stuff and how it made its way to its present predicament. Everything was new once and someone thought it desirable enough to pay good money for it. How and why did you end up here? Changing tastes? You just got worn out and then something newer and flashier took your place? Or maybe someone had to move? Or maybe someone died? So many stories.
I ran into Blair Frodelius at the Brewfest. I met Blair at the Hukilau in Fort Lauderdale, Florida last summer. He is going to be at Ohana: Luaua at the Lake in Lake George in June; as will I. Blair has a blog "The World of Spirits and Cocktails in the News" goodspiritsnews.wordpress.com
Apparently a lot of guys were commenting on Adison's "big pretzels". Sigh! C'mon that's my daughter. Show a little respect.
My awesome shrunken head pendant.
Aaryn is shocked and awed by the shrunken head pendant.
2012/02/04 23:00 I had a fun day today. I went to the Central New York Brewfest at the Horticultural building at the NY State Fairgrounds. Sean went with me. The plan was for Tina to drop Sean at my house and then Karen would drive us to the brewfest and drop us off (Karen was designated driver). Sean and I were at the house waiting for Karen to get back from a pedicure when I got a text from Adison. She said her friend Aaryn was really hoping I was wearing my shrunken head pendant to the brewfest. I wasn’t. I had already put on my Tkiyaki pendant so I had to change.
I decided long ago that I would never run for elective office. I may be modifying that stance. If Newt becomes President and fulfills his campaign promise to make the Moon the 51st state I would seriously consider running for Governor of the Moon. Tristan was calling his stuffed dog that he takes everywhere Pup. He told me tonight that from now on he is calling the dog Pup Pup. He calls me Pop Pop but these are not the same and shouldn’t be confused. They aren’t spelled the same.
2012/02/03 20:00 TGIF
2012/02/02 21:30 What the crap?! So, there is another rodent claiming to be able to make weather predictions. Today was Groundhog Day and it seems there is a poseur called Staten Island Chuck trying to move in on Punxsutawney Phil’s routine. Today there were competing prognostications. Punxsutawney Phil said six more weeks of Winter and Staten Island Chuck said an early Spring. How are we supposed to wisely invest our resources given such a murky future? After work today I ended up having dinner at the bar at Limp Lizard in Liverpool with my friend Michelle. I had a nice time.
2012/02/01 20:30 It was hump day at the Evil Empire today. Also, it was the first day of February. All the snow had melted and the temperature was in the mid 40s. While February can be the bleakest of months today was very nice indeed; for the season. On Monday one of my clients asked me if I was getting excited that it was so close to Groundhog Day. I must confess that I wasn’t even thinking about Groundhog Day but ever since she brought it up it has been on my mind. I have always wanted to travel to Pennsylvania to see Punxsutawney Phil and to be part of the prognostication festivities. As Groundhog Day is tomorrow the road trip is not going to happen this year. Next year at this time I hope to be freed of the Empire’s shackles and I think old Punxsutawney Phil and I may have a date. That’s a prediction I’m making. There were 236 page views of my website in January. For those of you that are keeping score that is less traffic than January 2011 and less traffic than last month. But then, who’s really keeping score? I mean it’s not a contest, right? Ty Webb didn’t keep score. (From the movie Caddyshack): Judge Smails “Ty, what did you shoot today?” Ty Webb “Oh Judge, I don’t keep score.” Judge Smails “ Then how do you measure yourself with other golfers?” Ty Webb “By height.”
2012/01/31 22:00 Today is the last day of January for 2012. One Winter month remains for the 2011/2012 Winter season. It was 45 degrees today and it smelled like Spring. That was a cruel tease by Mother Nature of that I am sure. Still I am sure I can put up with this last month of snow and ice in anticipation of the Spring to come. I was listening to a review today on NPR for the new album by Leonard Cohen. There was a line in one of the songs they played, “I know you have to hate me, but could you hate me a little less?” I liked that. I recently got a Sony MP3 player and I have been ripping CDs and putting them on the player. I started work on the design for the T-shirt I am making for my Patron of the Tiki Arts program. I can picture the design in my mind but it is more difficult than I thought it would be to get it fleshed out on paper. The process is frustrating but in a good way. I am enjoying the creative process. The mind numbing work I do in my cubicle Hell in service to the Evil Empire hasn’t completely fried my brain. I can feel life and energy slowly finding its way back into my gray matter. This weekend coming up is the Central New York Brewfest at the NY State Fairgrounds. The event is held in the Horticultural building. Adison and her friends are going to the Brewfest but she told me to get my own date. Sean is going to the Brewfest with me. Karen gets to be designated driver. She’s a great wife and I love her dearly. The day after the Brewfest is Super Bowl Sunday (Go Giants!).
2012/01/28 22:00 I got caught up in a pretty wild hail storm this evening. I was driving to the store around six o’clock. It was dark and the roads were wet from the rains earlier in the day. A huge gust of wind shook the van. The wind blew so hard and shook the van so violently that I feel if I had been outside standing up the wind would have blown me right off my feet. Then the hail came. It was a driving hail storm with the hail just pounding the pavement and the roof of the van. The hail stones were about the size of BBs and they bounced off the pavement. The hail stones seemed to be dancing furiously on the slick roadway. As quick as the storm came it passed. I arrived at my destination and went into the store. The people already in the store shopping probably didn’t even know such a storm had passed by. The tiny little spheres of ice were already melted and gone by the time I walked into the store. It has been a strange Winter. It has been very cold at times and then unseasonably warm the next day. It hasn’t snowed much at all to speak of. I haven’t shoveled once this Winter season. I have only had to brush off my car once or twice. It will be February in a couple of days and so this Winter is two thirds behind us. It is Saturday night and I am feeling a little unsettled. Once again I feel adrift and rudderless. I get into these funks every once in a while. This one is probably related to the season and the weather. Scientists claim that seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a real condition. SAD is also known as Winter depression or the Winter blues. It is said to impact more people in the Northeastern part of the United States with the most diagnosed cases being in New Hampshire. Winter will pass soon and I do like the Spring. I bought my tickets for Ohana: Luau at the Lake yesterday. I started a page on the website yesterday for this year’s Luau at the Lake.
2012/01/20 16:00 Today is Friday and once again it’s time for the weekend to commence. TGIF and all that good stuff. I am looking forward to the festivities Sunday night. The Chinese New Year starts on Monday January 23rd this year. New Years Eve is Sunday. We change from the year of the rabbit to the year of the dragon. The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar. In the Gregorian calendar Chinese New Year falls between January 21st and February 20th. Chinese New Year is usually the second new moon after the winter solstice. In Chinese mythology there was a beast known as the Nian. At the beginning of the year the Nian would come and eat livestock and small children. People would put out food offerings to appease the Nian in the hopes that livestock and small children would be spared. One year a small child dressed in red scared the Nian. The Nian is afraid of the color red. People decorate with red lanterns and red cutouts in windows to scare the Nian away. Also, firecrackers are set off to scare the beast. It is part of the Chinese New Years celebration to reconcile and to forget all grudges. One should start the New Year with a sincere wish for peace and happiness for all. I like that. I frequently get Chinese food on Sundays and now this weekend it seems even more appropriate since it will be Chinese New Years.
Birthday party. Clifford is the one in red.
2012/01/19 21:00 Today I went to a birthday party for Clifford the Big Red Dog. Clifford was there with his owner Emily Elizabeth. The party was thrown by the pre-K kids at Park Hill School. I went because my grandson is one of the pre-K kids at Park Hill School. There was singing and dancing and presents were given to Clifford’s friends at the SPCA. There was no cake and no ice cream and so that was a little disappointing. Still, it was fun.
Guyanese rum cake. Thank you Michelle's Mom.
2012/01/18 22:00 After work today I met Karen and Tristan at Home Depot. We needed to get some masonite for some repair work and for modifications on the furniture we picked up in New Hartford on Monday. We also bought a new door knob for the front door and for the garage door. After completing our purchases at the Home Depot we went to McDonalds for dinner. It was the four of us for dinner at Mickey D’s. It was Karen, Tristan, Pup, and I. Pup is kind of a pain in the ass because he insists on taking his coat off as soon as he gets inside and then won’t venture back outside unless his coat is on and his paws are through the sleeves and functional.
Pup and Tristan.
Joel's Frontyard Steakhouse.
2012/01/17 22:00 Michelle’s Mom in NYC made a Guyanese rum cake. Michelle was thinking about yours truly and she brought a piece home with her for me (smile). I finally got said piece of rum cake at the party Saturday night and I had some tonight. It is very rich and a little goes a long way. I didn’t finish it and saved the rest for later. It has a very nice aftertaste that stays and lingers for a long time.
Anything new that comes into the house the cat has to either sleep on it, in it, or under it. The new chair is no exception. This is the chair that made us an hour late to Michelle's party.
2012/01/16 23:00 Today was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Martin Luther King (MLK) Day was made a national federal holiday in 1983. I had the day off but only because I took it as a vacation day. For the minions that toil in service to the Evil Empire it is not a holiday. The Empire gave up a “floating holiday” instead of recognizing the federal holiday. The reason given was that individuals could decide whether they wanted to take off MLK Day or use the off time for some other day. Of course the real reason for not recognizing the federal holiday is that no overtime has to be paid to those that work on the holiday. So, what did I do for the holiday? We made our longest Craig’s list foray today. Karen found an armoire that was located in New Hartford. We told Michael we were driving to New Hartford to get another piece of furniture. Michael later pulled me aside in the kitchen before we left and asked if his Mom was insane. He said, “You’re going to Connecticut for a piece of furniture?” I explained that, no, it was New Hartford in New York not Connecticut and so it was only an hour excursion each way; a two hour round trip. Adison went along for the ride. So, it was the three of us; Karen, Adison, and I. We took the thruway there and back. On the way back we stopped in Verona and had dinner at Joel’s Frontyard Steakhouse. I hadn’t eaten there in a very long time. It has been probably twenty years or more since I last ate there. I thought the ambience was really nice. We sat at a rustic table by a nice and toasty warm fireplace. The food was good but I felt that it was overpriced. They could use a better selection of beers too. How can you sell a nice steak and not have a decent ale on the menu to go with it?
2012/01/16 13:00
Adison and her Dad enjoying coffee at Tim Horton's. I look like I just had a semi-successful frontal lobotomy. Not a very good picture. I took it myself.
[editor's note: 2011/01/20 19:00 Adison called me on my cellphone to complain about the appalling quality of the photo above. Adison is a very very beautiful young woman. She is, for the most part, extremely photogenic. If she appears anything less than stunning in a photograph it is completely, totally, and utterly the fault of the photographer. Peace out.]
Pup came with us as well.
Khan Tiki Mon hisself with a Zombie in a pier mug. It was a fun party at Michelle's. We watched the SU game and watched the Bronco's get humiliated by the Patriots. I'm not a Patriot's fan.
2012/01/16 11:00 Adison spent the night at the house last night. This morning Karen, Adison, Tristan, and I went to Tim Horton’s for coffee. We didn’t sit at our usual table in the corner. I learned today that Adison has some kind of phobia or aversion to round tables. We had to sit at the square table instead.
The partygoers for the most part seemed scared or intimidated by the Sumo wrestler mug. The wrestler was passed over many times in the selection process before being passed to Karen by default. Karen did well handling the rotund wrestler with the super delicious daiquiri in his belly.
I instructed the partygoers to pick their own mugs with the warning that they “choose wisely”. These were novices with little to no experience in the use of Tiki mugs. I had made their choices safer by not including the ‘forbidden mug’ among the ones available for selection. Of course, one should never choose the ‘forbidden mug’ lest fairly dire consequences be set in motion.
2012/01/15 23:00 Last night, Saturday night, Karen and I went to a party at Michelle’s place in Baldwinsville. I brought everything I needed to make some super delicious daiquiris, Dark n Stormys, and Zombies. Karen had been thrifty shopping earlier in the day. She was shopping at the Rescue Mission in Liverpool and bought a sweet chair for the living room. It wouldn’t fit in the Saturn that she was driving. Even if the ‘hoarder mobile’ wasn’t already full of thrifty purchases the chair wouldn’t fit. She asked if we could stop at the Rescue Mission on the way to the party and pick up the chair with the van. That wasn’t a problem. However once we picked up the chair the problem was that I guess I wasn’t as sure as I thought I was about the best way to get from Liverpool to Baldwinsville. I got on the thruway (mistake) and we drove to Weedsport. We ended up getting to the party about an hour after I had planned. I did make daiquiris, Zombies, and Dark n Stormys as promised. I brought a selection of Tiki mugs for the partygoers to imbibe with.
The snowy scenes look so pretty. A regular winter wonderland. But, it gets old very quickly.
2012/01/14 12:00 The snow has arrived. Some pictures taken on the way out to visit my parents.
2012/01/13 12:00 Holy crap! It’s Friday the 13th. Can it still be TGIF if the F is Friday the 13th? The irrational(?) fear or phobia about Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia. Supposedly twelve is a good number. A number that represents completeness. The number thirteen is a spoiler and considered very unlucky. Friday is the unluckiest day of the week and not a good day to start a trip. And then there’s the whole Jason thing as well.
Lights on the Lake holiday display.
From the Saturday morning Post Standard.
2012/01/07 22:00 The company I work for is one of the sponsors of Onondaga County’s annual Lights on the Lake holiday display. The holiday attraction is a two mile long drive-thru of Christmas and seasonal lighting displays. I got a sponsors pass at work. Saturday night, tonight, was the next to last night of the display and my parents, Karen, Tristan, and I went. When we were entering, my five year old grandson, Tristan, asked where I got the ticket from. I told him that it was my one and only perk I earned in 2011. I told him I worked all year long for that ticket. Tristan asked, somewhat incredulously, “You’re joking right?” I admitted that I was joking. He said, “Pop Pop – you make a joke out of everything.” After enjoying the lights we went to Applebee’s for dinner.
2012/01/07 12:00
The little baby Alice loves birthday parties.
2012/01/06 21:00 I must continue to toil in service to the Evil Empire in this new year of 2012. The first week of said service is over. TGIF. I have been looking forward to the weekend. It’s going to be nice to have a weekend at home with no obligations.
We used more than five candles just because we like fire.
Robert and Tristan enjoying cake.
2012/01/02 11:30 Karen and I have settled back into our routine now that we are back at home. We are out getting coffee at Tim Horton’s. The year that was 2011 is over and done with. Good riddance to 2011. Not that there was anything particularly wrong with 2011 it’s just time to move on. I guess I will do the traditional New Year’s resolution thing. I basically have four resolutions for 2012. My first resolution will be the same as last year. I resolve to drink and taste more rum. That wasn’t an easy resolution to keep. I feel I failed miserably in the rum drinking category last year. So, we are going to give it another shot this year. I will drink and taste more rums and rum based cocktails in 2012. My second resolution is to pursue more art projects. When I retire I am going to be a full time artist. I think it should be interesting to see if I have any talent or not. If you are going to bet on that question I would suggest you bet no. I am afraid that I am going to find out that I have no talent whatsoever. Fortunately I don’t care if I have any skills since I don’t plan on using my artistic talents, or lack thereof, to put food on the table. I think a true artist creates because he wants or needs to; not for commerce. Whether I have any talent or not I feel I have the soul of an artist. My next resolution is to manage my time better. Let’s face it, time is something they aren’t making any more of. It’s a dwindling commodity. You want to feel like you are using it appropriately. And here’s hoping the Mayans were just out of stone or getting lazy when they ended the calendar at 2012. If the world ends in 2012 before I retire from the Evil Empire I will be pissed indeed. My last resolution is a fairly standard one. I want to lose some weight. I had started a diet before Christmas and I had lost ten pounds by the first. I would like to continue on that path and lose another forty. For those of you that are keeping score there were 282 page views for my site in December. That’s up slightly over last month and so my readership is on an uptick. So, here’s to hoping that 2012 is a great year for everybody (and that the Mayans were full of shit). Peace out!
2012/01/03 09:00 It snowed last night. Not much. Enough to cover the grass and to make the plows run but it couldn’t have been more than two or three inches. Not even enough to shovel. I have to go back to work today. Working for the Evil Empire is so debilitating. Oh well, chin up, stiff upper lip, and all that. Time to press on and do what has to be done.
2012/01/04 23:30 Happy Birthday Tristan! My little dude is five years old today. We had cake. We actually had two cakes; one chocolate and one ice cream cake. There was no singing allowed though. Tristan didn’t want any singing of the ‘Happy Birthday’ song. I cheated and said the words in a monotone and even that was frowned upon.
Even more rants and rambles. Is there anything that can stop these rants and rambles?! It seems the answer may be no.
This latest iteration of my rants and rambles will be much like past versions. The key components will be unchanged. There still may be too much information shared and I am still most definitely weird as all get out. I may even be getting weirder if that's even possible. Being fair warned please read at your own peril. It is time now to ramble on!
2012/01/01 19:00 Happy New Year to one and all. I am writing this in my house, in my chair, at my own computer. We just got back from Pennsylvania. We left about noon or so. We stopped at Ikea for the second time this trip. Karen and I ate at the café again. Another helping of Swedish meatballs, smashed potatoes, and lingonberry jam. We bought more stuff, including some jarred lingonberry jam. The drive home was uneventful. The roads were dry and clear for the most part. We hit one patch of rain but I have no complaints about the weather. We are one third of the way through the 2011/2012 Winter season and the plows have not run in front of my house once. Last year we set all kinds of records for snow. Syracuse was the snowiest city in the country. This doesn’t mean we couldn’t or won’t get pounded in January and February. February can be a bleak month indeed.