Uncorked Las Vegas 2009

What a time was had!

We sampled food from the greatest chefs, spent an afternoon with the master sommeliers of the Bellagio, and the "wheel of fortune" landed on the $1000 mark! YES!

Friday night began with a long line of foodies in anticipation of the surge to the pool area at Caesars Palace where nearly 100 vendors were waiting with their food and drink samples. Some of the attendees included BLT Burger, SEABLUE, MESA Grill, Nobhill Tavern, L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, craftSteak, Table 10 and Wolfgang Puck. The samplings included hearty comfort foods, delicate fish sensations, bisques, and extravagant desserts. Among my favorites were the BLT Kobe slider, a lobster ravioli like creation made from pickled diakon, delicate hamachi stuffed with crab, espresso banana pudding, shrimp on a sugarcane skewer, lamb shank in a thai style sauce, Emerril's Po Boy slider, and Bobby Flay's fantastic ceviche served in a half a coconut shell. A feast of the senses that included a wonderful Mondavi Icon Cabernet Sauvignon, a myriad of mixed drinks, and Ty-Ku Sake which I loved and I normally am not a Sake fan.

Criticisms:
Too many attendees - Future Grand Tastings should put a tighter limit on the number of attendees
Some of the wine was hot - Due to the heat of the day some of the wines were literally hot
Plastic wine glasses - I understand them but I don't like them.

Saturday I was surrounded by five amazing wines:

• Charles Ellner Brut Reserve Champagne
• Bouchard Meursault Burgundy 2005
• Banfi Brunello di Montalcino Tuscany 2003
• Trapiche Malbec "Vina Adriana Venturin" Mendoza 2006
• Toro Albala "Don PX" Montilla - Moriles 2004

at a wine immersion seminar hosted by the Master Sommeliers of the Bellagio. Each wine had it's own charm but the highlight for me was the Trapiche Malbec a rich complex fruit forward wine which in Argentine tradition is named for the grower (Adriana Venturin) and comes from a high elevation vineyard which is annually flooded by the purest water runoff. Argentina is considered an up and coming wine region which makes this wine a bargin at approx $40-$45. I am told that 2006 was a great year so I am seeking more of this baby!

It was truly a unique event as less than 30 of us got to interact with the likes of Steve Olsen of Bon Appetit magazine, Jason Smith the wine director of the of the Bellagio, Robert Smith of Piccaso, William Moss of Le Cirque, and Joesph Phillips of Michael Mina. I interjected my own agenda early when I asked for advice regarding what someone who is looking to make wine his second career (me) should do to make it happen. The entire panel had something for me and I was impressed to hear the depth of their activities in the wine culture. Despite their elevated status these guys make a point of participating in every aspect for the wine business from harvesting and crush to helping you select the right medium body red to accompany your foie gras.

They impressed me with their down to earth personalities, there were no attitudes here just a common love for wine and the bottom line as expressed by Steve "The ultimate goal of our jobs is to make people happy".

Take note you snobs of South Orange County! The wine culture is not about how expensive the bottle is or what the Manolo costs that you are drinking champagne from it's about people with a shared love, it's about what makes the wine community happy.

I especially enjoyed chatting with William Moss and Robert Smith as they had helped me stamp out the path I will take in the coming months. It is with this afternoon's event that I have decided to pursue the title of sommelier. To study and soak up the wine culture in preparation for passing the first test toward master sommelier.

To end the trip with a bang I was drawn to a $1 Wheel of Fortune slot machine at the Palazzo on Sunday afternoon and after contibuting $30 to the machine I got to spin the wheel and it came up $1000! YAHOO!

Needless to say we will be back in Vegas next year for UNCORKED 2010!

SONOMA -4- WINE: Raymond Burr Vineyards

Friday March 20th was a great day in wine country. It was a great day to be off from work. Any day for that matter is a great day to skip work but this one was a special one. The sun was out and the breeze was crisp. Blooming flowers and lush green meadows. The wine, oh such joy in a glass. Yes it was a great day in wine country.

Thanks to the folks at Raymond Burr, Ferrari-Carano and RODNEY STRONG for renewing my faith that good wines are still produced in "Wine Country". The amazing aromas and the multi-layer silky tastes of these stars of the Northern region of Sonoma opened my senses and left me feeling comforted. Maybe Sonoma should be my next place of residence?

Raymond Burr Vineyards is a small 14 arce parcel of hillside that produces about 3000 cases a year. They could produce 5000 cases but they are careful to only use the best of the crop to produce a stellar array of wines.

There entire line are a delight and the Cabernet Blend awakes the senses and . Among the wines we enjoyed were the 05 Chardonnay, 05 Cabernet Franc, the 07 Estate Port, and my personal fave the 05 Cabernet Sauvignon. Did I mention the tasting was free. NICE!

Raymond Burr Vineyards has a number of cool parties each year including the Taste of Azores Islands in late September and I hope that we can get a chance to participate.

We enjoyed our lunch on the picnic tables with the sweeping vineyards all around us. A perfect place for a healthy pour of Cabernet Sauvignon and ham & cheese on baguette from Bouchon Bakery.

We even got to take photos with the emmy!

Next Stop Ferrari-Carano.

Blogging

What is blogging to you? To me it is talking about that things that intrigue me for the moment when I find myself intrigued and in a certain amount of depth. With the goal of trying to create as polished a piece as possible so that my readers aren't dissuaded by my incoherence.

This has become my burden and my joy. I can't tell you how many times I have started a post with an idea I find intriguing (there's that word again) only to find myself distracted to the point I cannot complete my thought or find that I don't know how to complete it eloquently.

This is where I have found myself over the last few weeks, instead of trying to put something together I am left with "Sup with you" posts that for me only chronicle the thoughts in my head but do not really exercise my expression.

So the fact is that sometimes I have stuff to say and sometimes I don't. It is my hope that you will stick with me and when I feel the writer in me ready to bust out you will still be there to enjoy.

An old standby is coming up next.

The travelogue.

Doin All Right, Sup with You?

Wine News:
Ordered my first bottle of French wine the other night without the help of the Sommelier. It was actually quite easy as I recognized a region in Burgundy that I had studied in wine class and said "I will take this one". The class has certainly empowered me but also left me humbled when I thought for sure I knew the origin of a particular wine we were blind tasting and got it horribly wrong.

BevMo is having a 5 cent sale and two of the featured wines are among my favorites. Michael Pozzan Cabernet Sauvignon (Special Reserve) and Bridlewood Viognier. Get them while they last!


TV News:
Is 24 the most solid program on TV? They don't unnecessarily stretch story lines out instead choosing to wrap them up in a blaze of glory. Jack Bauer Rules!

Radio:
Monday was the last day of Opie & Anthony on CBS radio. The economy has taken it's toll on radio companies as they trim their expenses and remove all the talent from the air. First KLSX removed their entire talk line up in LA and now O&A in NYC. Top 40 jukeboxes for everyone?

Still O&A will live on in the world of Satellite Radio. I just re-upped my XM sub to avoid the pending price increases and with today's announcement that Sirius XM will be available on iPhone's in the spring the stock is now trading near 20 cents/share. So sign up people! We need the subs!

I attended a Tax Revolt last Saturday in Fullerton and found it quite ironic that the same bunch of people who rallied to put the Governator into office are now trying to get him sacked. It's clear that if your political representatives are not doing what you think is right the only recourse is to recall them. My cynical view on politics sees this as an act of futility as he would just be replaced by another puppet of the California State Legislature.

Politics:
Mr. Obama, where is the change you promised? Is it in the stimulus to spend more money on education & social programs (now that is an original idea from the left) or is it from funding of pet projects that could provide jobs in 2012? The blatant disregard by all the politicos out there to raise taxes in a time when the price of consumer goods are 8.6% higher than last year is alarming and disturbing.

If you were a jelly bean what color would you be?

Bottle Shock

It's a term applied to wine that has been jostled in shipment. Upset by the apple cart the wine becomes unsettled and it is recommended that the wine sit for a few days before drinking as it may not taste its best.

Bottle Shock is a new DVD release that chronicles the struggle of a family winery in 1976 when California wines were just beginning to get recognized by the world. Bill Pullman plays the gruff family patriarch who one by one pushes the people who care about him away as he fights with creditors to keep his dream alive. Chris Pine plays the hippie son Bo who seems more interested in banging the new wine intern (Rachael Taylor) than getting to work on time.

Alan Rickman plays the British owner of a wine shop in Paris that can't seem to generate any business and tires of his freeloader clientele (Dennis Farina). In an attempt to generate business Rickman's character travels to the Napa Valley to discover what the new world has to offer.

Primarily set in beautiful wine country and carefully staged to bring you back to 1976 (I haven't seem a AMC Gremlin in 20 years) this movie is a true delight. A full range of emotions can be had with a denoument that is a landmark in the history of wine. If you loved Sideways you will enjoy this movie.


Reviews in Brief:

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Enough already
Righteous Kill - Is it Turk? Is it Rooster? Who Cares?
Borat - This is one of those movies that if you go back and watch it a second time you will wonder why you laughed the first time.
Hot Fuzz - Lost in translation, and I know how to translate.

My Night in the ER

It was chest pains that brought me. That's a golden ticket to the front of the line in the emergency room. Within minutes I was hooked up to an EKG machine and they had discovered that every so often my heart would have an extra beat. I thought this might be proof that I had rhythm but it sure made me feel poor. I could feel this pain in the center of my chest and was overly aware of the beating from my heart.

What brought me here was fear. Fear in the sense that my Dad had heart disease that resulted in multiple bypass surgeries and my uncle died in his 50's due to a heart attack. Fear that came from the fact that in the previous week I had similar symptoms that I decided to sleep off and ignore. They went away but I knew my body was telling me something and best I hear it.
There was a connection between both events (drinking coffee late in the day) and I wasn't sure if it was caffeine or what was making me feel this way. I just knew I didn't like it.

The ER that night was awash in pain and humor. The woman who came in via paramedics in the fetal position who when asked what was wrong told the doctor that she "didn't feel well" but wouldn't get more specific. The doctor kept shaking her because she keep dosing off as he tried to get to the root of the problem but she was not going to be "Samantha Specific" tonight. She simply responded "Why are you doing that to me" and when he told her he couldn't help her if she didn't tell her what was wrong she responded " I am not having this conversation with you". He swung the curtain all the way open and left her, she promptly feel asleep and snored louder than the two Mexican jabber jaws that broke the silence of the ER.

Then there was the elderly lady who was stretchered in with an oxygen mask whose face was filled with pain but in the morning after getting some basic treatment had no recollection of having difficulty breathing and "felt fine".

These are not the patients you're looking for...

Wine School

Tonight is the second night of the wine class I am taking in Newport Beach. I decided that with some exposure to the science behind wine perhaps I could figure out where I might belong in the industry because I clearly don't belong where I am at. The instructor is young but knowledgeable and I have already learned quite a lot. She is also very personable and I am glad she is teaching the class.

The math of fermentation is Sugar + Yeast = Alcohol + CO2 + Heat.
The sugar comes from the pulp, the yeast & color comes from the skin.

The alcohol content is based on the amount of sugar (partially based on when the grapes are harvested) and the amount of time that the grapes are left to ferment. Fruity/Sweet wines are generally lower in alcohol content than Dry/Tannic / Full body wines as not all the sugar ferments to alcohol. One exception to this is Port because brandy is added to the wine that kicks up it's alcohol content. Sugar left in the wine after the fermentation process is complete is referred to as Residual Sugar. Sulfites are added to both red & white wine as a preservative but organic wines have no preservatives.

This is just some of the goodness I have learned and the primary focus of the first class was learning the method of evaluating wine based on its visual, nose, and taste aspects.

My nose and taste buds have a lot to learn.

It's quite difficult for me to identify the minute elements in a wine and when challenged I cannot tell you whether I smell flowers or fruit or earth. However I can tell you by taste and smell whether I am drinking a Pinot, Merlot, Zin, or Cabernet. Hopefully I will learn better to identify the various essences as we go along.

We had some great wines and the class went a hour over it's set schedule. NICE!

I am looking forward to Class #2

Finally Obama has come back to Washington!

OK, here is where we start "Peoples President".

Our country is in bad shape, we are at war, the economy is in the toilet and Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th President of these United States of America.

I am cautiously optimistic regarding the new commander in chief, it kind of feels like when Arnold became the Governator after that hack was recalled. What was his name? Davis, Al no I mean Gray Davis. That's the ticket. I felt like this with Arnold. He planned to make radical change and unfortunately he fell into the web of the hacks in Sacramento who are currently responsible for disaster that California has become.

President Obama could just as easily fall into this trap but I hope that the current state of our union will help him move an agenda forward of "uniting people from both sides of the aisle". His pledge for an "end to petty greed" while "wasteful programs will end" he will "re-establish trust" in our government.

Can you tell I paid close attention to his speech today?

What I hope is that Obama will take aggressive action to correct the problems we face in 2009 and that he won't be a victim of a group of established bureaucrats who enjoy a nice lunch out each day. I have faced such adversity in my work where my drive to correct things has been perceived and aggressive and threatening to the established hierarchy.

Way to make myself important eh? In the annuls of time the name James Mossman and Barrack Obama will be placed together as two heroes who tried to make a difference.

Hopefully Barack will have better luck than I. "With (our) eyes fixed on the horizon" we will uplift the "noble idea that all are created equal" and have a right "to pursue a measure of happiness".

Black leader you are approved for your bombing run. Watch out for those tie fighters.

Open cheek.
Insert tongue.

Napa 4 Food

The GOOD:
During a recent visit to the Napa Valley Nina & I had the delight of enjoying a nice lunch at the Napa Valley Grille. A combination of breads with olive oil/balsamic vinegar started off the meal. I orders a wine flight called "Red Red Wine" which included an amazingly complex Burgess Syrah. This was followed with a delicious plate of Fritto Misto which consists of fried calamari & rock shrimp and a elaborate collection of vegetables including squash and sour-spicy fried peppercinos. A lovely drizzle of a light rosemary aioli decorated the top of the fried goodness and a hearty puttanesca sauce along the west perimeter of the dish is included for measured combining with the fried bits of heaven. Can you tell I loved this dish? Indeed!
My main dish was the Kobe Burger. It was a melagne of tastes drawn from the aged cheddar, bacon, onion and spicy remoulade. Another delight that paired well with the trio of wines I chose for the afternoon. The dish came with crispy seasoned fries that are among my favorites fries ever.

The best meal of the trip! I will return to the Napa Valley Grill the next time I am in town.


The BAD:
RINGS at the Embassy Suites was horrible. We decided to eat at the hotel because we had spent nearly 10 hours on the road and were not looking to drive around looking for a place. Next time we will not make the same mistake. We could have dropped in at Kelly's No Bad Days Cafe and paid 1/4 of the price for a better meal.


All the rest:
Well Bouchon was a disappointment as the steak I had was uninspired, but their take on gnocchi was quite good. Their Bakery in Yountville has lots of goodies and seems to have a line out the door most times of the day. I recommend the macaroons especially espresso and vanilla flavor. They have good sandwiches too.

On the last day a visit to Kelly's No Bad Day's Cafe was quite good. I enjoyed the BLT salad and wished that I had room for their deserts as they were numerous and looked very delicious.

The wine tasting in NAPA... eh, not that good. Rather sad.

Random Thoughts to Start 2009

Everyone is telling me "I hope this year is better than last" and to be honest it doesn't feel different to me. After a nice two week vacation I am back at my crappy job doing the same crappy stuff. I do plan to transform myself but it's got nothing to do the change in the date.

Are you supposed to tip the guy that shuttles you from the car dealer? What about the one that brings your car out when it's done? I didn't today and I have never before but I got the feeling that someone was looking for a tip. In Oregon it's against the law to pump your own gas so they have attendants to do the job. Since I was there in the cold and snow I felt bad for them so I tipped them nicely. My nephew told me the locals never tip. My nephew works at Starbucks and the workers there depend a lot on tips taken in. So I am rethinking my policy about tipping because I currently think that pouring a cup of coffee is not something that requires a tip. But then again I never get them fancy steamed, swirled, syrup heavy coffee drinks. I only drink black coffee.

I think my wife might be a fart whisperer. When we are awake and I fart she will complain as expected but lately I have discovered that if she is asleep and I fart (as I often do during my morning stretch) that she will comment. It's usually a complaining "mmmm" but the fact that she responds to each and every fart makes me think that there is some kind of communication going on.

Ass: These lactaid pills are great, I can eat dairy and digest it much easier.
Wife: I noticed that you seem healthier and you are ready to shout it out to the world!

Ass: You got that right! I am taking Lactaid 4 - LIFE!
Wife: It's cool that your farts don't smell that bad too. Maybe you can start eating bananas again?

Ass: That would be great! My tummy loves bananas and since I fart already the fact that bananas make me fart won't be noticed.
Wife: And they are a great source of A & D as well as potassium

Maybe I am reading too much into this?

Toward the end of the two week christmas adventure we spend a couple of days in Napa. It has been many years since we actually stayed in Napa and I was looking forward to checkout out what was new. I found that Napa is more a place to eat than for wine. Most of the wines we sampled just didn't have the robust complex flavors that I expect. I was a bit disappointed. The highlight of the trip for me was a visit to the Napa Valley Grill for lunch. I will discuss this visit in specifics in the future post. Stay tuned!

My Ass just told me it's time to get back to work so I will bid you adieu.

Happy New Year

It's those last 20 miles that test your determination

Anytime we take on a challenge is it the jumping in that is hard?
Is it keeping your pace up?
Is it avoiding distractions and keeping focus?
Perhaps its the emotional support from the people that love you?

Last night it was the shits.

Nina and I had just traveled some 960 miles enroute from Fullerton, CA to Portland, OR and my stomach was not happy. I wasn't sure what I had eaten that could cause the distress but the boy was distressed. It was gurgling, and snapping, and popping. It was rice crispies of the intestine.

To make matters worse after 960 miles of clear weather free driving we reached a point where the streets were covered in ice, temperatures were subzero and my X3 was making me question if all wheel drive was enough to get me to my destination.

With the exception of the beautiful snow covered trees of Mt Shasta we didn't see a speck of snow or ice on the ground. Once we came through mountain pass into Salem, Santa's winter wonderland surrounded us. There was no snow falling on us but there was a good 6" base that lit up the sky like daytime. Truly beautiful this snow was. What? Gurgle, spat, ugh.

As we passed the exit to Keiser, OR the home of friends Tish & Bill I said to myself that we should stick to the road despite the repeated calls from my nephew Warren warning of congestion, delays and all around traffic nightmare. He suggested that we stop in Wilsonville for a little while to do some shopping or have dinner while the road cleared up. We didn't make it to Wilsonville.

At Washburn approximately 8 mile (yo Em wassup?) south of Wilsonville traffic came to stop. So the thought of stopping for the night at the local best western seemed like a good idea. I could tell Nina was worried about driving in the snow and if it hadn't been 28 degrees there would probably have been sweat on her brow. But in these temps mini icicles had begun to form on her eyelashes. No rooms at the Inn but if we travel 2 miles the wrong direction we might have a chance at a room at the local fleebag. Nope.

I decided to tough the weather out. I have never driven in the stuff and, oops, what was that? O crap lets hit the restrooms Sweetie! It was horendous.

Imagine the worse stomach flu you ever had. The smell of old fish combined with a trash dump. That gooey stuff that gatherers between your toes when you don't wash your feet for two weeks.

Oh yes it was pleasant.

But I had to suck it up (not literally you sick f's) and trudge through this wonderfull white christmas eve that I had always dreamed of. Yep it was now past midnight so we were ho ho hoing all night.

The radio was no help either. Apparently the state of Oregon does not think it important to have an all news station so trying to find out more info about the weather conditions we were headed toward was not going to happen. Instead we had to listen to an interview with "Uncle Ted" the rocker/gun nut who says if Obama is elected we are all done for. I guess there is no live radio on Dec 23rd.

Our journey ended at 1:45 am after leaving Fullerton at 6:30am. FUN!

No chains on, I had AWD after all. My X3 had some slip and slide last night and Nina was very appreciative once we made it to the safety of her sisters.

Here's to my FIRST White Christmas! Gurgle, churn, spat, ugh.

Much love to all!

Things That Aren't Here Anymore

There was a popular local Newsman in Los Angeles by the name of Ralph Story. Growing up I associated the guy with boredom because it seemed to me that he never talked about anything I cared about. So when Dad watched one of his programs I found something else to do.

This year I discovered a two episode series of Ralph's called "Things that arent here anymore" and the "More things that aren't here anymore". A delightful survey of Southern California attractions that we loved as a kid and no longer exist. I have to say that watching the shows brought back fond memories for me like the time the lion attacked our station wagon at Lion Country Safari or getting bit on the arm by a roaming goose at Busch Gardens. Yes! Those were the "safe and sane" years.

I imagine that in 5 years there will be another series (perhaps helmed by the great Huell Howser) profiling those things that are not around since the collapse of our economic system. It doesn't take a genius to realize that the CDs are running empty at the Local Entertainment Store not to be replenished as the Digital Age is upon us. With the expense of producing goods increasing I see that the era of the "touch and feel" economy will dissappear. We will no longer care about having a solid piece of whatever to show for the money we spend. Could the Quatloo be that far off?

Here is the beginning of my list of "Things that won't be here anymore":

1. The Middle Class.
Shocking as it may seem I believe that as more individuals lose their jobs and more get dumped on the street as a result of foreclosure that the US as we know it will be like many third world countries. There will be Rich and there will be Poor. I think that the US economy has ridden on the backs of the middle class for too long and we are fast approaching the day when the middle class will no longer be able to afford to keep the government afloat and will fail. What side will you be on? Rich or Poor? That is unless we adopt The New Economy.

Wow that's a big one!

I better let that settle in with you before I write "More Things That Aren't Here Anymore".

Birthday

It's just another birthday for me. After the many that have passed in my life the process becomes rather routine. But there are a few attributes to good a birthday.

1. Any birthday that includes a party is a good one. I don't much like getting presents (at least not as much as when I was a spoiled kid) but I like spending time with my friends and family on such an occasion. And when the only person in my life who has EVER been able to surprise me succeeds, well it makes it all that more fun.
2. Birthdays celebrated in Vegas are always cool because you hope that you will be extra lucky. Not as such for me at the online poker table last night. Vegas is great for birthdays because you can let loose, drink too much, and no one will be the wiser.
3. When your company gives you the day off for your birthday, it's always a good birthday. I don't know why more companies don't do this as it makes people feel like their employers care about them eventhough they clearly don't.
4. A birthday that lands on a Friday or Saturday is always better than birthdays during the work week because no matter how much fun they are you always know that tomorrow you have to come back to this stinking place.
5. Birthdays when you are kid and your parents are not divorced are probably the best birthdays. They are almost magical sometimes. It's on a day like today especially that I miss my Mom & Dad. They were gems.

To all those out there that have birthdays may your birthday be great

What are you thankful for?

For the most part my blog is about me. It's about my thoughts my feelings my adventures and my trials. But today I want it to be about you.

I want the few out there who regularly read my blog (and I know it's a small bunch) to open up your hearts and minds and tell me what you are thankful for.

As those of you who have good reading comprehension know this is the day two years ago when my Dad left this earth. At first I thought it was sad that I didn't realize he was my hero until he died but today I honor him as I do everyday as being the guy who gave me the guidance to find the wisdom I have today. I love you DAD and you will always be in my heart and mind.

Some things I am thankful for:

• My beautiful, caring, fun and adventurous wife Nina. She makes my sun rise in the morning and makes even the most diffcult day one of love and to be remembered.
• My friends and family who have supported me and enriched my life
• The challenges that life has brought me that keep me ever learning, ever growing
• The folks who produce the Syrah, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel especial in Santa Ynez and Paso Robles
  
• Opie & Anthony - they keep me sane and make me laugh through the longest day at work
• My Poker Buddies

The list is endless for me. I am very thankful for what I have and what I am.

It interesting to note that for the last 3+ years I have worked in a less than positive environment, for and with people that are selfish and jealous, never understanding why I am a victim to this situation.

I think I figured out why on this day of thanks.

I was put in a hostile, negative environment to open my eyes to the joys I have outside of work. To cherish that which makes up my life and does not dictate it. To appreciate that it's those who I love and care about and choose to spend my time with that matter, no matter if it's a small percentage of my time spent of earth. It makes this quality time more special to me.

Now that I have reached this catharsis it is time to MOVE ON!

I encourage your comments. Don't be shy! Let your voice be heard!

Happy Thanksgiving one and all!

Smoke gets in the Office Space

I guess I shouldn't have taken my daily walk today. The sky seems pretty clear and the air doesn't smell as bad as yesterday but when my trip was complete I was left with a headache to the power of Tylenol sinus. Alas it will pass soon just to be replaced with the stress of dealing with my co-workers here at Dunder Mifflin West.

Here's what we got:

The old dude who thinks he deserves respect because he's old. This guy will go on and on about subjects that most of the general population doesn't know a thing about to impress them that he knows something when he is really just blowing smoke. I figured him out early on when he informed everyone that the word Tiramisu was based on the root word "Terra" meaning earth because it is traditionally made of sponge cake covered in espresso so that it looks like a cross section of the earth.

The "C" level manager that worked his way up from the assembly line to the Board of Directors yet never took a management class in his life and thus does not know how to relate to or manage people. The guy that loves to impress people with sophisticated concepts like "metaphors" and can never admit to being "wrrr", "wrrron", wrong.

The mid-level manager who got dumped into his role by accident and got the responsibility but no raise and no new title. He's the guy that the "C" level dude dumps is trash on. While the mid-level dude fears the people below him who might know more than he and has no concept of what half of people in his department do and thus cannot properly evaluate them. He has to do what he can to keep the smart people below him at bay and in turn they are not utilized for their full worth while he promotes "the old guy" to unknown heights of incompetence and failure.

The twenty-ish "supervisor" who management likes because she is cute and personable. Truth is she is smart and she thinks she is ready to run the department but lacks the necessary training & experience to handle such a role. She doesn't realize that the reason she is getting kudos from management is because they are using her to advance their agenda at half the cost of a qualified supervisor. Some lessons cannot be taught in school and must be learned through experience.

Then there's the guy who has but one thing left that his truely his, the red stapler, and it's just a matter of time before they take it away from him.

Goodbye Grandma

It seems that November is the month when people die.

November 6, 1992 was Mom.
November 27, 2006 was Dad.
November 9, 2008 was Grandma.

One of the things that made my Grandma's passing different was that she was ready. She had lived almost 93 years, had outlived all of her friends and many of her family. She had experienced many things and had a life that after my Grandfather died in the 70's she dictated all on her own. In a way this power isolated her as she was never the one to "go along" with the crowd.

Some things I will never forget about her:

• The Denver Opera "in the Round"
  
• Her Paintings and the way her and my Mom encouraged me to explore the fine arts
• The way she would make this sound like she was sucking wind (Suss!) when I would drive her around town and not hit the brake when she thought I should
• The little pig magnet on her fridge that said "He who indulges, bulges"
  
• Her tight purse strings (I didn't say they were all complimentary)
• How she would always have a 5pm cocktail break which consisted of Cutty Sark on the rocks and a small bowl of popcorn which she would purchase already popped in a big bag from the King Soupers.
• How she would never call, or write me if I didn't call or write to her first and how she would never leave a message on them new-fangled answering machines
  
• The fact that every year before and after Mom died I would go to see her and all I would hear was how much she loved and appreciated my brother who seldom visited

Her passing is a bit strange for me because there was a time that I was very close to her but not so much in the last few years. For the most part I have fond memories of her and I will never forget her and how she contributed to my life. How after my parents divorced and my Mom moved back home to Denver she cared for my Mom and how my Mom took care of her.

I hope that she had fond memories for me.

My Night with the A-Rabs

"You know the bible is just like the koran" mumbled the pasty faced, rather tall, hippie lady as she tried to pass off her literature just outside the venue. It seemed that though she was quite demure she still had an agenda with a passion to turn those hate filled Muslims. And what better place but the annual middle eastern festival in Garden Grove, California.

The hippy chick was not the only one there with an agenda. Also in attendance were recruiters from the FBI and CIA. In large blowup enclosures with phrases on the side like "Secret Missions Start Here" and "Your Future is Our Future" but most important was "If you don't speak another language don't bother". I have to think that if I was a young fit arab man I could make some serious bucks spying on my countrymen. It's a wonder there was not a line of folks at these booths, not there wasn't a lot of countrymen to witness the start of the betrayal.

There was a good selection of food including kebob, falafel, and the best humus I have ever tasted. It was interesting to see the large quantities of hookah's. A hookah is a special pipe for smoking flavored tobacco. One booth had dozens of flavors including key lime, blackberry, and spice. Did you know that Salma Hayek is half Lebanonese? Well you can imagine there were a number of her sisters there as well. For how the Muslim faith is protrayed as very conservative there was a lot of skin showing and one booth that was all about sexy music videos.

My Cambodian wife when faced with the looks are stares of the various festival-goers said "I feel out of place/unwelcome". I told her "welcome to my world". It seems that there are few places that I go which make me feel welcome and with the exception of a couple people who I gave money to when I made purchases the rest didn't seem to want me around.

I couldn't help but notice that there was a number of attractive young girls (late teen early twenties) who were draped in Palestinian flags or had those checkered bandanas ala Yassar Arafat tied around their heads. I understand pride in hertitage and "country first" but given the fact that most of the time I see someone with this garb on it's in a terrorist message on Al Jazerra I wonder what message is being sent. I didn't ask these ladies as not to offend, after all I was an outsider in their territory but it makes think that either al Qaida or Hezbola is recruiting more effectively than the FBI or CIA or these head dresses mean something else.

It could be that the reason we did not feel welcome at the festival is because it is a place where Middle Eastern folks can be comfortable with each other and not have to feel they have to present a different persona as they perhaps do outside the confines of this grassy area. I like experiencing other cultures I just hope that these cultures under King Obama will be more open to welcoming me. Maybe if I wear an Obama 2008 badge on as I walk around town others will hug me more?

Nah.

Obama Day 2

Thanks to Howard Stern we have some audio that validates my conclusion that people do not vote based on the issues. And perhaps they only voted based on skin color.

Also the dude is like only a quarter black but clearly the black community loves him.

Enjoy: Why Are You Voting for Obama?

Looks like Wall Street doesn't like him so far (take tongue, insert into cheek)

Before you pass me off as a right-wing conservative I would point out the following:

• I support gay marriage
• I support a women's right to choose
• I support stem cell research

But I aint no dummy, dummy

And in support of the coming together of the United States under President Obama when I get home tonight I plan to find my neighbors yappy kick-around dog and sacrifice him.

Obamanation

IT'S DONE!

No more can the USA be declared a racist country because a black man is now president.

What other things are off the table now?

• 40 acres and a mule
• Reparations
  
• Getting to work on time
• The glass ceiling
• "The Man"
• The Struggle
• The correct way to refer to blacks
  
• Any other race centered excuses for not succeeding

"My friends" you now have what you always wanted. A "somewhat" black man is now president. Did anyone see his recently passed white grandmother by the way? But yet he is black, he married a black woman, has black children. The dude is black so you win, the white man loses and we can all live in harmony now. :-)

Any of you reading this that think the reason that Obama won was because of his stance on the issues are just kidding yourself.

Any of you who think he won because he held the banner of "CHANGE" high are ignoring the fact that every candidate from the opposite party in a presidential election rides that Change banner like an angry mule in the 40 acres of desert.

Any of you that think the reason he won was because he is black. Well you guys are right.

And who wouldn't want the job? I mean the guy gets to take the blame for further bloodshed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The truth his he won't bring the troops home in 60 days as he previously promised. And the economy he has inherited? What a prime time to be president when you get to take the blame for a failure like the current state of wall street and the sub-prime mortgage disaster. The fact is the president has little to do with destroying or saving the economy and when one of the political pundits last night said that under Obama the economy would start coming back in 6 months I laughed. Yeah and so will the troops.

The biggest hypocrate of the night has to be Jesse Jackson. After this money hungry scumbag called Obama "the N word" in a candid moment less than six months ago he is standing there crying at the success that is President Obama. The dude was crying because it isn't President Jackson on that stage. This guy is an example of what's wrong in this world. Hopefully the age of Obama will mean the end of the Jackson era. At the very least.

And to you conservative middle class idiots that voted for this guy I hope you enjoy the higher taxes that your buddy Obama will impose on you. How can anyone possibly think that in a economy of federal bailout that the individual would get his taxes cut and not see them go the other way (higher for you slow people)? You are a bunch of fools and you will pay (literally) when this liberal leader and his liberal senate and liberal house start taking your money and giving it to all those programs that support people who would rather depend on government assistance than go get a job at the local BK.

And mark my words, by this time next year when all those people who thought Obama would change their lives and make it ok for them to miss a mortgage payment discover that nothing has changed you will hear a lot of pissed off people. It's going to get ugly.

Where did Hillary disappear to?

THE NEW ECONOMY

Yippee! The stock market is up 11% today! We are back baby! We hit bottom and now there's no where else to go but up!

Well maybe not.

I don't want a tax cut. I don't want rebate check. I want a pay raise. A big one.

I want the government to cut corporate taxes so that businesses can create new jobs and afford to pay their employees what they deserve. So that they can keep the good people that they have invested in and not have to find and train new people every couple years. It's time to end the "we will pay them no more than we have to" philosophy that has turned the workplace into a place we dread and more into a new challenge if not adventure each day.

Economic stimulus does nothing. That check we got earlier in the year didn't help anything.

I don't want a tax cut. I don't want a rebate. I want a raise.

Don't companies realize that if they don't pay market levels for the folks they hire that they will lose them?

If industry pays their employees more the employees will pay more taxes, they will buy more crap on the weekends and in the end the economy grows. THE NEW ECONOMY.

In the not so distant future companies will have to pay their employees more just to survive.

THAT'S RIGHT! PAY ME MORE = KEEP YOUR BUSINESS OPEN

A change is coming and it's not coming from Washington, it's coming out of necessity

THE NEW ECONOMY is on the horizon