HuttLuv.

Well, looky here!  Here I am sitting in the early morning sun of the Hutt Valley, just outside Wellington.  Yesterday was a VERY long day for me, as the flight staff woke everyone up at about 2am NZ time.  I got into Auckland about 4:15am, and did the whole immigration/bio security thing.  And then I had to WALK the 12 minutes between the international terminal and domestic terminal at the BIGGEST AIRPORT IN THE COUNTRY.  They have no train/tram/or visible bus.

But I jokingly complained about that enough yesterday.

I got into Welly, had breakfast, went for a run in the warm weather around the Lower Hutt, took a nap of 2 hours, and then got on making Thanksgiving dinner.

The stuffing was great, the asparagus PERFECT, and the pavlova transcendental.  The Davie family and friends were wonderful company.  I am thankful for having them in my life.

We just chatted until I crashed about 10pm, and got a good night's sleep.  I'm running errands today in the city, and look forward to having my hair become "windswept."

NZ

I am in New Zealand suckers!

Drawings=Cash Money

This is the best way to pay your bills:

With a drawing of a seven legged spider.

PackMule

I'm packing today!

I have to sort out my camping stuff to take, get my clothes in order, etc.

I was asked, how does one pack for 3 months of travel?

I answered, "the same as one week, you just do more laundry."

I don't think this person travelled much....

Weekend Update

This weekend was a real hoot as they say in some places. They don't say it here though.

Friday I had brunch with Chris, after his arrival from Japan. I'd love to tell some great story about him modelling in Japan, but alas, that story is mine and he was just there on business. I pointed out that he's the only one I know that eats corned beef hash for breakfast, and he pointed that I'm the only one HE knows who eats biscuits and gravy....mine is tastier.....
Friday night the bad weather came in while I was eating uninspired Italian food with Emily. We then rolled to the Zoo, the Eastlake Zoo Tavern that is, and played long-ass games of pool.
After that, we waited at Bush Garden for Aki and his girl, who were in town for a conference Saturday. We were treated to some INCREDIBLE karaoke talent at Bush Garden (Bump n Grind by R. Kelly was on point).
But none of that matched me when we went to Venus Karaoke, and I sang a ton in the private booths. Waylon, Elvis, A-Ha, Haddaway, and "a whole new world" from Aladdin were all hits.

Saturday was finishing up my Empire business. I am officially retired from that enterprise. I can now say I'm a small business entrepreneur as opposed to an owner....
In the afternoon, I travelled with Emily to Whidbey Island, tracing much of the same route I did with Damon when he visited me a little over a year ago. Back home for dinner and a movie, and an earlier bed time than Cal bragged about on her most recent blog post! (9:30)

Sunday, today, was to be spent cutting down a large tree with my dad, but he got cold feet, and we did some other cutting of wood instead. I was all gung-ho about it, and was quite disappointed I didn't get to use the chain saw....
We went disc golfing, and I lost one in the water, right after my dad said, "don't throw it in the water!" I owe him a new disc. After that we played pool and drank a beer, and watched the football game. I also learned how to play backgammon.

Phew. Tomorrow I'm driving to Seattle to sell some Alfa Romeo parts I've had in my possession since I had my Alfa...how many years ago? 5 I think....

Later.

So Fresh and Clean

You noticed it already:  A brand-spanking-new format.  Props to T-Bones McGillicutty, aka Trever Santora for transforming my blog from looking like something millions of people have to a custom-with-drawn-by-me art.  Notice the tattoo?

I'm going to Seattle for the weekend- hopefully going on a hike on Saturday, provided that it's not snowing too heavily up in them thar hills known as the Cascade mountains!

Talk to y'all later!

Olympia.

I am currently kickin' it old school style in my home town of Olympia.  It's the longest spell I've spent here in probably 4 or 5 years.  It's changed a lot in some areas, and it's still the same in others.  I guess that's nothing special....

I went down to Portland to see my friend Meghan this last weekend.  I hadn't seen her in over 2 years, which blows my mind.  She had wanted to come up to Seattle for Halloween/Macho Madness, but was unable to get her shift the day after covered.  So I suggested that I go down there, and bring my costume, and then we could go out to celebrate Halloween.  After dinner (choucroute with 4 kinds of pork in it!), and many drinks of a Portland made apple brandy (very nice/very strong) with a High Life back (very classy) I dressed up.  And then Madness happened.  Pictures below:

And then we went out into the night, with me using my unique combination of ridiculous charm/mild harassment on the ladies.

And then the worst hang-over in a long time.  A pic with Meghan right before I left:

She's wearing the great Engrish shirt I bought her in Japan when I was 20....

Now I'm back in Oly, tying up loose ends, working in the yard for my dad, running, and working on my future project(s).  I feel like....hmmm....is it vacation, or just this weird "limbo" period?  I don't know.

...And we're back!

I'm back from my New England trip visiting family and friends.  It was unusually warm too- almost 70 degrees one day in Syracuse.  And mostly sunny, although it was about 2 weeks behind the prime New England leaf color.  (But I found 1 tree to take a photo of....)

Anyways, up in Syracuse, I hung out with my great friend Aki, and his wonderful girlfriend Vanessa.  We went to a German dinner and pub quiz the night I got there.  Pub quiz was hard- I think designed for people who are going to a major university for an advanced degree (Aki is in law school).  Also done in "The 'Cuse" were watching a trouncing in flag football, making some dinner for a bunch of people, reading "The Island of Dr Moreau" for the 1st time, and going to a place called Funk 'n Waffles.

I then returned to Hartford to stay with my grandparents and see my Mom's family.  I had an assortment of aunts, uncles and cousins to see over the days, and we enjoyed fine meals together.  It was good to catch up with this side, since I see them once every 2 years on average...

And now I'm back.  It's the beginning of the last days for me.  Time will fly quickly, I know.  I feel like my schedule the next 2 weeks is already full, but I know there'll be plenty of time wasted on the internets for example...

But the last days, sad for some I know this, but for others....well, let's just say that they'd better be ready for THIS.

Waffles and I'm just funky.

With Aks the Fox

Cheerleading with the dog, Remy

Duh.

Away from Seattle

I'm currently on vacation back east. I've seen an old friend up in Syracuse, and am in Hartford, CT with my family. Not much else in terms of exciting things-I'll blog when I get home on Thursday...
Enjoy yourselves.

OBAMA!

We are AMAZING.

America, my faith in thee is re-deemed!

6 Time Heavy Weight Champion of the World!

With my friend Nicole, the dead doll that was loved too much.

OH YE-AH!!!

MADNESS.

That's really only the only term to use to describe Friday nights' action.  Pure madness.

I left for the party at 8:30, and was on the early side of the guest arrival.  As an side note, the party was a block away from my old house in Montlake.

I went with my friend Nicole, who was dressed as a doll who got "loved too much."  The party featured 5 bands, opening with a banjo/fiddler combo.  The banjo player was a 30 year old professor from UW I was told.  Then the people started showing up, and I became, well, let's just say the only thing I could be described as is, "on fire."

Macho Madness started fights (with lots of foot stomping enhanced punches), told stories (I will not eat green eggs and ham Sam I Am! Yeah!  Uh-Huh!), to a screen test with Sofia Coppola (To be, or not to be, that is the question! Oh-Yeah!  Uh-Huh!) and just generally captivating audiences.

All with half of a bottle of Fighting Cock brand bourbon.  It's what kept my throaty voice possible all night.

There are other tales to tell I suppose, but they'll be best done justice to your face, as opposed to here....

One last note:  When I started chatting up the hottest Sarah Palin at the party (there were 2 or 3 uninspired women....) I told here that as my tag-team partner, if I got killed she could have my heavy weight championship title without ever needing to challenge for it!  Her boyfriend/Worst McCain ever didn't like that much.....Republicans, whad'ya ganna do?!?

Empty

I'm sitting in my room which seems 98% empty.  And as soon as I wrote that sentence, the song I'm listening to had the words, "seems like I'm running on empty."  Funny.

Yeah, today I got up early and started the long day:  Take the biggest load to Oly, go to the goodwill, sell my bed, and drop a couple of things off at friend's houses.  And glue all my tassels on my costume.

As Morgue suggested, tomorrow I  become a full time Macho Man!

And clean.

Last Day.

I get to go into my last day at work in a few moments.  I am excited, to be sure.  Tomorrow:  Unemployment!

Went to a great dinner on Monday, but  was be blown away at how much it cost.  And I didn't even have to pay a dime- I was taken out by the chef of the club, and it got expensed...but seriously, what's the deal with chefs just over-charging by so much?  I would never take someone there, if I was going to be the one to pay.

Going back.....to the future!

I've been long over due in mentioning this here, but to some they know already:

This will be the condensed version of my tale.

I am selling my ice cream company.  I decided this a long time ago.  My life had some changes in it, that made me put everything under the microscope, and I realized that I'm the kind of person who needs to have all my successes mine, and all my failures mine too.  I cannot deal well with people who don't live up to my expectations.  So I knew then that I had to start on a solo project.

I also grew tired of my pay job, and realized I was going stagnant there.  I gave notice that I was leaving, and have 3 days left on my tenure.  They are losing the best sous chef that they ever had, as they claim, but my contention is this:  I just did the job.

For the month of November I am camping, traveling to visit family on the East Coast, and hanging out with my family in Olympia.  The day after Thanksgiving, I get on a plane to New Zealand.  I will be there at least until February.  I have little in the terms of definite plans for NZ; mostly I am going because I feel like arriving there will end "the current chapter" of my life (which has seen tremendous highs and crappy lows...).

So I look to the future!

Undecided

David Sedaris in the New Yorker on undecided voters:

"To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”
To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."

Yes.

So my friend CP tipped me off on this:

A guy who is a baseball statistician of the highest caliber- Baseball Prospectus*, has been blogging about the election using algorithms he's created.  Obama has a 96.3% chance of winning, based on simulations in conjunction with polls and looking at the electoral college!

*Baseball Prospectus, sometimes abbreviated as BP, is a think tank focusing on sabermetrics, the statistical analysis of the sport of baseball. Baseball Prospectus has fathered several popular new statistical tools which have become hallmarks of baseball analysis. 

And that's why you're just visiting!

See what boredom finds you at work!

I may have to admit I have a problem if I'm still posting Macho Man clips in another month.

3.14159265..........

I'm eatin' ma pie that I made last night for breakfast. Is there really anything finer than a cup of joe and a slice of pie for breakfast? Well, sure, there probably is, but it's simplicity is brilliant!
I made an apple pie after I devoured my crunchy tacos for dinner. Man, those take me back to the day!
Back to the pie!

Free Time? What is this??!?!

This was such a strange weekend for me- there was no ice cream work to do. With the season being over, I had Saturday completely free, and the morning of Sunday open. I was overwhelmed with "free time." What does one do with this stuff? It made me almost uncomfortable, I've become so unaccustomed to it...
Friday night I went out with some friends to a reggae/hip-hop show, and that was pretty fun. The whole crowd was different than the other shows I usually go to, but it was super positive, and everyone I met through my friend who brought me out there was cool.
Saturday was college football/working on my costume/dinner party. Lazily paced for sure.
Yesterday, after some morning laze, I worked at the pay-job, then left to have beers with a friend from work at the pub across the street. After seeing the Hawks get smoked (they truly are pathetic this year), and the Red Sox lose to the Rays in the ALCS, we were depressed (by the way, setting up the least exciting World Series Ever, Philly vs Tampa Bay).
So, Mike called his friend thats the chef de cuisine at Tilth, a fine dining establishment, and we closed that place down over the best meal I've probably had this year.
I capped off the meal with an AMAZING '68 Madeira, that was so sexy, I proclaimed "I want a cologne that smells like this."
And then I had some bourbon too....(for a total of 2 digestifs)
It was a grand Sunday night, and this post will not do it justice now!