Get ready for some of the best TV of the year:
A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the Portland area, and full Storm Team Coverage cannot be far behind. Better get those gloves and hat out of the hamper, Sussman, I expect to see you out in it. You too Zaffino. I’ll be in front of a fire, sipping wine and watching you tell me about the icy armageddon outside.
Why do I have such a crush on her? 80 McNuggets in five minutes, that’s why. Better get training, CFO.
Sunday night I was on my deck cooking some steaks when I heard a rustling right behind me. I jumped and spun around. It was dark and rainy, and I had only a half-assed electric lantern outside with me. It did not put out enough light to penetrate the gloom. I could see big dark shapes, and heard something heavy moving, but couldn’t see what it was. Deer? Coyote? Sasquatch? Then they came closer . . .
Turned out that a family of these buggers was watching me and eyeing my dinner from only about 8 feet away:
Those rodents were looking to get some BBQ, but the CEO was not in a sharing mood. They were not at all afraid of me, that’s for sure: I illuminated them with my zillion candlepower spotlight (I call it Spotty) and they barely flinched. While standing between the meat and the family of thieves, I cracked open the kitchen door and asked the CFO to please run out to the garage and get me a 5 iron. She brought back a 3 wood. I shook my head. Women.
Once the vermin saw that I was armed they retreated, but I had a case of “Bionic Ear” for the rest of the night: every little rustle, every twig cracking, every leaf falling — I heard each sound very clearly. I only spun around in a kung-fu crouch for two or three of them though.
Oh, General Tsao, you’re a bloodthirsty foe, but your chicken is delectable
There is a Chinese place near my office where I occasionally get lunch. The woman who runs it might think she’s speaking English, but I know I do, and I can’t understand a single word she says. I always phone in my order ahead of time; the call goes something like this:
“Herro, xianging fa mao su mushu da?
“One order of General Tsao’s Chicken please, to go”
“Shouwen zixi bushou ma”
“Uh, OK, thank you.”
Whatever we are saying to each other, it seems to work: fifteen minutes later my lunch is always waiting for me there.
LOS ANGELES Nov 25, 2005 — Actor Pat Morita, best known for helping teach a boy martial-arts mastery through household chores as the wise Mr. Miyagi in “The Karate Kid,” has died. He was 73.
The Karate Kid movie is every wannabe ninja parent’s dream. I plan to show it to the Jr VP as many times as it takes for him to wax my car and be happy about it. He’s training, after all. Now come look at this old fence . . .
Your crane style is still strong, Miyagi-san:
In my quest for ever increasing laziness, it’s rare that the CFO has constructive advice for me. In fact many of the things she proposes, promotes, or otherwise plans distinctly involve non-laziness on the CEO’s part. So I was pleasantly suprised by her latest suggestion for Kjel.org: Dream Dinners
Dream Dinners is a place that sells uncooked take-away meals. They supply all the ingredients and containers, and you go in and make the meals, according to recipes they provide. We loaded up our freezer with 12 of them last week. I was skeptical at first, but we’ve eaten four of them so far, and all have been very good. And so easy: normal cooking instructions are along the lines of: 1) Remove dinner from freezer; 2) Place dinner in oven; 3) Remove dinner from oven; 4) Eat. The perfect amount of effort for a lazy CEO.
Is there a chance the track could bend?
Seattle Times: Monorail collision result of hazard created during 1988 track redesign
I’d bet there are similar monorails in Ogdenville, North Haverbrook and Brockway.
When did the term “Black Friday” come into common use to denote the Friday after Thanksgiving? Papers and TV news, both local and national, are throwing the term around like it’s a common phrase. I don’t think I’ve heard it before this year, and I’d prefer not to hear it again. Our nation already has a “Black Monday” and several other “Black” days. They all sucked. Do we really need another?
This just in: Canadians are insane
OTTAWA, CANADA (PRWEB) November 24, 2005 — A former Canadian Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister under Pierre Trudeau has joined forces with three Non-governmental organizations to ask the Parliament of Canada to hold public hearings on Exopolitics — relations with “ETs.” By “ETs,” Mr. Hellyer and these organizations mean ethical, advanced extraterrestrial civilizations that may now be visiting Earth.
On September 25, 2005, in a startling speech at the University of Toronto that caught the attention of mainstream newspapers and magazines, Paul Hellyer, Canada’s Defence Minister from 1963-67 under Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prime Minister Lester Pearson, publicly stated: “UFOs, are as real as the airplanes that fly over your head.” Mr. Hellyer went on to say, “I’m so concerned about what the consequences might be of starting an intergalactic war, that I just think I had to say something.”
Hellyer revealed, “The secrecy involved in all matters pertaining to the Roswell incident was unparalled. The classification was, from the outset, above top secret, so the vast majority of U.S. officials and politicians, let alone a mere allied minister of defence, were never in-the-loop.”
Hellyer warned, “The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning. He stated, “The Bush administration has finally agreed to let the military build a forward base on the moon, which will put them in a better position to keep track of the goings and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them, if they so decide.”
No shit we are going to shoot them, they’re goddamned aliens. Have movies taught you nothing, Mr. Hellyer? And if not the U.S., then who? The Canucks are obviously not up to the task; they can barely deal with the mutants in the Forbidden Zone as it it.
I for one salute the Bush administration for their forethought and preparedness regarding the alien menace. I’ve been advocating a military moon base for years now; I’m glad someone finally listened.
The Jr. VP is getting bitey, more so than he has ever been. Some mornings both me and the CFO have mysterious two-pronged marks on our necks, and come to think of it, I’ve never seen Jr’s reflection in a mirror. It’s pretty obvious what he is becoming.
This deck fire brought to you by Kjel.org
One hour and fifteen minutes to get from the HQ to just the state of Washington yesterday at 2:30. Suck.
I envy the Chief Educator’s Thanksgiving more and more each year. Kjel.org is sponsoring the event this year even though it cannot attend. In return for providing a bird I received naming rights for the turkey fryer. I would have chosen the table, but the feast is traditionally consumed on TV trays, in front of several TV’s. No table involved.
Finding toys that entertain the Jr. VP is a tough job: he’d much rather play with the stove or an electrical outlet than with some dorky plastic baby toy. Fortunately, there are lists like this, detailing all the types of toys kids love. Some lucky boy has a birthday coming up . . .
Word comes today that the CEO will be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Finally.
Turns out that the Chief Academic for Kjel.org has it in his power to nominate worthy persons to the Nobel committee; the CEO has secured from him a promise to do so. I just hope he is not too lazy to make it happen.
I’ll pick the ticks off of him
Another great picture of the Jr. VP, this time as a newborn.
Anyone know where the Pullman rep for Kjel.org was?
WSU coach Bill Doba on the fracas at midfield after the Apple Cup:
Doba said the people who appeared to him to be “going nuts” at midfield were WSU students rather than players and that “the majority of them smelled of alcohol.”
Well duh.
As much as I love the Jr. VP, I applaud and completely agree with the owner of this place:
CHICAGO — Bridget Dehl shushed her 21-month-old son Gavin, then clapped a hand over his mouth to squelch his tiny screams amid the Sunday brunch bustle. When Gavin kept yelping “yeah, yeah, yeah,” Dehl quickly whisked him from his highchair and out the door.
Right past the sign warning the cafe’s customers that “Children of all ages have to behave and use their indoor voices when coming to A Taste of Heaven,” and right into a nasty spat roiling the stroller set in Chicago’s changing Andersonville neighborhood.
The owner of A Taste of Heaven, Dan McCauley, said he posted the sign — at child level, with playful handprints — in the hope of quieting his tin-ceilinged cafe, where toddlers have been known to sprawl between tables and hurl themselves at display cases for sport.
But many neighborhood mothers took umbrage at the implied criticism of how they handle their children. Soon, whispers of a boycott passed among the playgroups in this North Side hamlet, once an outpost of edgy artists and hip gay couples but now a hot real estate market for young professional families shunning the suburbs.
“I love people who don’t have children who tell you how to parent,” said Alison Miller, 35, a psychologist, corporate coach and mother of two. “I’d love for him to be responsible for three children for the next year and see if he can control the volume of their voices every minute of the day.”
“Corporate Coach.” Heh heh heh heh.
McCauley, 44, said the protesting parents are “former cheerleaders and beauty queens” who “have a very strong sense of entitlement.” In an open letter to the community, he warned of an “epidemic” of anti-social behavior.
“Part of parenting skills is teaching kids they behave differently in a restaurant than they do on the playground,” McCauley said. “If you send out positive energy, positive energy returns to you. If you send out energy that says I’m the only one that matters, it’s going to be a pretty chaotic world.”
And so simmers another skirmish between the childless and the child-centered, a culture clash increasingly common in restaurants and other public spaces as a new generation of busy, older, well-off parents ferry little ones with them.
I keep Jr. bound up like Hannibal Lecter when we are out in public, to avoid just this sort of thing.
New York, New York sandwiches and calzones have always been the traditional Kjel.org meal for football watching. However, the Chief Photographer got a calzone this weekend and was a bit disappointed. Sure, it tasted good, but a few years ago they both tasted good and were the size of a frisbee, and not one of those cheapy give-away frisbees either. Pat’s lucky I’m too afraid of him to ever complain. Sounds like maybe I should try the pizza — this is from ExtraMSG, a Portland food blog:
Pat Desiervi has the thickest New York accent I’ve seen outside a Sopranos episode. And with one of his slices in your mouth and one of his humorous anecdotes in your ears, you might just think you are in New York.
The restaurant is just south of the Terwilliger exit off I-5 on Barbur. It’s a small half-restaurant, half-bar, that only sells slices during lunch and sells out quickly.
They’re the best slices I’ve had in town, yet. The crust is too thin to be rigid, but is cooked until slightly blistered underneath and around the edges. The extra cooking enhances its flavor.
The sauce is thin but assertive, with both depth and tanginess. The cheese is flavorful with enough salt to keep it from being bland. Toppings are good as well. Pepperoni is spicy, sweet, and meaty. Mushrooms are sauteed before going on a slice to reduce water and add flavor. Like Escape, slices can be greasy. But it’s a flavorful grease.
Slices are gigantic, but also spendier than most places, starting at $3, plus $1 for each additional topping.
If you ever want to be entertained, try to convince your dining companion to special-order something vegetarian from Pat. Go on, just try it. You won’t be disappointed.
Jr. VP got his first real haircut on Saturday. He had the same reaction to it I have when I’m being attacked by a swarm of killer bees: a small tantrum. My barber did the best he could under the circumstances, but Jr. now looks a bit like Lloyd Christmas.
The CEO’s account of his recent time in Florida has been called into question by certain Kjel.org afficionados. “4 for 4? No way. Gin, cheese, chorizo, and dancers comma exotic? I don’t believe it.”
Believe it, muchacho:
Take a look at this, at least the the first three paragraphs and then the last couple. Yeah, I stayed past midnight. Yeah, I know Schilling, he sent me a rum cake last year for Christmas. No, I didn’t get in his limo.
More good news! Thanks to the fine folks at Tree Tools, I am not just a part-time zombie, but now a part-time zombie with a working chainsaw! Kick ass!
Dark forces have been subdued and harmony restored across the land. All hail WSU, the one true King.
Below is Trandon Harvey running to daylight, landing the killing blow. The play worked because when the ball was snapped the UW was still lining up on D and “weren’t ready for it” according the WSU QB Alex Brink.
Out-thunk by the Cougs, that’s gotta hurt. Chew on that for a while Fuskies.
I’d like to party with Mike Price
Former WSU coach Mike Price in the PI today:
“What’s it mean when you’ve got three Huskies stuck in a box up to their necks in cement?” Price asked. “It means you need more cement.”
If you’re gonna put a peanut butter jar in the microwave, first check to make sure that the metal foil from around the rim is completely removed: otherwise, it might set off fireworks in your microwave.
No particular reason that this just occurred to me.
WSU crushed the Huskies in the 1992 Apple Cup, played during a blizzard in Pullman. That game is being shown again on Fox Sports Northwest tonight at 7:30. Don’t miss Shaumbe Wright-Fair making a snow angel in the end-zone after one of his touchdowns.
Why are there now handcuffs on my bed?
In the last month the CFO has witnessed two episodes of sleepwalking by the CEO. Most recently a few nights ago I apparently got out of bed at about 2:30, went into the Jr. VP’s room and began repeatedly opening and closing his drawers. Eventually the CFO came out to ask me what I was doing, and I literally couldn’t tell her. She suggested that I go back to bed, and after another minute or so I did. I remember none of it.
I’m pretty sure I’ve been a sleepwalker for most of my life. I remember waking up in the middle of the night in other rooms or in the hall outside my bedroom when I was pretty little, like 9 or 10. It happened a small number of times that I remember up through high school, and then even less often since then. How would I know though for certain if I had been sleepwalking if I don’t wake up, as apparently I’m able to return to bed while doing it?
Wikipedia on sleepwalking:
Sleepwalking (also called noctambulism or somnambulism) is a sleep disorder where the sufferer engages in activities that are normally associated with wakefulness while asleep or in a sleeplike state. Sleepwalking can affect people of any age.
Somewhere between 1% and 17% of US children sleepwalk, and juveniles are seen to be those more prone to the activity. Some 18% of Americans are prone to the act, roughly 2 in 11 of the US population. One study showed that the highest prevalence of sleepwalking was 16.7% for children of 11 to 12 years of age. Boys are seen to be more likely to sleepwalk than girls. Activities such as eating, dressing or even driving cars have also been recorded as taking place while the subjects are technically asleep. Most cases of sleepwalking, however, usually consist of walking, without the conscious knowledge of the subject.
Sleepwalkers engage in their activities with their eyes open so they can navigate their surroundings, not with their eyes closed and their arms outstretched as parodied in cartoons and Hollywood productions. The victims’ eyes may have a glazed or empty appearance and if questioned, the subject will be slow to answer or unresponsive.
While sleepwalking itself does not inherently pose a health concern, accidents may happen as the subject is performing actions without the conscious mind. A common myth surrounding this disorder is that one should never wake a sleepwalker while they are engaged in the activity. In truth, there is no implicit danger in waking a sleepwalker, though the subject may be disoriented or embarrassed when awakened. In fact, when a sleepwalker is a danger to themselves or others, (for example, when climbing up or down steps or trying to use a potentially dangerous tool such as a stove or a knife), waking them is advisable. It has even been reported that people have died while sleepwalking after falling out of windows.
More, from the Stanford University web site:
What is Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)?
Sleepwalking (Somnambulism) is a series of complex behaviors that are initiated during slow wave sleep and result in walking during sleep.
What are the symptoms of Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)?
Ambulation (walking or moving about) that occurs during sleep. The onset typically occurs in prepubertal children. Associated features include:
-difficulty in arousing the patient during an episode
-amnesia following an episode
-episodes typically occur in the first third of the sleep episode
-polysomnographic monitoring demonstrates the onset of an episode during stage 3 or 4 sleep
-other medical and psychiatric disorders can be present but do not account for the symptomHow Common is Sleepwalking?
Medical reports show that about 18% of the population are prone to sleepwalking. It is more common in children than in adolescents and adults. Boys are more likely to sleepwalk than girls. The highest prevelance of sleepwalking was 16.7% at age 11 to 12 years of age. Sleepwalking can have a genetic tendency. If a child begins to sleepwalk at the age of 9, it often lasts into adulthood.
How serious is Sleepwalking?
For some, the episodes of sleepwalking occur less than once per month and do not result in harm to the patient or others. Others experience episodes more than once per month, but not nightly, and do not result in harm to the patient or others. In its most severe form, the episodes occur almost nightly or are associated with physical injury. The sleepwalker may feel embarrassment, shame, guilt, anxiety and confusion when they are told about their sleepwalking behavior. It is very important that if the sleepwalker exits the house, or is having frequent episodes and injuries are occurring — DO NOT delay, it is time to seek professional help from a sleep disorder center in your area. There have been some tragedies with sleepwalkers, don’t let it happen to your loved one!
Just for the record: I have no “shame, guilt, or anxiety” about my sleepwalking. Or about much of anything, for that matter.
According to the DSM-IV, it sounds like I meet the diagnostic criteria for 307.46 “Sleepwalking Disorder.” I am demonstrably mentally ill. Sweet.
I’d assumed that I typically went three or four years between episodes, so I’m not sure what it means to have it happen twice in one month. Maybe I actually do it all the time, but it just so happened that it was noticed by an awake person these last two times? Maybe I have a vast, secret sleepwalking life unknown to the conscious CEO? I sense a grade-A freak-out coming on if I think about this too much.
So if you ever you see me tromping around your neighborhood looking out of it late some night, please only shoot me if I’m also mumbling something about “brains, must eat brains“. Otherwise, just point me toward home, and maybe give the CFO a call. Thanks.
In the interest of domestic harmony, the CEO has decided to forego personal attacks on Husky boosters, and instead focus on the positive. I’ll do my best to stay positive. For instance, I’m positive WSU supporters are in general better people than Fuskies:
It’s official. The top of Seattle’s beloved Space Needle will be crimson-and-gray — as in Washington State University’s crimson-and-gray — for Apple Cup weekend.
The University of Washington Huskies came up short in a 14-day challenge to see which school could raise the most money to help Habitat for Humanity rebuild homes damaged by the hurricane in the Gulf Coast states.
Sweet Jeebus. Come on, you heartless purple puppy lovin’ misers, the U and the Needle are in the same damn town! Disgraceful. I’m sure WSU easily wins a similar contest on a grain silo in the Palouse. Hang your heads, mutts.
I gave at the office.
Had lunch today at a McMenamins I’d never been to, and probably wouldn’t have otherwise. It was in Vancouver, and not the good Vancouver, either.
I think I frightened the Jr. VP last night.
Kjel.org bravely journeyed across the river to dine at Bridgeport with some friends of the CFO. One of them had just returned from a trip to Australia and was telling us about the things he’d seen. He mentioned that he’d seen a dingo, and that they were scary looking. At this point I made the comment “they eat babies, you know.”
Well, Jr. heard me, and despite subsequent explanations about the rarity of dingos in Western Oregon, and the fact that the HQ is nearly dingo-proof (it’s been rated as dingo resistant, to a max of 100 dingos), he freaked out. He’s not going to like the shirt I just ordered for him either. At least he is still a few weeks away from reading, and that might just be a picture of a nice little puppy dog as far as he knows.
If the next football game I actually care about involves the UW, I know the hour is getting late. The holidays are approaching with undue speed. Certain members are even asking for a Christmas list from the CEO. I really need to get thinking on that one.
At least some good can come from the holidays. I know where I’ll be at 11:00 am on Dec. 3rd.
For a bonus, go to the photos page and click on the second one, “At the Bar”.
I have trouble remembering my own address and phone number, both cell and land-line. I’m not sure why, since in other applications my memory has been rated somewhere between above-average and outstanding. Rated by me, at least.
I was at Tree Tools this afternoon, having them look at a chainsaw I was given a few years back that may or may not work. They recently opened a store about 400 yards from my house — there is some cool stuff in that place. Sorta made me want to become a logger. Or at least an arborist.
Anyway, when I gave them the saw a work-order needed to be filled out. It suddenly became question time:
“Your name sir?” Nailed it.
“Address?” I had to think a moment, mainly because I can’t remember what zipcode is mine, and which belongs to my employer. I also transpose my street address on occasion. Got it right though after some thought.
“Phone number?”. Now I was screwed. I initially gave most of the CFO’s cell number, because it’s what I remember. I stopped, apologized, and subsequently gave the Chief Educator’s cell number. Again I apologized and regrouped, and finally from the ether pulled my actual home phone number. I made a comment to the saw guy about just moving in to a new place, new phone number, and so forth; not sure if he bought it.
I am sure though that the good people (who also happen to be good ol’ boys) at Tree Tools thought I was some kind of criminal, but figured that now at least I was a criminal without a chainsaw.
Next time the CEO gets married I’m having this gentleman take the pictures. He has the keg-stand action shot mastered. Gonna need that one for the ceremony most likely.
After a party I once put the Kjel.org Chief Photographer in a headlock (punched him in the gut too, maybe?) for some comment he made or didn’t make about Rick Springfield. Frankly, it’s all a bit hazy, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: sorry dude.
Kjel.org will celebrate our anniversary in style. Actually, just the CEO, Chief Educator, and perhaps a few other Kjel.org hangers-on. Who’s going to watch the Jr. VP. if the CFO comes along?
The CEO has been beersty lately, and that means more beer reviews.
Sierra Nevada Celebration 2005 and Widmer Snowplow have been warming my belly and dulling my senses this last week or two. I’m grouping these two beers together because while they are technically winter seasonals, the beers themselves do not correspond to the style I’ve come to think of as “winter beer”.
There was a period of time about a decade ago when porters and stouts reigned supreme in the CEO’s beer pantheon, before iconoclastic IPAs eventually toppled the black beers from their perch. If I stop to think about it, I doubt that I’ve had a porter or stout in 2005. Until last week anyway. I fixed that situation with six delicious bottles of Widmer Snowplow. They call it a milk stout; I thought it more of a porter, but either way, it was pretty tasty if heavy black beer is your thing.
Celebration is always very very good, and the 2005 version is no exception. It’s built like an ESB or even an American pale maybe, lighter in color and much hoppier than most other winter beers. Even though not a prototypical winter beer I still sucked down six bottles of it. For research purposes.
Last weekend I had the opportunity to order drinks at a few “classy” Gotham establishments. I’ve never really been one for fancy, complicated cocktails: I tend to order gin-and-tonics, or perhaps a Manhattan if I’m feeling large. Hence the issue: Kjel.org was at a very nice hotel lounge after dinner Saturday. Typically I’d order a Manhattan at such a place, but this time, since I was actually in Manhattan, I felt a little silly ordering one.
I’m probably being over-sensitive, but I doubt I’d ever order French toast in Paris, German chocolate cake in Munich, or Turkish coffee in Istanbul (or Constantinople, as I still call it). I might make an exception for a bikini wax in Rio however.
If the plant ye wish to flee, go to sector 7-B
About to attempt an escape from the office. This will require all my ninjitsu, which is admittedly a bit rusty. Hopefully I don’t get stuck in the ductwork again.
Last time this guy ambushed me in the parking lot before I could make my escape. I’m ready for him today: bring it, tough guy.
I’ve loved the Misfits’ Walk Among Us for years and years now , but for some reason I never bought Static Age until a few weeks ago. Sweet merciful crap its a good record. Or disc, in this case. VP loves it too, but he’s always loved the Misfits. He’s worn their T-shirt since he was but a small Fiend.
If anythings gonna happen, its gonna happen out there
Africa, Pirates with RPG’s, space-age sonic weapons: too cool.
Pirates who attacked a luxury cruise ship off the eastern coast of Africa on Saturday were repelled at least partly by a nonlethal acoustic weapon developed for American Technology Corp.
“We don’t have the details, except that it was an LRAD that they used,” said Robert Putnam, a spokesman for the San Diego company. Norris developed the LRAD, or Long-Range Acoustic Device, for military use as a hailing and warning device, Putnam said.
The disk-shaped transmitter can emit an ear-splitting warning noise akin to a fire alarm as well as jackhammer-like pulses that can travel nearly two-thirds of a mile. At the limit of its range, the sound produced by the LRAD, is roughly 95 decibels – equivalent to standing a few feet away from a speeding subway train or chain saw.
Like a bullhorn, the device can be used to issue a verbal challenge to someone more than 1,600 feet away. An innovative design enables the LRAD to focus its acoustic energy within a relatively narrow 30-degree beam that acts like a “sound tunnel.”
It’s fortunate the vessel had a good captain.
You’ve probably heard the adage “don’t go the grocery store when you’re hungry.” Today I learned the corollary: don’t go when you’re thirsty, either. I didn’t even realize the problem until I grabbed a bottle of Squirt out of the checkstand fridge and threw it in with my other items. On the conveyor belt along with the food was the following:
A 24 pack of Diet Coke
A two liter bottle of lime Talking Rain sparkling water
A six pack of Sierra Nevada Celebration 2005. (review coming soon, possibly even later tonight)
A half gallon of milk
A liter of orange juice
A large bottle of cran-raspberry juice
A one liter bottle of Talking Rain black raspberry soda
3 bottles of wine: an Oregon Pinot, an Aussie Shiraz, and a Cotes du Rhone
A 20 oz bottle of Squirt
Kjel.org has a plethora of beverages to choose from this evening.
I’d think twice about the charging the mound if this guy is pitching. In the Times today:
CARACAS, Venezuela – Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Ugueth Urbina was arrested and held Tuesday pending a formal charge of attempted murder, police said Tuesday. Last month, Urbina and a group of men allegedly attacked five workers with machetes and poured gasoline on them in an attempt to set them on fire. All five were injured, some of them with cuts and one with burns on the back and right arm, police said.
Try this, preferably when no one else is watching:
1. While sitting at your desk, lift your right foot off the floor and
make clockwise circles.
2. Now, while doing this, draw the number “6″ in the air with your right
hand. Your foot will change direction.
Nothing you can do about it. Sorry.
Shamelessly lifted from Neptunus Lex, who I’m sure didn’t make it up himself.
New York was sunny and 70 the whole time we were there. Very weird, as people kept telling us.
Saturday we went to the top of the Empire State building, explored MOMA, and walked around Midtown quite a bit. Got dressed up and went to dinner at Bouterin, a very nice French restaraunt on the East Side. The menu was a bit limited and missing a few favorites (escargot? terrine?) but the service was impeccable. The food we did have was very good; the wine we ordered was outstanding and even reasonably priced. We shared some mussels to start, then the CFO enjoyed a tasty Osso Buco (not really French, but still good), while I had an excellent strip steak with Bordelaise sauce, cooked exactly how I like it. I know very little Francais, but I know enough to order my biftek “bleu“, and the chef did not dissapoint. We followed up dinner with drinks at The Mark, then called it a night.
The Guggenheim museum is about the coolest building you’ll ever see, inside or out. Its only a couple of blocks from where we were, so a quick visit yesterday morning before our car arrived was in order. We also went across the street into Central Park to mile 24 of the New York Marathon and cheered on the runners as they approached the finish. None of them looked like they were enjoying themselves. I wish I’d had some hot tea to give to one of them, but oh well.
La Guardia is really showing it’s age: small, hot, dingy, crowded, etc., and the TSA operation there is the worst run of any I’ve seen, and that’s saying something. The CFO very wisely counselled me to keep my opinion to myself as I was putting my belt and shoes back on after standing in line for half an hour. We flew to Midway in Chicago before heading on the Portland. La Guardia makes Midway look like the nicest airport in the world.
We made it home eventually, and Jr. VP was pleased to see us to say the least. Kjel.org’s senior execs were likewise pretty happy. Jr. was so happy in fact that he decided to get up at 3:30 last night just so he could be with us. That’s one happy boy.
Sunny and 70 in New York today. Took some long walks through Central Park and Lower Manhattan. Shopped a bit in Soho, which is the New York Pearl District wannabe. Took the boat out and around the Statue of Liberty. I had the CFO briefly convinced that the Statue was a gift of friendship to the American people from Germany, and was delivered to New York in 1939 by U-boat towed barges. By briefly I mean very, very briefly. Still, it was a nice moment.
Plan to see Midtown tomorrow, go to MOMA and the Empire State building, and maybe even the USS Intrepid. Or I might spend all morning harassing Katie Couric and then do some recon in preparation of Operation: Sink the UN into the East River. May need to come up with a better codename for that particular covert operation.
Now we’re about to head to dinner and a show. CFO knows how I feel about musicals, but at least the one we are going to (Avenue Q) has swearing, violence, racism, and naked puppets engaging in X-rated behaviour. Something for everyone really.
Made it to the Empire State in one piece. Staying at the CFO’s aunt’s place. On 5th avenue, facing the park, about three blocks from the Met. Not too shabby.
The City of New York vs. Kjel.org
The CFO and I are taking a quickie suprise vacation to New York tomorrow, so don’t expect too much here for the next few days.
Khlau Kalash!
Considering leaving early today to start work on my ark.
Whoo Hoo! Free sand bags!
