UMTravels

Today:

• Billable Hours — actually made some money today. Business cards, renewal cards, lobby artwork, prospect and member’s calendar site, Oakland trips, many details.
• Wiring of SOB — fished/ran wires to the back of SOB — truly a pain since we are talking 110 and two runs of AV cables. Three coming (Left, Right, Video), one going (Back-up camera video) — plus power unless I decide to go with 12 volt for the TV and back-up camera. Back up camera is in and tested, HDTV feed is next. The TV in the back is on an arm that rotates so you can see the TV in either: the bed, the bathroom, or from the banquette. Hell, you can even plug your computer into it!
• Working on the design of the insert to hold the microwave, monitor, and maybe the charging monitor for the inverter.
• Actually got the sawdust mostly cleaned up — it has to be ready for Jameson’s gang who show up tomorrow. Guess I’d better stock the closet with the set of sheets and blankets for the middle bed and put pillows in the pull down bed.
• Did the shopping for tomorrow’s dinner and the dinner with the boys in Seaside on Wednesday. The van is starting to fill up — how many carts will it take to move it all to the cabin when we get to Breitenbush on Thursday.
• I’d take photos, but I’ve already packed the camera for the trip.

Wednesday Whitaker is supposed to show up to wire in the inverter, and the poo pump, to fix the dash heater switch. Should be an interesting day of phone calls since I’ll be a hundred miles south.

Tonight I just clean up various things, like filing a Freedom of Information Act, Privacy Act request with the Federal Bureau of Information. Who knows what is left from the 60’s. Interested? Here is the link: http://foia.fbi.gov/privacy_instruc.htm

Dinner you ask? Do you are? Whether or not, it was lamb and salad — Safeway has been having lots of lamb on the sale rack. Picked up some ground lamb and some ground buffalo to do a meatloaf out of sometime in the furture.

[220.5]

Plans up in the air?

• Jameson and crew not due until Tuesday night — guess I’d better get my vegan recipe’s in order
• Whitaker has EMT classes, so now he is coming Wednesday, when I’m on the road and MoonSong is cleaning the house.

Today’s accomplishments:

• More room in the garage for the Jag
• Less dead mice in the garage (found two)
• Stove donated to MaryBeth
• Computer going to MaryBeth’s son
• Directories and other materials done and transportation arranged
• Drill bits purchased
• Nothing done on SOB (Son of Bob)
• NetBook programmed with Skype and Street/Trips for upcoming trip.

Dinner? Chicken and Pasta with a little red.

Too busy getting ready for travel to take the “photo of the day”.

[220 — time to barf up dinner]

Too much to do today…

• Finish video wiring for SOB
• Print talent/live auction/silent auction/fashion show sign-ups for the upcoming gathering
• Fold and stitch 200 7-sheet directories
• Clean the house for upcoming company

And how did I fare?

• Video wiring stopped for lack of the proper size drill bit
• Sign-up sheets printed
• 100 of the 200 directories folded and
• Yeah, like that happened — Josh showed up and distracted me

There is always tomorrow. Did have some nice lamb with my salad tonight.

Today’s humor: Got my United Visa bill, there were only three charges on it. Total: $13,467.51

That’s what happens when you charge a Jaguar on plastic.

[218.9]

Well — by 10:30 we (that would be MoonSong) had the power moved from the dryer circuit to the back porch. Amazingly quick and easy.

By 11:00 we (MoonSong and I) had grunted the three appliances going on the back porch, and moved the pop machine to the garage. In the process we cleared a little more space for the Jag to fig into.

Here is today’s shot:

Now all I need to do is get the pass-through to the kitchen designed, and figure out of I want an outdoor cold-water since as well.

But at the moment I’m rushing around trying to get out the door.

I need to drive 3.5 hours to Long Beach, Washington to let Swanda into the condo for the weekend, then drive 2.5 hours back to Olympia to go play poker with the boys.

Looks like I’m eating dinner on the road tonight.

[218.7]

Well, the roof is on! Now I want to add a nice window above and make a sleeping loft in the attic.

Tomorrow’s task is to move the power from the old dryer to the outside to power the Hobart Commercial Convection oven (and the 2-Drawer Warming Oven that sits underneath it).

For today while MoonSong was working, I was working as well, it was the annual marketing meeting for Events and Adventues. After that, more work at home, including these four display ads for MoonSong.

Dinner tonight was tri-tip, salad and a lovely white wine from Bonney Doon.

[218.4]

Well, we are marching forward on getting the Outdoor Kitchen up and running. In a perfect world it will be done by the time company shows up on Sunday. Right now it’s three people, but it could turn into four if Whitaker shows up to work on SOB (Son of Bob) and get the inverter installed, and the dash heater working again.

So, here is the status at the end of today on the deck work:

The “wings” are on, the facia is on one side, hell, at this rate the roof extension will be done tomorrow, then it’s just running 220 to the right hand side of the door which MoonSong has figured out will be easiest by just crawling under the house and rerouting the old dryer circuit.

Me — I’ve been working and billing today. Though I must confess that I did check on flights direct to that small town in Texas.

Dinner was chicken in a mushroom pasta, a little green salad, and the last of that bottle of wine from last night.

This was written on the new Acer Aspire with no hard drive, but a web cam, so in the next couple of days you’ll get to see a video of me typing my entries — won’t THAT be amusing.

[219.1]

Well, the next big project has begun on the Rose Street House — The Outdoor Kitchen.

Before:

Here is the plan — extend the roof out four feet on each side and tie it back in to the existing roof at about a 30 degree angle. This means that the pop machine will have to go someplace else so that the commercial convection oven that it in garage will go just to the right of the door. To the left of the door will go the BBQ pit which is at the far left of the current photo.

Materials have been purchased, construction begins in the morning. Guess I’d better figure out how to get 220 outside!

Not many billable hours today because I spent a ton of time working on the directory for the 30th Annual Winter Gathering at Breitenbush that is coming up the week after next.

Didn’t make it to the grocery store in my various errands around town today, so it was succotash out of the freezer to go with the filet mignon and a lovely Bonney Doon Syrah Le Prosseur.

[218.7]

Up early — got to get on the road to make my early afternoon flight from DFW. I’d rather hang out in the Delta Crown Room than in small town Texas.

It’s been an interesting trip — with luck I’ll have time to do a trip report when I get to the airport. Or maybe I’ll just take a nap.

Stay tuned for a mid-day update if I can get internet access at the airport. So far the flight is on time — and it’s direct — and I’m in First Class again (the joys of the mid-day flight, easier to snag the freebie upgrade).

LATE NIGHT UPDATE

Home from the airport at 5:30 — dinner on the table at 6:30, hopefully to bed by 11:30 — but I have this damn Faerie Directory to start working on.

It never ends. And for the moment, that’s OK.

[? ? ?]

Sometimes it’s just fine when a date doesn’t pan out into an overnight. Tonight I have a room to myself. Something that has been lacking for the last several days.

• By 9:37am out of the hotel, yes, down to the minute.
• No trip to Texas would be appropriate without a Sam Houston viewing. Wait for it — it’s after the Bucky Beaver Sign:
  
• By noon, I’m bored and am starting to mentally work out the layout for a new “Subway Road Trip Game” — instead of pointing out cows or license plates — you get points for all the Subway Sandwich Shops you spot. Stay tuned for your down-loadable one.
• By 1:45pm we were at DFW’s aiport rental facility — which by the way is incredibly badly signed.
• By 2:15 I’m out of the facility (line, damage notes, etc) in a lovely Pacifica — that would be a mini-van from Chrysler — not the Jeep Liberty I’d reserved for $27 a day (plus about $17 in fees) — and they called it an “upgrade”. My ass.
• By 4:30 pm I’m hot and sweaty from hours in vehicles but am at Date’s place for our rendezvous.
• By 5pm I’m out of the shower and we are into bed to break the ice.
• By 6:30 we are having drinks in the living room.
• By 7:15 we head out to Posado’s Cafe where of course we run into one of Date’s friends…. “Date, is this your father?” My response “Nah, I’m the crazy Uncle.” Got to love small town dating.
• By 8:30 shopping for a hotel for the night s Date’s buddies decided to come over after the Super Bowl — not good for a Date still in the closet.
• By 11pm — bed with luck. Up in the morning at 8 so I can get out of the hotel by 9 to head to the airport to head back to the wonderful Northwest.

Normally that would be the end of my blog entry — but I have Date’s permission to pass on the story of Date’s first gay sex experience a year and a half ago… he and another guy “do it” — each for the first time (though I’m doubtful of the other chap). After it’s all over, the other guy then tries to convert him to Christianity post-coital. He’s one of the Gideons. What makes this so perverse is that Date is the child of crazed missionaries now headed for Kazakhstan. Date feels that the whole missionary thing is a load of abuse. No wonder Date is a tad shy/reserved with that baggage cart. I may have struck out, but at least I didn’t try to convert him into a Unitarian.

[? ? ?]

Office in the morning so we could see some of the sales offices which were in use last night when we stopped by. It’s actually a really nice house in the Heights neighborhood of Houston. Two story, basically a five-bedroom renovated 1940’s house turned into a sales office and club house for the members. All it really needs is the framed posters on the wall.

After the morning there, it was off to Galveston to inspect the damage from Hurricane Ike. Galveston is about an hour south of Houston. My — looks just like the damage in the lower ninth ward from Hurricane Katrina that I surveyed last summer.

On the way down — we swung by Johnson Space Center.In the last year I also saw Kennedy Space Center in Florida — so it is the years of Hurricane Damage and NASA. We didn’t even get into the grounds – too cheap to pay the $5 in parking. Swanda will do a lot of things with me — Space Centers are not one of them — for that I need Dan from Shirts of Bamboo.

Lunch was at Casey’s which is next door to the Pelican Club and Gaid0s — a Galveston institution.

After driving around a bit, marvelling at the damage still showing after nine months, back to Houston we headed. And here is my picture of the week:

Click on the image to enlarge — the van has a pig snot and pig ears. I want one!

On the way back from the afternoon stop at the office we stopped for take out for dinner from the Hickory Hollow BBQ. Pretty good meat. Sides a little weak, but still worth eating.

Arriving back in the room — and the title of this post: It Never Ends. The room has been made up — I was hoping for a real blanket tonight — and maybe for fun, the proper size sheets — they stripped the bed, and left the mattress pad and the pillows, but didn’t fold it back up. No clean sheets. No real blanket.

After a call to the front desk — he said the sheets were in the drier and would bring them up in a bit. In a bit, arrived two sheets of sheets, one pillow, no pillow cases — and yet another mattress pad. All I could do was laugh.

Just a quiet evening in front of the computer for both Swanda and I.

[? ? ?]

Well, lots of billable hours for Events and Adventures — but this trip has been the oddest in terms of hotel rooms.

Case in point. Here is the sign on the back of the door of our Dallas hotel room:

Is this something they have a regular problem with? This was an 8 1/2 x 11 sign. Odd. Very odd.

A little more time in the office in the morning, then off on the long drive to Houston (4 hours). At least the hotel is twice as nice as the last one… but even this one has a problem, Houston.

Checking in we try and confirm that there are, in fact, two beds — and our front desk clerk’s first language is definitely not English. I’m thinking Indian, Pakistani, Indonesian. We finally take the room key and go look for ourselves. Same set up as last night — king bed, with a sleeper couch.

And again — no sheets. Call the front desk… try and explain. And he quickly brings us sheets, pillowcases, a pillow, and… wait for it… a very thick mattress pad. This I didn’t find out until after dinner when I made the bed at the end of the evening — and just said the hell with it. I’m tired, I’ve been drinking, I just don’t care — it will be warm.

Dinner was work, work, work with Swanda, David (his Houston events planner) and myself chatting for a couple of hours over, again, way too many appetizers and drinks.

And then again — maybe it was the cocktails in the room before dinner.

[scared with the Texas diet]

It’s going to be a long day…

11:55am flight, which for me means in the Board Room before 10am for that “eye opener” and a breakfast of bagels and cream cheese before settling into Seat 1C for the ride to Dallas.

Lunch on board wasn’t bad — a little pasta salad and a warm turkey and cheese sandwich — so much for the diet. A trio of scotches and the DigiPlayer made the time pass quickly. Oddly enough the most interesting thing on the DigiPlayer was the Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas Special followed by a couple of sit-com reruns.

Swanda was tardy picking me up at the airport . There was still a nip in the air from the Texas Freeze of earlier in the week and not finding any pre-security place to hang, it was curbside for me.

The purpose of this trip is to visit two of the four Events and Adventures locations that I haven’t seen yet. We swung by the Dallas office on the way to dinner to surprise the other person from the main office. It also gave me an opportunity to see how all the large framed pieces of artwork look in the lobbies — STUNNING would be my comment. It seems like the staff really likes them as well. We’ll see how they feel about the new screen savers and the DVD for the lobby.

One of the staff down here (Eric) recommended a GREAT restaurant for dinner. Had to Google on the phone for the address, but it was well worth getting lost. Should you ever find yourself in Dallas, check out Kenny’s Wood Fired Grill on Beltline.

I swear that Swanda and I worked our way completely through the appetizer menu, and half the sides — with the chef (Kenny, as it turns out — who joined us for a bit), and a portion of the desert menu. Amazing to drop close to $200 and not even have an entree. I was stuffed enough without it — and we only had one cocktail each before dinner, a bottle of Seven Sisters Meritage White with our appetizers and an after dinner drink. I was so sated that I didn’t even unload the vodka from the trunk, but just checked email and went to bed.

Tomorrow, breakfast with Dallas’ event planner, a little office time, and then off to Houston.

[218.7]

Damn that inbox. My way of dealing with the “to-do” list is to leave it in the InBox until I deal with it, then file it away.

And that’s where I found a couple of emails from the Department of Revenue (Washington). Print out the invoices, total the figures, file and pay online. Done.

That is how I spent my non-dinner party time — taxes. And dinner was left-overs from all the other dinners.

My day was a little work and a lot of errands. I managed lunch at Subway, driving to Costco, opening an account, going shopping and returning to the house in an hour. Damn I’m good.

Had to get back quick because MoonSong, my maid/contractor/masseuse was cleaning the house, but we needed to chat about new display ads for his practice (massage) and the outdoor kitchen project that we are starting on next week.

Of course, I forgot that I had shirts at the cleaners to pick up, and that I wanted to transfer my prescriptions to Costco and get them refilled. That was the afternoon hour and a half run — Levitra filled, Ambian — needs authorization again from my doc. Try again Tuesday when I’m back from Dallas.

And later tonight Fluffernutter is coming over with some “Virgin” who wants to quiz me about what the Radical Faeries are (http://www.radfae.org for a little background).

Should be amusing.

[218.7]

Lots of work today, and yesterday, and the day before. So that means lots of billable hours. It’s going to be a hell of a bill with the upcoming trip to Dallas on Thursday. I don’t charge (on this account) for time and travel charges (other than the airfare, parking, hotels, etc), but if you are in office all day that’s more hours than I usually bill.

But you don’t care about work — you just want to see who came for dinner and what was served!

Guests:

• Darcie
• Jeanne
• Wonderful
• Uncle Markie

Meal:

• Terriyaki Pork Tenderloins (2)
• Seasoned Roasted Potatoes and Sweet Onions
• Salad
• Bread — good — but looked like the ugliest loaf I’ve ever baked
• Wine

After dinner we took the rest of the bread, which had an almost scone consistency and applied jam for a sort of dessert. The two Grappas we had with the dessert were, well, grappa, like. I like Jeanne’s comments on the Grappa that Jimmy distilled — smells like Butter Rum Lifesavers.

No WII, just lots of hanging out and telling old stories.

[291.7]

I’m really liking the new (to me) commercial convection over. Loaves of bread in 15 minutes, pork loins in the same amount of time, and tomorrow I think I’ll try roasted potatoes (baked potatoes took 40 minutes tonight).

After a full (for me) day of work, it was a couple of hours of cooking, since everything needed to cook at different temperatures. Luckily the warming oven is out there as well — I really do need to get the outdoor kitchen started — going to the garage is getting a little tiring.

Guests tonight — it was like the ex-club. Three men I’ve had romantic relationships over the years…

• Pork Loin smothered in cinnamon spiced sliced apples
• Baked Potatoes
• Salad
• Individual mini-loaves of bread
• Couple of bottles of red wine

One from 1979, one from 1981, and one from 1997 (or so). Even with all that — is was a wonderful evening… 1979 left early for work in the morning, and 1981 and 1997 stayed for a little WII Bowling.

I got to get back on the road so I can have more interesting blog posts.

[217.6]

I’m really loving the convection oven that I finally got rewired a couple of weeks ago — now I just have to figure out cooking times on all my favorite recipes, but it seems to knock off about 25% of the cooking time. Here is the oven that I’m talking about:

On the top there are warming lights and on the bottom, a two drawer warming oven (handy for keeping stuff warm while something else cooks). When the roof gets extended on the back deck, this stack will form the basis of the outdoor kitchen.

Tonight’s dinner used both the convection oven and the warming ovens. Warming oven to proof the mini-loaves of rosemary challah and to keep them warm after the baked in the convection oven which the chicken marinated in a roasted red pepper chipotle cooked. Yum. Steamed asparagus with a little pepper and butter, big mixed green salad, a couple of bottles of red wine and the boys were fed well.

The boys? Scotty Dog, Marlin, Patrick and myself. The boys for tomorrows dinner? Jonathan, Jeff, Fluffernutter and myself. Sometimes it feels like I’m feeding the entire city of Seattle.

[216.3]

Lots of half naked men prancing around on stage — that’s the only description I can say about the Seattle Opera performance of “The Pearl Fishers”.

Here is their description of the action:

Sail away to the island of Sri Lanka for a sweet and sonorous romance from the great Georges Bizet (Carmen). A beautiful priestess with a mysterious past is pursued by a pair of strapping fishermen who happen to be the best of friends. Honor, jealousy, and communal duty jeopardize the lovers’ burgeoning bond with the threat of death at dawn; but they are freed from their fate by the revelation of a long-buried secret. This tuneful treat is a simple love story decorated with delicious melodies, vivid nocturnes, rhythmic dances, and a plethora of lusty choruses.

And a few choice shots…

Wonderful foot the bill for a drink before the show, and at each of the two intermissions — $125 with tip. Ouch — culture ain’t cheap. Luckily we had a pork tenderloin dinner at my house before heading down to the Opera House.

[215.7]

Work and play during the day, entertaining in the evening. Just another typical day in UncleMarkieLand.

Yet another trip to the apartment to track down the large E&A prints coming in from BlueToad Designson Lopez — still not here, but a late Christmas present from Swanda was there — the Barack Obama plate and collection combination — it made a hit at dinner tonight.

Dinner tonight was with Weightlifter Jill and Police Blogger Megan (link to the left under My Friends).

Peppered Filet Mignon, fresh garlic challah (bread), salad, steamed white asparagus, salad — with a lovely 2000 Cascina Adelaide Barolo that Jill brought. That girl does know her wine!

After dinner is was a rousing three way bowling on the WII — Jill emailed her WII MII to my machine — AND IT WORKED! Now I have to email my WII MII to Dan and Lisa so the next time I’m down there I have MII with me. Jill also brought over Mario & Sonic Olympic Games — at which I totally sucked. I think I’ll stick to bowling.

[217.0]

It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve had folks over for dinner…. so, a few emails later:

• Jill and Megan for dinner tomorrow, check out her crime blog to the left Thin Blue something or other
• Jeff for dinner and the opera on Saturday
• Scotty and Patrick for dinner Sunday
• Fluffernutter and the Lapsed Mormon Monday
• Darcie and Jeanne Tuesday
• Wednesday I rest
• Thursday I fly to Dallas for work.

Whew! Good thing I stocked up on meat and wine at the store today.

The upside (besides the joy of feeding people) is that it forces me to clean the public areas of the house — which is most of it. I can close the door on the disaster of an office.

If it’s Thursday it must be the weekly marketing meeting for Events and Adventures. With Swanda cracking the whip we are keeping these meetings to an hour, down from an hour and a half. I’d worry about billing less, but I have enough projects on my plate to keep me happy — and I hate meetings.

Just another quiet evening at home before the dinner hits the fan.

[218.4]

Behind, behind, behind, in my work, work, work.

So that’s how I spent today, working, working, working.

Steak, salad, and wine for dinner.

Nothing more to report.

No pretty photos.

No Nothing.

[218.8]