So, putting together the papers for my upcoming trips I come across a confirmation code that amuses me:
UXXXRX
So, does this translate into “You Need Porno And Drugs”?
It’s for my trip to Cali in a couple of weeks for a cruise to nowhere.
As for the day – getting closer to getting the new “bar” done:
But the main compressor died, and then the nail gun – time for a Harbor Freight run… two actually. Tonight for the new compressor, to learn that the gun was dead (knew the compressor was dead), and tomorrow for a new finish nailer. But picked up a ceiling mounted electric reel for 25% off (plus the 10% markdown). Might have to pick up a couple more of those – they are handy.
So, another week or so…and I’ve figured out some nice walnut trim for it – left over from the Capital Hill house.
And cleaned and refilled the hot tub – let’s hope the heater unit still works:
Hopefully it will be hot for Salamander Hellbender of Sunday and Jameson on Thursday.
I’m not much of a believer in New Year’s Resolutions, so I’m only going to list my “to-do list” for the coming year.
That list:
Achieve Million Miler Status on United Airlines, which will give me United Premier Gold status for life for me and a significant other (accepting applications). The benefits?
Economy Plus seating at time of reservation on United Airlines (extra knee room, exit rows, etc.) as opposed to Economy Minus (aka, the back of the plane)
Priority reservations waitlisting
Priority airport standby
Priority airport check-in – allows you to check in at the United Business® and/or United First® counter
Priority baggage handling – like you, your bags get priority treatment and are among the first to be unloaded
Extra baggage allowance – an additional 44 pounds (20 kg) or one additional piece of luggage (3 bags at 50# or two bags at 70#)
Priority boarding – ability to board through priority lanes and before the general boarding process.
Airport lounge access – available worldwide for you and a friend when you travel on an eligible Star Alliance member flight
50% bonus miles on all flights
Achieve Elite Status On Princess Cruises, which will give me these lifetime benefits when cruising with Princess:
Preferred Check-in
Priority Ship to Shore Tender Embarkation
Priority Disembarkation
Shoe Polishing Service (do they recondition suede?)
Complimentary Laundry and Professional Cleaning Services (my friend Babs who has elite status takes all her dry cleaning that she need done with her)
Complimentary Mini Bar Setup (Woohoo! Unfortunately it’s not unlimited, first set-up only)
Complimentary Grapevine Wine Tasting (coals to Newcastle)
Complimentary Internet Credit (150 minutes for Platinum, think it is 300 minutes for Elite for cruised under 7 days)
Achieve Alaska MVP Gold status by match (applied for at 12:15am) and keep it for next year by flying 40,000 flight miles. Benefits?
Better free upgrade to First Class (and possible upgrades on Delta)
Priority boarding of flights
Priority check in
Two free checked bags
Free checked bags on American, Delta, and other partners
100% bonus miles on all flights
Complimentary cocktail when I’m stuck in the back
And a bunch of other stuff
Reduce blog posts to only the interesting stuff, rather than the day-to-day stuff that I’ve been doing for the last five years – unless there is an outcry from the readers. That said, don’t expect a post until Sunday when I’m packing for my Bay Area trip and having Salamander Hellbender to dinner.
Get some more “billable hours” to quit sucking down my 401K. Have a lead on another “registered agent” gig.
Not piss off my business partner
I don’t know – but I think half a dozen “goals” is enough for anyone.
Half way through today I thought it was going to be another Friday of few sales – luckily the last couple of hours made up for the several chapters I read in my Sweden-based mystery novel that I need to finish so I can pass along to SalamanderHellbender. My goal is to finish it by the end of the year…. But it isn’t looking good.
In the end it was a good day for a Sunday – beat the crap out of last Friday.
The plan was for dinner with DancingBear and BreticusMaximus – but alas – DBs mother requested their presence at dinner… in Portland.
A couple of hamburger patties, a sliced tomato with some Bermuda onions, a little dressing – and that was dinner.
As for my evening – reservations on the Victoria Clipper for the January trip to Victoria. No Coho Ferry (in DryDock), and it would have been more expensive, as was the BCFerry… even with the parking at the Clipper Terminal, the gas and the time makes the Clipper the obvious choice.
With no dinner date I finally had a chance to see if I could find some more pictures of Michael…
I couldn’t find any from my trip to Thailand with Fluffernutter years ago – they might be buried in the Twango archives that are unfiled as of yet (which could take a while).
Actually these are a set of really good pictures – Michael loved DisneyLand and knew all the shortcuts and tricks. I look through these pictures – and he is smiling in each one – which is how I’d like to remember him.
The last picture I found was him looking contemplative logging in and checking email in my hotel room after our day at Disney:
Rest In Peace My Friend
For me, the humorous part of this picture is the cooler on the table. I called down for a bucket of ice… and got this HUGE cooler. Needless to say, I didn’t run out.
DB and BM showed up around 10PM for some banana/walnut/chocolate chip bread that one of our customers made for Jim and I (a loaf each) – and to pick up their monthly wine club delivery… just in time so they don’t get two at once with January’s club delivery coming later this week.
Off to work in the morning – with Jim joining me for a couple of hours to slog through the wine club prep for Thursday’s pickups – which means the boys will have ANOTHER box this week. Maybe I can get dinner out of it this time.
Still can’t motivate myself to look for pictures of Michael. I know where they are, just not quite ready to go there. Got a text from Dylan that all his old friends in Bangkok have been calling. I offered to invite Dylan to dinner when I’m in Berkeley (I think he is in Emeryville) early next month – we’ll see if he is up for it.
Dead at the shop today, even with the tasting. Thinking lots of people are out of town for the holidays – or just broke from the holidays. The days totals we better than I was expecting with the slow morning and tasting.
On a whim texted Roxy to see if he wanted to come to dinner – not that I had anything thawed for him. Turns out the answer was yes. Swung through downtown and picked him up after he got off work.
First up was the bread – Roxy is a carb whore. That put dinner at about 7:30 – steak for me, ling cod for the pescatarian. Plus salad, plus sparkling pear cider from Bonny Doon. Roxy is also a cider whore.
After dinner a buddy of his swung by – and of course the fur has to come out…
A fun evening, but not an early evening. Luckily the cold seems to be getting better… albeit slowly.
My monthly Friday at the shop – a little late in the month, but all the other Friday’s I was out of town. On track to actually work 77 hours this month – might be a record.
That said, it was a piss poor day sales wise – maybe I should have stayed in bed. But that is the retail wine business – great sales up to Christmas, a little bump the day before New Years, then slow until about March when people come out of hibernation.
Went home a fried up a steak and tried to find something worth watching on the TV – the best I could come up with was a rerun of I Love Lucy – the winemaking episode:
Not bad for a cell phone photo of a TV screen.
To bed early since this is Day One of five days of work.
I got some bad news this evening. Another friend lost to depression. Michael’s roommate/ex-boyfriend called me tonight around 10pm with the news that Michael passed on Christmas day. Dylan came home to find him “asleep” in bed. When he went to wake him he discovered he was no longer with us. There will be an autopsy, but it being Christmas day I’m guessing an overdose of pills. Michael had been suffering with depression for the last handful of years – mixed with his alcoholism, it wasn’t a very pretty mix. Several of his close friends, including me, received morose late night calls from Hong Kong over the years.
I choose to remember him smiling and happy. This was from a trip to Hong Kong to visit him and his boyfriend Dylan:
The photo above was taken in March of this year at Steakhouse Lardos. It was on the first of my four trips this year to Hong Kong – the last one, a couple of weeks ago was to Macau since Michael and Dylan had relocated to the Bay Area for Dylan’s job at Google. As in Hong Kong, Michael struggled to get and keep copy editing jobs. His resume included the English language paper in Bangkok, the Everett Herald, and most notably, the Asian Wall Street Journal. With all print media cutting back, seems copy editing is going the way of the…. [fill in the blank].
Over the years I’d visited Michael when he lived in Bangkok, then Everett (Washington), then Hong Kong, vacationed with him in Phuket, gone with him to Hong Kong Disneyland. We had dinner a couple of months ago in the Bay Area with Mark and Onyx…and he wasn’t in the best of shape emotionally sorry to say.
My heart goes out to Dylan. He and Michael have had a rough patch for the last couple of years. It was their hope that the move to the states would make it easier for Michael to get a job so that they could start living apart. Seems the universe had other plans.
Tomorrow I’ll try and track down some pictures over the years.
My thanks to Ampersand Charmpop for the phase “xMess”. While not blessed with a totally dysfunctional family whom celebrate the holidays in a haze of drugs, booze, and over-eating, the Mess could refer to the roads, the shops, the mind.
Here is the photo of the xMess haul:
Presents nestled amongst Bacchus and Pan. Heavy on the reading, eating, drinking.
Slept until almost 11 – the plan was 10 and get up and bake bread. Turned out 11 was better for my health.
Ready for the proofing oven:
In the oven baking with an egg wash and black lava sea salt from Hawaii:
A little after 1 I’m off to the Faerie Mid-Day Christmas Meal. Seriously, I think there MIGHT be too much food for seven people.
Cocktails:        Kent will be bartender whenever he arrives; until then, you’ll have to pour for yourself.
Appetizers:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Grav Lax on toasts with mustard sauce. Â Â Acquavit and Carlsberg as appropriate
Dinner:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Roast Turkey (Bread, Onion, Celery & Herb Stuffing), Pan Gravy, Cranberry/Blackberry/Orange Sauce (JackJohn, Scalloped Potatoes & Braised Asparagus (Bryan and Michael), Corn Pudding (Mick and Bret), Rosemary Bread (Mark)
Dessert & Coffee:    Pear Pie with Ginger and Black Pepper, whipped cream (JackJohn)
I bailed a little after 5pm – my head throbbing from not bringing my aspirin and antihistamines that I’m using since I’m out of cold medicine. But it was a great time. Thanks JackJohn for hosting – wish you didn’t have those two dogs to aggravate my allergies (on top of the head/sinus cold/thingee).
A quick call to Jeff confirms there will be no “fruitcake run” down the hill from White Center tonight… which is just as well.
I’m thinking early to bed, late to rise would be a good idea.
Another day of trying to get at least 12 hours of sleep – basically another day of laying low trying to get better.
Got to the shop at four, expecting to work until seven… but as the customers slacked off it became apparent that maybe we should have closed at five on Christmas Eve. I took off at six and headed north to Swandas for dinner.
The Turducken had been in the oven for 4 hours already when I arrived, with another to go. Must be time to open presents then!
If it isn’t Jolly Old St. Swanda with loot from under the nonexistent tree.
And now for the food shots:
The only course missing is the ensalda caprese that we had with a Blanc de Blanc (bubbles) while waiting for the TurDucken to finish cooking. Green bean casserole and a cauliflower dish rounded out the evening. And what ARE Pokey and Gumby up to?
I bailed out before the Cranberry Jelly slice – I don’t need the carbs, and I don’t want to be out driving late on a night full of amateurs (amateur drinking and driving folks). Something happens tonight, everybody gets breatholized regardless of who caused the mess.
Home a little after nine – opened presents at midnight, then it was off to bed.
Oh dear God I feel felt like shit today. Had the worst sleep in recent memory. But shop duty calls.
To maximize the “bed” time I had Jack (as in Jack In The Box) cook my breakfast this morning – the meaty burrito which doesn’t have the potatoes in it like their larger version, so just the carbs from the flour tortilla.
I say this sign waiting for my order. At least they are honest:
Â
Yep, that’s right – Contains 0% Juice.
Jim popped into the shop around 12:30 or so – to find me napping while sitting up. That should tell you something.
If he didn’t have an afternoon dinner to go to he would have sent me home. And I would have gladly accepted.
Finished out the day – luckily we close at 5pm with really good sales numbers for the day. The downside to that is that my throat was raw from all the talking.
Home to bed, get up, make a little food, back to bed.
Saint Jimmy will open for me tomorrow (the original plan was me there all day) and I’ll come in the late afternoon.
That’s how I felt this morning… the head cold thing not getting better. Luckily I close rather than open.
The tasting today was sparsely attended and not much of the tasting wines sold – could be that since we didn’t have a rep to flog the stuff with wonderful tales of eccentric winemakers, etc. that people just weren’t buying. Or maybe everybody was in the last minute gift frenzy at the mall – god help them – it’s the last place I’d want to be.
That said – total sales today were GREAT. Go figure – end of the day was 6’s and 12’s walking out the door. It helped that a couple of people can to pick up their special orders, including a case of bubbles at about $800.
Even though I wasn’t feeling my best – I did stop in for an hour at Joe and Ross’s Christmas Party. All of our schedules are so crazy that sometimes it’s the only time during the year that I see them.
Ross made his usual “Big Boy Punch” which he claims kicks a big punch:
I think it’s just an excuse to get out the punch bowl. I packed them a little present from the shop – in a red 2-bottle box, which went perfectly with their 50’s Red Electric Tree:
It was fun to see the boys, and to catch up with mutual friends, and flirt with others of their friends… but an hour of talking, when you already have a raspy throat – maybe not the best of ideas.
Off to bed for me.
[209.4] Four pounds up from when I left on the last trip. Sigh.
Slept in late this morning – still trying to kick this head thing.
The first meal of the day was lunch at Modern Eats in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles… I had the turkey pastrami Rueben with double cole slaw, Craig had the seared ahi tuna salad – both reasonable priced at $10 and $12 respectively, and tasty. Almost as tasty as the waif skinny busboy.
After lunch it was a booze run to Topline Wine & Spirits in Glendale which is located in a strip-industrial center, and looks small from the outside – but inside is a warren of rooms with wine and spirits stacked to the ceiling. Didn’t end up getting anything there as they didn’t carry Evan Williams and none of the other bourbons were attracting me. Then BevMo (two 1.75ml of Even Williams Black), then Trader Joes (two 750ml of the Trader Joes Bourbon). Ended up the maximum checked bag amount of spirits allowed: 5 liters and it must be under 110 proof.
Got back to the house an took a long nap – getting up just in time for this wonderful sunset:
Left for the airport WAY early, and it’s a good thing we did. The FlyAway bus (GREAT deal at $7.00 each way between Union Station and the airport) was STACKED with people heading out. There were people standing in the aisles on the way to the airport – something I’d never seen before. They were running about 30 minutes late so I was just happy to have a seat.
No TSAPre this trip – they had the lines but my ticket didn’t qualify for once – guessing it’s that I am on a one-way First Class ticket. But the lines were short so I quickly was off to the Board Room to set up my temporary office:
That would be Boston clam chowder on the left, a Whiskey and Diet on the other side. Something new I noticed – they actually had a menu for more substantial food available for purchase. Me, I was happy with free booze, free clam chowder and free salad – notice a theme here.
Got to the gate just in time for the Gate Change announcement – and as I was walking to the new gate – a Christmas miracle unfolded – my buddy Ray Araujo was coming in the opposite direction. I literally hadn’t seen him for at least 5 years. Turns out he and his boyfriend are on the same flight, and also in First Class. Here is the selfie:
Ray owns an ad agency with offices in Seattle and Los Angeles (and offices in both cities) with about 80 employees. Needless to say he is doing well.
Nice Christmas present Santa!
Plane was late leaving Los Angeles and with massive head winds we didn’t get in until almost 2am – at least my bag made it and it wasn’t leaking.
Up at 7:30 and off to the dining car of an uninspired omelet and even odder chicken/maple sausage – I should have trusted the Aussie from the last trip and his comments about that particular style of “sausage patty”.
Then it was back to bed until around 10:30 – trying to kick this head/sinus cold/infection like thing. I really don’t want to fly home on Friday feeling like pooh (and we aren’t talking Winnie The). Dwight made us noon reservations for lunch and 5:30 for dinner (the latest seating they had since we arrive at 9pm). Here is the view from the lunch table – Central Valley vineyards:
By mid-afternoon we were ion San Luis Obispo:
And later in the afternoon, the former Almond Exchange building, now the Derby Wine Estates:
The train actually got in half an hour early so I showed Dwight where the Metropolitan Lounge was since he had an hour and a half until his train for Fullerton in Orange County.
As for me, my buddy Craig picked me up for an overnight at his house – will be nice to have a bed that doesn’t rock back and forth. Still had Bourbon and Mixers from the trip, so we set to work on those while catching up on what’s happened in the year since I’d seen him.
How is this for a collapsible bowl:
Or would that be a bowl that turns into a chopping block?
A long day but at least I get to sleep in since my flight isn’t until 9:30pm tomorrow night.
Minor issue with the cab driver this morning for my 8am Time Call… he called at 7:45… lost. At least I knew the cab was coming.
Got to the train station an hour early as is my usual…and the station is looking good – you can now even get up to the second floor viewing gallery (previously hidden by a hideous fake ceiling):
And I spotted a place that would make a great “Metropolitan Lounge” on the second floor that LOOKS like there is still some construction going on. It would be FABULOUS to have a Metropolitan Lounge with an open air view of the main waiting hall. I’d posted that I hope they’d “pimp out” the paint to highlight the details, but the semi-gloss white is starting to warm to me:
It is great to see the station come back to life – the other train station in town (Union Station) is basically the lobby for one of Paul Allen’s office buildings (co-founder of Microsoft, my former employers.
Onboard the Coast Starlight Train Number 11, Room Number 8 – I settle in a half an hour before departure with a couple of splits of California Bubbles and get the “office” set up:
In honor of my mother I mixed the bubbles with a wee bit of cranberry juice to make a Red Baron. I really liked the suction window mount for the tablet until the seal gave hold and it tumbled to the ground, dragging the cell phone with it. Maybe tomorrow I work on seeing if it mounts (and stays) on the tray table.
This is what awaited Dwight when he boarded the train in Olympia (he is headed to his Moms for the holidays):
His xMess (thanks for the phrase CharmPop) present and a Santa Hat (which he refuses to wear for “father-son” pictures, or at all. Sigh.
Here is a great shot of Dwight and I at dinner:
And then again at the Klamath Falls smoke stop – yes, Dwight still has that habit, though at 2 packs a WEEK it could be worse:
Not the best selfie but at least you can see the snow in the background.
Dwight brought supplies for Black Russians (Vodka and Kahlua), and I packed Bourbon and Diet Verners and a couple of bottles of wine to have with dinner:
Did I mention that I brought real glassware on the trip? Thanks Swanda for the Vancouver Olympics booze glasses.
Burger for lunch, steak for dinner (with the Southard Syrah).
I was thinking about my travel plans for tomorrow while I was cleaning/organizing/paying bills/suffering from what I’m now thinking is an ear infection…
If it weren’t the holidays and the DUI patrols I’d drive to the airport in the morning, put the car in MasterPark, take light rail back into the Amtrak station and head south on the Coast Starlight. Since my return flight on Friday gets in after midnight… it would be nice to have the car at the airport. With the stepped up patrols I’d have to not drink on my upgraded flight back from LA after hanging out with Craig all day… doubt that would happen.
Old plan. Park at airport: $55 + $5 for the LightRail
New plan. Cab to the train station: $25. Cab from the airport: $25.
About a wash dollar-wise. And with the possibility of getting nabbed, and the joy of sleeping in for another hour. Looks like cabs both ways. New plan:
Train at 9:30
Cab at 8
Up at 6
At least it’s only 6am.
Today’s victories:
Cleaned all the “clippings” off the couch from the last 3-6 trips – the things I find that I know specific people will like. Anything I can find on-line gets sent as a link, the rest get snail mailed. Only one snail mail today – to Dan with a GREAT direct marketing piece from the Seattle Symphony which included an 8GB chip imbedded in a thick business card.
Rest of the Christmas presents wrapped, bags packed:
Yep – two stacked Porter Cases and a briefcase. And more packages wrapped.
And a couple of things that I haven’t had time to report – End of Year Status on my airlines:
Alaska –
Welcome, Uncle Markie
Member Name:Â MARK STEPHEN SOUDER MVP Gold Mileage Plan Number:Â XXXXXXXX Available Miles:Â 165,397
*Â Flights operated by Aeromexico, Air France, American, Delta, Emirates, KLM, and LAN
All that gibberish means that I’ll be MVP Silver next year. After the first I’ll apply for a status match with Alaska using my United Platinum Status. That should get me at least Gold for 2014 on Alaska.
United –
MileagePlus Number:
XXXXXXX
Mileage Balance:
59,263
Regional Premier Upgrades:Â Expiring 1/31/2015
2
Global Premier Upgrades:
0
MileagePlus Status Level:
Premier Platinum
Star Alliance Status:
Gold
Year to Date Premier Miles:
77,057
Year to Date Premier Segments: As part of Premier qualifying segment requirements, members must fly at least four paid flights on United or Copa during a calendar year to qualify for Premier status.
28
Lifetime Flight Miles:
964,376
Now I just have to figure out how to use those Regional Premier Upgrades – and hopefully the roll over to next year! Which a handy “roll-over” link says January 31st, 2015 – meaning that I’ll get two next year as well. That would make four! Wonder if I can use them on my cheapie ticket to Turkey next spring. I’ll look into that. But look at that lifetime flight miles — so close to Million Miler Status!
So – things I need to look into:
Regional Upgrades for Turkey Trip
Boat for Victoria Trip in January
Day or Two before BBush Winter which I’m not going to
Forks to work on Zebra Lederhosen (hopefully first week of February)
People to meet me at train stations for hugs the next two days (Julian has to work all the sudden)
Booking a wedding trip (not mine) to Ireland in July
Not sure any of this is going to get done tonight.
Had my little lamb chops with salad dinner, set my alarm for 6am, called Yellow Cab for a “Time Call” at 8am… not the friendly dispatcher that I got the other week. Apparently they all assume that “Time Call”s are all to the airport (rather than the train station).
The down side of all this travelling and then coming home to work the weekends is that… well, the house suffers. Eight different bags half-packed, half-unpacked.
Today is about just getting organized and organizing the house a bit. First order (besides sleeping in since I think I’m getting a bit of a head cold) is the xMess presents:
Yes, there is a small live tree buried with the sculptures… something I’m sure I can kill within the next year.
Not all done but enough for today. Also did a little grocery shopping and swung by to see the progress on the South Park Bridge…
The old South side casein has been demolished… looks like they are pouting the concrete on the bridge deck. Looks like we might have a bridge by spring. Another sunny day in Seattle – we take them where we can get them.
More packing – or at least making stacks of stuff that go in the TWO Porter Cases headed to LA. One is for my buddy Craig – think that one will be filled with Dwight’s xMess present, glasses, mixer, etc. for the trip. The other, clothing and booze.
No time to work on the new bar – figuring it might be AFTER the first of the year at this point. Sigh.
Marinated chicken breasts with greens for dinner tonight. A spare tit for tomorrow, or maybe Wednesday breakfast.
My turn to open the shop… and good numbers even before the tasting started – GREAT numbers for the day. Not a huge sellout of the wines though the Patricia Green Reserve Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley of Oregon moved fairly well:
2012 Patricia Green Pinot Noir Reserve $24 Patricia Green is known for her vineyard designated Oregon Pinots. But her multi-vineyard blend is the real deal and the real bargain. 2012 was a good year in the Willamette, amidst a number of challenging ones. The 2012 Reserve is fresh and mouthwatering with sweet black berry and cherry fruit flavors. There’s a bit of very appealing field herbs and earth in the mix and a smooth silky finish.
Off to Safeway after work for supplies – what a zoo.
A nice little ribeye with salad for dinner, along with a glass of wine that has been in the bottle since last week… and it still tasted good. Those vacuum sealers do work.
The after dinner chore is to – once again – fix my new suitcase. A wheel fell off in Albuquerque. As a temporary fix I used spare parts I keep in my toiletry bag, but it really needs to be hammered on, not pounded on with the back of a borrowed utility knife.
While I was at it I swapped wheels between my two cases. My old one has rubber wheels, the new one plastic. The old one is going to Craig in LA next week with me on the train. The end result:
Working a long day tomorrow since we have our Annual Vintage Champagne Tasting from 5:30 to 7:30 or so. This is one of the few tastings that we actually charge money for – in this case $30 plus tax to sample five vintage champagnes while nibbling appetizers. These champagnes range from $50 to $95 a bottle. Can’t wait to taste those – and see what up-market appetizers we’ll have out.
[209.2] Not bad for a week on the road to come back lighter than you left.
So… you want all the stuff that I mentioned on Facebook? Some of it?
Yep — I’ll email off line. Got busy with inventory at the shop.