Thursday, December 10, 2009

A Christmas Blond Joke


OK--so everyone knows that I love blond jokes--after all I am one and I speak blond.

So, for your viewing pleasure--the ultimate Christmas season blond joke sent to me by a friend:


It is so true!

If you double click the photo it will go to full screen.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Buying a Car

Wow. I'm sitting in a car dealership with my, I can't believe its true, adult son as he navigates the myriad of paperwork associated with buying a car.

Another threshold crossed. All I'm here for is to see the vehicle and to provide moral support. But it is the Patrick and Tina show.

I'm so proud of them both. Making a reasoned and rational decision.

Oh the car? A Honda Civic SI 2007

Yay


Bob Doan
Elkridge, MD
Sent from My Blackberry

Consensus Blending Party

Really? What, you may ask, is a consensus blending party?

Answer: A whole lot of fun!

Picture this--54 people at 9 tables in the winery with 5 bottles of wine in front of them. The task: using any combination of the five wines--blend the best wine in terms of aroma, taste and finish as determined by those present.

The wines were all 2008 vintage of the vineyard: Cabernet Sauvignon in three very different lots: 1, 2, and 3; Petite Verdot; and Chambourcin.

I was intrigued by three lots of Cabernet Sauvignon--two were aged in American Oak and one in French Oak. Of the two in American Oak--one was very fruity while the other was full of tannins.

Our fellow members at the table all agreed that our blend would focus on probably three of the wines--and we readily agreed that Lot 2 and the Chambourcin would probably be excluded; leaving us to focus on the other three.

We only had two hour to com up with this blend--and please remember science class as we were working with pipettes, and graduated cylinders to pull the wines together.

Well our team did not wine the day--but our wine--which was 55% lot 1, 41% lot 3 and 4% Petite Verdot came in a close second.

This was a two day event with different people showing up for the Sunday version of the event and with the winning wine from the two days being chosen to be blended by the winery and released as the Consensus Blend. The team that beat us, was the two-day winner. So I don't feel too bad.

Most of all it was fun, dealt with wine, and was educational--I learned a lot more about blending wines.

The vineyard wine maker ran the event and he provided a lot of help and commentary as we did the blending.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Of Cars and Christmas, Part III

Friends--

I was a bit non-specific in my previous posts and I appreciate all of the supportive comments about car shopping.

It was my son Patrick's car which decided to play dead. How this affects me is that I will continue to loan Patrick and Tina my truck until new rides are procured.

They are actually car shopping right now--although, I am looking forward to seeing what they decide to do.

I hear rumors of a Honda Civic SI rumbling right now--
But then there was a Scion in the mix a while ago--

Ah, the joy of it all--happy holidays to themselves!

I do like to comment about going into the dealership 15 minutes before closing--and I have actually used that one!

Of Cars and Christmas, Part II

And here it is--initial repair estimate: $3500, Merry Christmas!!!

Kelly Blue Book car value: $2055

Value to me? Priceless.


So lets go car shopping for Christmas.


I'm dreaming of a different ri-i-de
Just like the one I used to have
Where the motor hums sweet
And tires roll straight
And I can drive as fast as I like.

I'm dreaming of a new ri-i-de
With every bummed ride that I take
May my car shopping be profitable
And may all my Christmas dreams come true

Of Cars and Christmas

Well-when is snows, it blizzards!

Maybe that doesn't work as well as the old saying about raining and pouring (or was that for a salt company?)

But we have a mobility crisis in the family.

Between accidents and old cars wearing out, we are two vehicles short of a full stable. Last night the sound of a tow truck unceremoniously dumping a broken vehicle could be heard in the driveway again as Patrick's 1996 Honda came home on someone else's four (or more) wheels.

Following on the heels of a not-to-serious accident which left Patrick and Tina down a vehicle and left me driving Kitty--now this second uppercut is pretty serious. I'd say, they made be down for the count. It sounds bad--life a lifter or something equally as serious in the engine.

So--here we go again--car shopping although the real verdict won't be known until later today after the car is towed to the repair shop--which was closed last night and not accepting vehicles after hours.

Hopefully it is something minor--but it does not sound that way.

But look at the bright side-- (remind me again what the bright side is?)

It couldn't happen at a better time of year? Really?

Yes it could. And it could happen after they both find better paying jobs, too.

But this is where we can demonstrate the support of family and the love that we all have for each other. The silver lining is that we are pulling together as a family to help them through this crisis.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Monday Musings - December 7, 2009

1. Was it really only 68 years ago? The Day of Infamy? I paused for a moment to remember Pearl Harbor and the heroes of WWII who successfully defended freedom during the dark hours of the middle Twentieth Century.

2. Snow and cold. My door locks on Kitty were frozen this morning and she started hard. She truly is a fair weather car and it really pained me to have to drive her in such inhospitable conditions. But after some initial problems--she was up to the task. But, I do have a bent key now.

3. I have been feeling poorly again after returning from the frozen wastelands of Denver. Hence, there have been no blog entries for a couple of days. My loving wife has decided I need to see a doctor and I have an appointment for later today.

4. Football is no fun to watch when all of the teams you are cheering for are losing. It was a bad day for the Redskins--who I really though would defeat the Saints; for the Cowboys who remembered it was December and started their annual slide into mediocrity, and for the Steelers--losers of four in a row, really? The only team left are my Ravens who I sincerely hope can overcome the cold of Lambeau Field and defeat the Packers tonight.

5. The location in the U.S. reporting the highest temperature yesterday was Opa-Locka, Florida at only 80 degrees. It was only slightly cooler in Key West at 71 degrees. The hottest place in the world was Marble Bar, Australia coming in at a whopping 116 degrees!

6. So, once the gifts are bought then they must be wrapped so they can be subsequently opened (or unwrapped). Hmmmm. Who thought that up?

7. And so--tis the season and all of the cool music on the radio brings out joy, right?

8. This weekend we participated in a consensus wine blending at as part of the Wine Club activities of Keswick Vineyard. There were 9 tables of 6 people each. The wine blended by our table came in a close second--only 60 points behind the winner--or about 1 point per person difference. We felt that was a huge success. And we met a lot of really nice people. The winery will be blending up the winning wine and offering it for sale--and I admit--I scored it higher than our wine, too. I was really pleased to finish so high in the standings. It was fun to blend a wine and have it generally liked by those attending the event.

9. If this is a season of joy, why is there so much stress?

Thursday, December 3, 2009

"Me First" -- Of Mayors and Travel

Well--Baltimore hit the national news, again.

And like usual--it wasn't in a good way.

I remember a few years ago, Baltimore's neighbor to the south--Washington, DC has an infamous mayor too.

Shelia Dixon--I mean really--when was the last time someone gave gifts to their girl friend of 60 or so gift cards in low denominations?

The Washington Post story lays it out best:

AN ELECTED OFFICIAL who pilfers gift cards intended for needy children clearly puts her interests first. It should be no surprise, then, that Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon thinks she can stay in office after a jury found her guilty of misdemeanor theft. Her audacity only compounds her offense -- which is why we hope that Ms. Dixon soon feels enough public pressure to reconsider and resigns her office.

And that encapsulates everything wrong with the mayor situation in Baltimore. Too much "me first!"

And that same "Me First" pervades everything in our society right now.

Airlines are cashing in on it--United Airlines actually sells a package that allows people to board before they would normally board the airplane. I guess people just like being cramped into not enough space for a longer time.

Go anywhere there is a queue (or "line" for the American at heart) waiting to get into a venue. Line crashers who blatantly crash the line. I had a couple jump in front of me at the airport on Monday--they probably saved all of 30 seconds in their total check in procedure.

Even our driving represents a "me first" attitude. We hurry to make it through the stop light, or race out of concerts early so as not to be caught in the traffic mess.

We need to slow down a bit--and think of others.

This is a good time of year for that as it is the Christmas season.

Just don't take an example for the Mayor of Baltimore. And if you do slip into the "me first" admit you did it. Again--the mayor just isn't setting a good example for people to emulate.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

First Snow--Denver style

So I had to travel two-thirds the way across the country to get my first snow of the season--but there it is this morning as I look out my hotel window. The ground is no longer brown, but white.

There is no doubt that I still do not fully appreciate the white stuff as it falls from the sky. I may appreciate it more after the dawn breaks and it I can see it more clearly draped across the landscape.

But it is there.

I can drive drive in the snow--but I worry about those who can't. Although, unlike Maryland--people here in the greater Denver area actually do know how to drive in snow and do not panic at the sight of the white stuff falling from the sky.

Of course, Denver has suffered through two blizzards already this season, so there is a lot more recent experience herein the snow driving than I possess.


We'll see how the drive goes as proceed out this morning.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Monday Musings - Tuesday, December 1, 2009

1. I waited until December to put these together because it was so close.

2. The last month of the year has arrived--and while the weather has been mild, with the holiday season upon us, I am sure the weather will turn more seasonal, too.

3. Traveling always reminds me of the vastness of the country and its diversity. Cities to open lands, mountains to rolling prairie, and don't forget the wide-open water of the Great Lakes.

4. Family--that is what makes Thanksgiving such a great holiday. I realize that i enjoy the day more because I have family to enjoy it with. We had four generations present around the table on Thursday--a definite wow factor ensued.

5. While I was off from work, enjoying family and relaxation of the holiday--there were millions of others who were working --whether serving us all by being on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan, or the operations centers monitoring the world, or in the police cars in my town or yours, or the hospitals caring for the sick. Some were flying the friendly skies while others were piloting the ships on the seas. Or in the grocery store I ran to on an emergency errand. God bless you all--who can't just take a day off because the calendar says it is a holiday.

6. One take away from the message in church on Sunday--was to be thankful for what we have--and express that thanks to others in the written word so they know that they are appreciated.

7. It is December--remember all of those New Year's resolutions? You have 31 days to get them done!

8. Can you remember life before cell technology? I can't. I mean how great is it to be able to call family from wherever I am in the world. And to talk to my family as they are driving to work or what ever they are doing!

9. Sadly, the annual Axis and Allies game did not happen--too many defectors from the group. We WILL reschedule for over the Christmas/New Year holiday break!
My Zimbio
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