Spare Change

I'm a little nervous about my job. The business news keeps talking about recession and the market is in the doldrums. The fact that my corporation's HR department is in the midst of a youth movement doesn't help. They've just rolled out a new initiative called "No Company for Old Men".

Dress By Hefty

What the hell was Tilda Swinton wearing? I missed the gala FC Oscar party but I did catch a few sneak peaks of the event on TV and the web. I actually didn’t know who Swinton was. I guess its time to renew the Netflix subscription. I enjoyed it the first time around but the stress of managing the queue got to me after a while.

Left Out

It looks like we’re starting a new tradition in our village; Snubs R Us. I hooked up with the numbers and The Exec Friday night at The Swinging Door in San Mateo. It’s a neighborhood joint that was formerly known as The Prince of Wales. I believe The Exec let the cat out of the bag when he called TCG and asked him if he was going. That’s when it was determined that he had not been invited. I’m blaming #1 since he was the one who suggested the outing. I rarely initiate anything with these characters.

We had a good time. My wife asked me what we talked about. What am I supposed to tell her? “This and that”, “puppy dogs and butterflies“ or “How much we love our wives”? Catch a clue lady! I’m not talking. I’ll lawyer up if necessary. #1 and I did have a political chat while the other guys were up getting another pitcher of Spaten. We’re both on the same wavelength so it was mellow. I think all in this foursome is at some level of Obamamania but I’ll let them speak for themselves via the comment feature.

We also had dinner there. There was no table service so we had to pick our food up at the bar. We left an extremely generous tip nonetheless. It had nothing to do with the barmaid’s décolletage (one of The Execs favorite words). #1 had ordered a mushroom and Swiss burger but as far as I could see it was mushroom free. Apparently the burgers were mediocre. Fortunately I had switched my choice to fish and chips at the last moment. My stomach was feeling a little touchy that day so I figured fried fish and beer would be anodyne.

Saturday night The Execs and TCGs showed up for my daughter’s ballgame. The Division III CCS playoffs took place at Notre Dame Belmont so it was pretty much a home game for us. They dropped Prospect High of Saratoga 82-49. My kid was the leading scorer. My son is going to start college in the fall so I expect to be bankrupt by 2011. I hope she gets a scholarship.

We then headed to Portofino, one of the many high end restaurants in our burg. The Exec was going to split a pizza with TCG’s kid but the “machine” was busted. Since when in the hell do they make pizzas in a machine? TCG got the carbonara. Fortunately the carbonara machine was working. Since he couldn’t have his pie, The Exec chose one of the local delicacies, The Lagoon Clam special. He raved about it. His wife indulged in some grilled shrimp with a side of pesto rice, which had just a whisper of green dye #2. My wife and Mrs. TCG had some appetizers, including one you commonly find at Italian restaurants, wontons.

So what did DJ have? I was just there for a glass of wine. So why did I get stuck with a third of the bill? These guys have been working me since I met them back in the mid 90s. I have a little free bread and a bit of The Exec’s salad and bingo, 52 bucks. Maybe I would have been better off left out of this little get together. I shouldn’t complain too much though. Some of their friends bought our table a bottle of good Cab, which I made sure I got my fair share of. And another group dropped off some Merlot that they had left over from their grandmother’s 90th birthday celebration. After sipping those two, my Gnarly Head Zin tasted pretty gnarly. When I ordered it at the bar, the guy was going to give me white Zin. I had to explain to him that I’m white Zinfandel intolerant.

During our dinner chat, my blog came up, as it often does. I let them know that one of my recent ideas was to work on a career autopsy. As one of my office buds often says, I should have paid attention in school. I think my lack of political savvy hasn’t helped either. I did, though, recently get tapped by my boss to produce our team’s monthly newsletter. As you can imagine, I’ll have to seriously restrain myself. However, I think the main reason my career has stalled is the ill-timed and ultimately ineffective use of emoticons during IM chats with the senior leadership team.

Tonight, somewhere in Foster City, there’s an Oscar party I’m not invited to.

Declare Victory and Get Out

As previously published, I was under the impression that I was involved in a blog war. I was mistaken. After seeing no posts from The Exec in over 2 weeks, I realize now that it was merely a border skirmish. I have driven the aggressor back deep into his own territory. He is safely behind his side of Marlin Ave, which blog historians may some day refer to as Foster City's DMZ. He’s been seen lurking around Beach Park Plaza recently, but he can’t water my lawn from there.

Actually we’re still bosom buddies. We broke bread just this afternoon. Or better put, we slurped pho at a nearby Vietnamese restaurant. I made every effort to provide him with some good blog material. I want to see him succeed in this endeavor. So do the numbers. I saw 1 and 2 this past Sunday at a performance of West Side Story put on by San Mateo High School. They commented on The Exec’s lack of productivity. It’s not like he’s had other things on his mind, which most would agree is pretty much a blank slate. But enough about him. The play was outstanding. A group of very talented students, including #2’s daughter, put on a bravura performance.

I have a bit of a Valentine’s Day hangover today. I get really spun up about the Hallmark holidays. I planned ahead and got flowers and a card on Wednesday. I only buy Hallmark. I pulled off a surprise Thursday morning by keeping the flowers in my car overnight so they were awaiting wifey when she woke up. I also had a pot of freshly brewed coffee made. So I got kudos from the wife plus I had the extra added benefit of a fragrant vehicle for my commute. I can’t wait for Arbor Day!

By the way, I feel pretty, and witty, and bright.

Happy Trails

I saw Mitt Romney drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic’s. His hair was perfect.

#1 and I consoled each other via email today, now that our hero Mittens has decided to pack it in. It was time to “stand aside, for our party and for our country”. We think he should’ve taken his message, whatever it was at the time, all the way to the convention. "In this time of war, I simply cannot let my campaign be a part of aiding a surrender to terror," he said. Yeah Mitt, time to put another layer of tin foil on the hat.

Maybe he just needs a break from the non-stop campaigning. He could hook up with my bud The Wolverine. Once the thaw sets in, they can do some hiking in the Massachusetts woods, take in the fresh air, and shoot some squirrels.

Stupor Bowl Sunday

Well, it was an exciting game for once. I was rooting for the Giants to boot. I used to be a Giants fan back in my NY days. I converted to Niner fandom like every chardonnay and brie Bay Area yuppie back in the 80s. But like my old man, I’ve generally lost interest in pro sports. Now I watch my kids do their inter-scholastic competitions.

It was a big weekend for the daughter. Friday night was The Catfight, the Notre Dame Tigers vs. the Presentation Panthers. #1 and his wife joined us for what turned out to be a barn burner. The stands were packed as we won by two in double OT. My wife sat between #1 and me. I thought I’d miss talking to him but that wasn’t the case. I was able to save him $10 by letting him use my hoops pass. I guess one could say he owes me $10. Maybe he’ll re-pay me at next weekend’s crab feed. Saturday night ND took St. Francis by 13.

I also spent some time at the club this weekend. I was there for a tribathalon on Saturday when I ran into The Exec. We exchanged pleasantries but relations have been strained since the blog battle began. As he showered in the next stall, I did learn something new about The Exec. He has a very wide stance.

I was then off to Safeway to get the week’s vittles. They were having a special on bottled water. I usually get a case every couple weeks. They had a “buy two, get three free” sale. I gave it some thought but since I had left my forklift at home, I just picked up one. It was the Arrowhead that was on sale. It wasn’t my favorite brand, Crystal Geezer, but it’ll do. As I was checking out, I perused the cover of Life and Style magazine. Angelina Jolie was the topic. They said a medical nurse had to be dispatched to their house because of a high risk pregnancy. That gave me pause. What kind of nurses are there besides medical ones? I’ve nursed a hangover or two but I don’t think that applies

Today I went for a swim at the outdoor pool. I was going to send a note to my good upstate NY friend JB to let her know there was a chill in the air when I got out of the pool. But since it was only about a 10 degree difference between here and there, the antagonistic effect would be minimized. I did chat briefly with my good bud Wig, who is enjoying some ski time in Jackson Hole and Park City.

That’s a wrap on this weekend. Blue Monday looms.