Chronically Moronic

I'm pissed. I hear skinny jeans are on their way out. And this is right after I bought a pair to go with my hip hop abs.

After my last post, 4M pointed out that the "Starbucks handle" has been in existence for a while.

http://tinyurl.com/2fx9pap

I also forgot to mention that he noticed my new hairdo, as my FC pals did last night. What an ego boost! I'm walking on sunshine.

We had a Peru trip meeting last night at The Exec's house. A bunch of us plan to go to Machu Picchu next June. One group will be doing a several day hike while the others will hang in Lima and Cuzco and then take a train to the Incan icon. This latter group is referred to as the "watchers and eaters". I think #1 came up with that one. I like it! We opened with Pisco Punch and everybody made a great South American dish, including Churrasco with Chimichurri Sauce, a primo quinoa salad, and a fish soup and chicken dish which I didn't catch the name of, but nonetheless enjoyed immensely. These were all paired with a fine Argentinian Malbec. My wife and I teamed up to provide Leche Asada for dessert. The only downside of the night was the discussion of altitude sickness. No Pisco Punch for you DJ.

Hot Enough For You?

I can't take the heat. I'm a weather wimp.

I got a comment on my last post from AMS, who represents the vast majority of my international readership. Big Brother is indeed watching. She was referring to my Statcounter mention. This tool tells me how many hits I get and where they come from. On the days I see goose eggs, I fall to pieces. Since September 2006 I've had 22,974 hits, 288 this month alone. Can you say monetize?

Have you ever been stuck behind a gaggle of teenagers ordering up a heap of frappuccinos at Starbucks? It happened to me today. For this reason, as well as the Seattle behemoth's - Seattle's Beast? - weak brew, I prefer Peets. But I was on my way to 4M's house to pick up my tomato bounty and I had to settle.

Any number of topics will come up when 4M and I get together. Forty years of bitterness tends to engender that. He explained to me his concept of the "Starbucks handle" so one does not have to use their real name. His is Bob. He said he wanted to create a large symbol to carry with him on his coffee runs so he could say "My name is this unpronounceable symbol". I then enacted the clerk's reaction, slugging him before grabbing two beers and jumping down the emergency chute. Did I ever mention I have one of those chutes in my cube?

The garden is now in full bloom. I'll be heading back to downtown San Jose for my love apple fix soon enough. TK and The UK want some too, but they ain't getting any.

Spiral Sliced

I'm not sure if my local readers have noticed the recent changes along El Camino in Belmont. The HoneyBaked store is gone and has been replaced by Bay Area Boxing. The resourceful owners hung up some of the former tenant's leftover product to use as punching bags for the junior boxers, a la Rocky, in which he pummeled sides of beef for fight prep. Some may think this training method is ham-handed, but I beg to differ.

The former eBay CEO's latest radio ad opens with::

Meg Whitman takes a stand on stopping wasteful spending.

Beautiful! I almost hurled when I heard that one. Once we see the second coming of Governor Moonbeam, she'll realize that the $100 million plus that she's spent of her own fortune was a waste as well.

Lastly, who was the Santa Monican on my blog at 3:30 this morning? If its a new fan, it will push my readership into double digits.

Quinoa

We're a groovy bunch at the DJ household. We've been eating quinoa, pronounced keen wah, of late. The Incas referred to it as the mother grain. And for you folks that care about this type of thing, its gluten-free.

We had it last night with some salmon fillets I grilled just right. We've had it before but last night we had red quinoa, which my daughter decided was not for her. She said it looked like carpeting. I took exception to that. I had sauteed some onions to add to it. I found it to be quite savory and plush.

Boys Will Be Boys

My bud TCG was trying to organize an outing to the farmer's market this past weekend, but he wasn't able to gather too many of our cronies. I was in Santa Rosa visiting The Poughkeepsie Kid and family. #1 couldn't make it because he was roughing it in the wilderness, paddling down a river and fighting off woodland creatures. I think TCG is planning to make these type of events a regular thing. I got an email today about getting together tomorrow at The Hillsdale Mall to do some shoe shopping. I can't wait until we head down to the Gilroy outlets.

Contest The Contest

Both of the finalists in the World Sauna Championships were rushed to the hospital, where one of them died. Its just a matter of time until someone busts a gut, literally, at a Major League Eating event. Whether you are slow roasting yourself or destroying your gastrointestinal system, I don't think the word championship or any other sports reference applies. Unfortunately you can't outlaw stupidity.

Usual Drivel

I've been getting the cold shoulder at work lately. I think it might have something to do with a recent all hands meeting we had. During a Q and A session with senior IT leadership, I asked them if they had given any serious thought to investing in the Magic Jack for our corporate telecom infrastructure.

Kim Kardashian's 12 and 14 year old half-sisters have gotten into the modeling biz. I think the family's mantra is "Screw 'em up as early as possible."

I gotta go work on dinner. #2 is coming over. I told him to bring dessert. I bet he shows up with a Charleston Chew or a box of Goobers.