Ye Olde Cuddle Shoppe

I'm disappointed in myself. I like to think I stay ahead of important cultural trends. For example, besides for TMZ and People, who knows more about celebrity baby names than me. But I had to rely on my perspicacious friend The Wig to alert me to the growth in the cuddle industry, detailed in the below article. In past blogs I've made mention of the fact that I'm not much of a hugger. Although it may seem counter-intuitive, I'm big on cuddling, and I'm willing to pay for it. I'm hoping to find a local cuddle concern that will allow me to bring my emotional support pig with me.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/professional-cuddlers-embrace-more-clients-1420759074

Foster City is developing three new parks and they'd like us to help name them, I was discussing this with SB1 when he was home. We decided that the new one out by the bridge should become Feral Cat Park. Feel free to make your own contribution.

http://www.fostercity.org/parksandrecreation/parksandwater/New-Park-Naming.cfm

I've heard commercials on the radio recently for cheap LASIK. If there's anything I want to save money on, its eye surgery.

As you know, I'm in telecom business. And loving it. I thought I'd share an interesting historical tidbit I came across recently. There's a picture in my office of San Jose's first telephone subscriber, in 1897. For his number, he chose 3.

What about celebrity news, DJ? OK, it looks like Tara Reid has been fairly active of late. She posted some nude pics on Instagram and then went bowling in her bra. These are noble pursuits. Chelsea Handler is also a naked Instagram poster. However that institution has a strict no nudity policy. DJ's Detritus has no such prudish concerns, as I proved early on in my 2/18/07 post.

Lastly, it looks like Adele Dazeem will be singing the national anthem at Super Bowl XLIX.

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/low_concept/2014/03/john_travolta_called_idina_menzel_adele_dazeem_what_s_your_travolta_name.html

2015

I don't really have any resolutions, more of a hope for 2015. That hope is that there will not be too many celebrity feuds.

We had a safe and sane NYE with The Hotelier and family, including his recently transplanted in-laws. They moved from Chicago to Mountain View. I gave them my blog address and I actually got some hits the next day. That is a hell of a lot sooner than The Hotelier will get the check I told him I'd send him for our portion of the dinner at Osteria Coppa.

Speaking of Osteria Coppa, we had a good family dinner there last week as well, courtesy of my mother-in-law.. My daughter gave me a hard time for pouring the last of the vino into my son's glass. I think her rent check is going to be way late this month. The only beef I have with Osteria Coppa is that they pack in too many tables. The waiter had to take a circuitous route to get to my side.

Christmas was good.  A lot of loot was exchanged and too much food was consumed. We carried on my mother-in-law's tradition of having Bloody Marys with brunch. I'm getting too old for that.

We had the fun bunch over for Christmas Eve. This is the Festa dei Sette Pesci and also the birthday of The Exec. We held this event for the first time last year on his 60th and it is becoming what they all believe will be a tradition. I'll have to start disabusing them of that notion. I cannot have twenty plus huggers in my house at one time.

In the news, Harry Reid broke his face when his exercise equipment malfunctioned. So much for that resolution. Also, I'll never play the piano again and Bono may never play guitar. He kept a pretty good sense of humor about it.

"And his band mates have reminded him “that neither they nor Western civilization are depending on” his full recovery, he quipped."

And this guy has been hanging a left for 50 years.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-illinois-man-turn-signal-lever-20150101-story.html

Lastly, for any of you erstwhile hoops players, who would you compare your career to? Mine would be a losing candidate for the Foster City Council.

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/12/nba_presidents_the_best_pro_basketball_analogues_for_george_washington_warren.html