Tick...Tock…
75 minutes until my first real vacation in 3 years, and my first stint of time-off longer than a 4-day weekend since I started at the DR Group (16 months ago.) Tonight I make vital preparations (burn CDs for the 1400 miles of road that lay before us) and finish up the packing. Tomorrow we pick up the rental car (fingers crossed for a PT Cruiser) and then load it up and hit the road blasting up the 5 until we hit the Silicon Valley and dinner w/ the in-laws. Saturday in San Jose/Los Gatos, Sunday night somewhere between Alameda and Portland, and then we’ll roll into P-town (can I call it “P-town?”) Monday evening. We hol’ up in Portland for a few night and then kick north into Seattle until Saturday when we board an Airbus A30 bound for Burbank. 60 Minutes between me and the first of many beers.

Jitters
We are getting so very close to our departure. On Friday morning Julie and I set out on a 1400+ mile roadtrip up the coast. We’ll be stopping in the silicon Valley/Bay Area, somewhere in northern CA near the boarder, Portland, and Seattle. I would love to hear suggestions of things to do/see/eat in any of those cities, so speak up! We also need a hotel for one night in Seattle and would love a recommendation for a hip/swanky/funky place to stay. I’m getting very nervous/freaked out about the trip! But a wise woman once told me, “Don’t confuse anxiety with excitement,” so I’m trying to re-wire my brain to think “EXCITEMENT!” and not “HOLYSHITWEARELEAVINGINTHREEDAYSANDI’MFREAKINGOUT!”

Public Service…
Tonight on FOX at 8pm is the season Premiere of the single greatest show currently on TV, one of the best TV comedies of all time, and a show that is in constant danger of being cancelled: Arrested Development. Believe the hype, this show is comic genius and features one of the most talented ensemble casts ever created. As you all know I tend towards hyperbole and I am quick to evangelize the things that I like. But I ask you, have I ever steered you wrong? This show exists in the strange purgatory of being a critical darling and yet in a perpetual ratings slump; to paraphrase my late idol, “Too weird to live, and too rare to die.” If you miss this show you are missing cultural history being made. Unfortunatly the shows genius often lies in its continuity. So play catch-up with this Wikipedia article before tuning in tonight!

Of Thai and Tori
Just after Friday’s post where I bemoaned the lack of “Spicy Thai” flavored Kettle Chips, my lovely wife brought me a bag she discovered on her way home from work! Shortly after that, Catherine pointed out another spot to obtain these delicious snack-foods! These are some potato-chips to write home about! Slightly sweet at first there is a substantial afterburn factor, though sadly they aren’t quite as spicy as the Kettle Jalapeno with Tequila and Lime flavor. But they do have an unmistakable Thai “essence.” Like good Thai food they blend sweetness, saltyness, and sour with a substantial kick. I HIGHLY recommend picking them up if you dig potato chips and Thai food. Two great tastes…

The was Friday. On Saturday Jules and I went to see Tori Amos play the Greek Theater on her “Summer of Sin” tour. It was the final show of the tour and opening-act was LA locals, and favorites of ours, the Ditty Bops who were VERY excited to be back home. There set was a scant 30 minutes and features only ONE track from their album but the set was choc-full of toe-tapping fun! After an extended set-break Tori took the stage at about 9 and opened with “Original Sinsuality” (Set list for those who care about such things.) She spent the night moving between grand piano, organs, and a keyboard, often straddling the bench and playing both the piano and an organ at once. Her two hour set was filled with improves, a flub-or-two, new arraignments of old favorites, and even a rousing and emotional cover of Peal Jam’s “Black” during her “Piano Bar” segment. She left the stage to a standing ovation with a promise to return in 2007; which frankly can’t come quickly enough.

Lost to the Shuffle
I dunno what happened to my answers to those questions. I wrote them up, but evidently never published them to Blogger… Oh well, here we go again:
Chun: Why don’t they have “Spicy Thai” flavored Kettle Chips in California?
Anne: The DR Group sells/rents/services high-end Final Cut Pro editing systems and provides consultation and full-service facility integration for the motion picture and television (and porn) industry.
Russell: I thought the movie was pretty interesting, though I lost interest when if changed focus from Quantum Physics to Neurochemistry, and the “story” started to take up more time. It really felt like the film makers had a tight hour-long episode of Nova that they needed to add 40 minutes of “story” to get theatrical distribution. Plus Marlee Matlin was distracting, and all the acting was bad. I would have preferred just talking-head interviews with all the scientists.
Amanda: Everything. Seeing all the people who we haven’t seen in so long. Getting out of LA for over a week. Even the driving.
Greg: I’ve put banjo on hold until I can get a better grasp on basic music theory, which I still need to get a keyboard for…
Meli: I don’t think we’ll be staying with you guys, though we would still LOVE to see you and hang out for a bit! I’ll go over detail with your husband this weekend.

There is a Saddle?
Work is still rocking-and-rolling, it had been so slow throughout august I was mentally unprepared for the onslaught of sales, deals, and installations that we are confronted with moving into the fall. But I think I’ve got me sea-legs on now, and just in time to ride-out the last week before taking off on my first vacation in quite some time! I mean I had that week-off last may, but that was during my bout with the Chicken-pox so it hardly counts.
Uh…. I have very little else to say… Does anybody want to ask me a question?

Weekend
I’m been neglecting the blog. This months is insanely busy at work, and by the time I get home I really just want to veg-out. Nothing particularly exciting has been going on anyway. Julie and I are getting ready for our road-trip at the end of the month and I can’t WAIT to get the hell out of town for a while! I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Gonzo

"No More Games. No More Bombs. No More Walking. No More Fun. No More Swimming. 67. That is 17 years past 50. 17 more than I needed or wanted. Boring. I am always bitchy. No Fun -- for anybody. 67. You are getting Greedy. Act your old age. Relax -- This won't hurt."

Possibly the final written words of Hunter Thompson.

Laborious Day
Three-day weekends are very important to the American way of life. Without them all of the middle-class office drones would no-doubt rise up in revolt against the tyranny of the Plutocracy. This vital pacification of the work-force is achieved by copious quantities of grilled meat and alcohol, all of which is purchased throughout the 3-day long celebration-by-slothfulness. And it is the true back-bone of the American Way, the retail and food-service employee, that has to deal with the hoards of middle managers and technicians and marketers and accountants that line-up with drugs and best and booze and fuel in-hand. These grunts on the front-lines of American consumer-culture are the true champions of Labor Day. While the rest of us are swilling beer and watching pointless marathons of rerun TV shows these unsung heroes are manning the registers, and stocking the shelves. Our Grandfathers fought the tide of communism in decades past so that we could spend our disposable income on a copy of “The Complete Marx Reader” from a super-chain bookstore on 11pm on a Friday night, and it is the Retail Warrior that is there to sell you that book or tchotcky or mocha-chino-latte w/ extra (but dry) foam and splenda. America celebrates is Veterans, and those who gave their life in the service of the country. We celebrate the founding fathers and their achievements is some steamy hall in Philly, and we acknowledge the contributions of people from many disparate professions. Why not a Retail Worker Appreciation day? It is a thankless job, but we can change that! Tip big, smile-bigger, and strive to let those who help you spend your money know that w/o them our country would grind to a screeching halt.

Reactions to Anarchy
I’m increasingly bothered by the stories and images coming out of New Orleans. The situation is just too horrible to fully grasp, and it just keeps getting WORSE. I’m very glad that I don’t live in Hurricane Territory.
But I DO live in Earthquake territory. So this weekend, while out and about, I’m buying 10 gallons of water and a weeks supply of food. Maybe a first-aid kit if I get very ambitious. Call it pragmatic paranoia.

Answers, Among Other Things
Mom: Favorite Roadtrip snake is probably redbull. Or Poptarts. Jerky is good too. It used to be cigarettes…

Chun: Because your Bloat deck is WEAK! OR maybe your conscious got the better of you and you couldn’t bare to bring the full-brunt of the Bloat on the unsuspecting New Englanders.

Andrew: Because I had no idea that existed. I’m down! Also I can’t wait to discuss my new obsession with boardgames w/ you.

Anne: Uh… At somepoint In the future. I would say once we own a home, but that’ll never happen in this city in this market, so…

John: Who cares, either way there’d be good eatin’ afterwards!

Gress: I have a lot of sympathy for the residents of NOLA who didn’t flee as many (most?) of them are DIRT-poor and really had no where to go. It is much more difficult to find sympathy for the TOURISTS who stayed to weather the storm and are now fucked.

Greg: A) It used to be I would say Jack-in-the-Box w/o hesitation as the variety of food offered by them is so great, but now… I may have to go with Carl’s.
B) The saga of Paul’s Blog is still developing I’m sure… Though I hope he DOES see some cash out of it…

Now I ask you a question: What form of entertainment do you spend the most $$$ on?

Ask John
Whoops. Yesterday was inventory and I didn’t get a chance to post the “ask john.”
So now is your chance, ask away!