Alcohol saves the day again...sorta...

So we had a bit of a snafu with the Christmas cards this year.  The husband had made the comment(s) he was sick and tired of the same old, boring family photo.  Ok, I decide I will take care of that situation.  I get Farmer Vinny to take a family photo that I staged and no one got to have input on it.  The photo was great and I was cracking myself up about it and the little message I put in it. Thursday night I had the company Christmas party and of course was drunk and wisely got a hotel room half a block from the office for the night so I would not kill myself driving home from the train station.  No big deal right?  Well some of the cards, namely our friends and family whose surnames begin with the letters A through C had been addressed.  Friday morning the horror in Connecticut takes place.  Well the cards for A-C got mailed out.  Suffice to say I sent out an email from work this morning to those people explaining the situation, apologizing at how the card in hindsight is completely inappropriate and that I will be sending out new ones- with a boring family photo.  I have learned that there is clearly a reason for the boring family photo on the Christmas card.  And clearly getting drunk at the company Christmas party prevented me from prepping the remaining cards to be mailed out.

Since we are on the topic, several friends have commented the card is pretty hilarious- clearly why these people are our friends.  And I got a very reassuring pat on the back from Mr. Barrett telling me I "handled the clean up well from a crisis communications point of view."  That made me feel a bit better as that is his job so he knows what he is talking about.

I am done shopping for everyone on my list and I actually have all the gifts wrapped and under the tree ready for the big day. 

We are having friends over to dine on Christmas Eve then I will pick up the boys the afternoon Christmas day and drop them off in the evening.  I am def wearing my Christmas pants Christmas Eve for dinner.

The AFHP ends this Friday and I must say I am looking forward to shaving.

Half of 90 aint so bad

The week of Thanksgiving was very busy at the cottage.  Not only were we hosting but it was also my birthday and dad's birthday.  Mom and dad came down Wednesday and stayed until Saturday.  Thanksgiving was awesome.  The boys were with us this year along with mom and dad.  We also had PJ and ST and two of our Graces- MM and MP.

The meal was amazing as usual.  The husband did a great brined turkey, wild rice dressing with a bunch of fruit, cornbread dressing with sage and sausage, white cheddar chipotle mashed potatoes, homemade cranberry sauce with thyme and mustard (actually really good even though it sounds kinda funky) and roasted carrots and parsnips.  Mom being mom felt the need to do something so we had her make the pumpkin pies- one regular and one gluten free crust- on Wednesday when they got there.  I also made gluten free cranberry walnut muffins and an apple tart.  The highlight of Thanksgiving though was when mom got into the Scotch and when she asked for a second one both the boys blurt out "Grandma, every time you drink brown liquor you kill a little part of my soul!"  Her response was "Cheers." and she took a big swig.

I got a super, awesome, amazing birthday gift from the husband.  A Genesis compound bow and arrows.  Of course mom, dad and the sons were all making jokes about me now needing tights too.  I like to think I will be all Clint Barton-like but I am sure many people would think "You big queen, you are soo Katniss..."

Friday we all went to MP's place or lunch.  She made an amazing beef bourguignon and creme brulee for dessert.  We had a great time and then had left overs for dinner.

Saturday my younger brother came down with the wife and kids for birthday lunch for dad.  Of course they were late so they are now in the lie to them about what time things start so they are on time.

Sunday I took the boys to see Argo.  One of the great touches was the Warner Brothers 70s/ 80s logo in opening of movie and the fonts of the the opening and closing credits.  The movie was actually not bad at all and I have to give Ben Afflack credit for improving as an actor.

I am gonna guess that we go over the so called fiscal cliff.  I mean what little I know of game theory would lead me to believe the Dems look at the situation and say fuck it, let's go.  Their reasoning may be that when we go over they will land on the GOP and be in better shape to stand up and walk away albeit injured whereas the GOP won't survive the impact.

Speaking of the fiscal cliff, am I the only one nauseated by the whole Rise above bullshit CNBC is doing?  That is not journalism.  To my point, if you had any doubts CNBC is not news and only infotainment then look no further than President Obama's opinion.  He detly expressed it by giving his first official post election interview to none other than Bloomberg TV.  It is a huge coupe for BBRG and makes sense as BBRG is the only relatively non-partisan news channel aroudn these days and focused on news thanks to being privately owned and not worrried about selling advertising time.

Brandi Terrace at your service...

The husband and I cleaned the garage out this weekend.   I had had enough of the frost in the windshield in the morning and having the truck freezing when I get in.  We still need to get the garage door on the husband's side fixed and then he can leave his in the garage at night as well.  Sadly it means the bikes are put down in the basement for the winter.

I finally got caught up on all the t.v. I missed due to the cable getting knocked out from Sandy.  "Arrow" is actually not bad and Steven Amell is quite the specimen.  the husband and I agreed he is on the list...

Speaking of "Arrow" the husband signed us up for an archery safety/beginner course at the local firearms range/club.  We did well and hopefully s\Santa will bring me a Genesis compound bow...call me Daryl.

We have the menu for Thanksgiving all planned.  Tuesday and Wednesday will be prep days so ideally all we- read the husband- have to do is put things in the oven at the right time and voila- the picture perfect Thanksgiving dinner.

 Friday while chatting with PF he told me someone called his phone looking for Latisha Brown.  I told him I thought that would be a great drag name for him when he started.  He said he already had one and we got on the topic of how I was told you take the name of your first pet and the the street you lived on to make it.  So by that means I would be Brandy Terrace but PF and I though Brandi would make a much better spelling..

Mom and dad are coming down for Thanksgiving.  Friday is also Dad's birthday but we are celebrating Saturday instead so my younger brother and his wife and sons can come down and celebrate with us.

We saw Skyfall this weekend.  Javier Bardeem made a super, awesome villain.  I was surprised the movie was almost three hours long as it went by very fast while sitting there in the theater.

Oh Sandy

So Sandy the Superstorm definitely was super.  I am a bit perplexed though as we were told Hurricane Irene was the storm of the century and one tear later we are told Sandy is the storm of the century.  Apparently Irene was the storm of the preceding century, you know 1911 to 2011.  Sandy is the storm of the proceeding century, 2012 to 2112 (at least I hope).

We lost a lot of roof shingles- they were strewn all over the backyard- and a sixty plus year old pin oak.  Thankfully the pin oak fell into another sixty plus year old pin oak next to it and not on the house.  I was not sure if we were covered by our insurance for that or not- we are not. 

Thankfully- and this is what makes our country great I think- there was a wildcat tree removal team in town ad they took it down. These guys came in from Michigan.  They drove out to Jersey as soon as the storm hit.  They were looking to make easy money with lots of trees down.  The husband and I were dreading that it would cost us more than $2500 to dispose of the tree.  We had that number in mind because ST had to have a tree of similar size removed after Irene.  The wildcatters told us they could take it down for $750!  Clearly they thought they were getting the better of us ad we could not believe how cheap they were so we immediately had them take it down right then and there.

My youngest son is now a teenager.  His birthday is November 1st and he and his brother were supposed to be with us the weekend of November second but since we had no power, heat or- more importantly to tow teenage boys- cable and internet, I asked the ex to keep them for the weekend while we cleaned up.

They were with us this past weekend and the husband and I got the birthday boy a new iPod Touch- the fifth generation kind.  I am stunned by the product btw.  If you have WiFi it is essentially an iPhone.  It is really cool and I have to disclose that my 6 + year old iPod Touch went on the fritz last week I got myself a new one just like his but a different color.

So the election.  I don't think the results could be qualified as a mandate for President Obama.  51% of the popular vote is a slim majority,  If he had received 60% or more I'd say that is a mandate. 

I think I have lost and alienated friends with my commentary on President Obama being a moderate Republican in his actions- oh well, guess they were only friends if I agree with them politically which translate to not really friends.

One thing I have been expounding to some is when the refer to President Obama as a socialist.  I ask for one socialist action he has taken.  Generally they claim the Affordable Care Act is socialism.  Really?  So you are telling me the Affordable Care Act has nationalized all health insurance providers, combined them into one enterprise and the government runs it all now and has advocated equal outcomes for all who seek health care?  I dunno but it seems more like the plan Republican Governor Romney put in place in Massachusetts- oh wait because it is.  The retort to that is yes but the Romney plan tried to reduce the mandated services  whereas the President's plan increases them and places new taxes on...tanning salons!  OMG what would we all do if tanning salons were taxed out of business???  The horror..the horror...


I have been accused of espousing a belie in equal outcomes.  No, I get that not everyone gets to be a winner.  But I do believe that everyone should theoretically have an equal starting line and if the government needs to step in for that then so be it.  Funny how the GOP lives and breathes economic/social Darwinism but  not Darwinism in science and how the Democrats are the opposite.

My oldest is at the age where he is now gettign interested in lifting.  I have given him some tips and since he and his brother are with us for the Thanksgiving weekend I told him e and I would go to the gym so I can walk him thru some things. 

The Highlight Reel

I have been really bad about keeping up on writing I know but I have been totally infatuated with InstaGram...

Since I last wrote Mr. Clifford and Mr. Surrett visited us and we ended up at some super swanky party one night in Bucks County.  The theme was county fair so of course we broke out the cowboy boots, Wranglers, plaid shirts and trucker hats.  It was a lot of fun and I found that many straight women clearly have a hick fetish.  One woman asked me if I dressed like this all of the time to which I replied no.  She then stated- in front of the husband and her cute, German boyfriend- that she just wanted to rip my shirt open and essentially motor boat my furry chest.

Speaking of German, the husband and I are hosting some of my high school friends this weekend for Oktoberfest.  This is the gang that usually does a ski trip but that did not happen this year.  Instead we decided to do the real Oktoberfest in Germany but then one guy put a pool in, another added on to the house, another just had a second child, etc. so I suggested they all come to the cottage and we have Oktoberfest.  Everyone agreed.  There will be a beer tent- entry gained only if you have the wristband, brawts, Tyrolean hats for all and the husband is actually going to wear lederhosen.

I did a sprint tri in Asbury Park a few weeks ago.  Came in fifth for my age group and 54th overall so was happy with that.  My first transition totally sucked ass because I for some foolish reason decided to wear socks.  That mistake will not be made again in any race. 

The husband got talked into doing a half Iron Man with my younger brother next summer- ha ha!

Mom and dad were on mom's birthday gambling road trip last month.  They invariably ended up in Atlantic City so they stopped at the cottage on their way home and we celebrated mom's birthday with lunch and cake.  They boys were with us that weekend so they got to spend some time with their grandparents too.

Speaking of the boys- and not to sound like a boastful father but- apparently they are quite handsome.  We had a co-worker and her husband over for dinner one weekend we had the boys recently.  The Monday after all my co-worker could talk about is how handsome the boys are.  I told her I still see them as my little guys.  Then, the next weekend they were with us, the three of us were running errands.  We are in a check out line at CVS when this woman in front of us keeps turning around and staring at us.  Finally she asks if I am the father and I reply yes.  She then proceeds to tell me how proud I must be to have two such handsome and big sons. 

At what point do we call a spade a spade and admit Greece is in a depression?  I think they have been in a recession for something like five years now, isn't there a time limit that once you are in recession for over three years it is no longer a recession?

Doesn't Apple already have a mini iPad?  I think it's called an iPhone 5, right?

I am a bit disturbed by the whole glorification of military action and war.  I know it has been around since Lacedaimonians were around but it just seems to be at a cycle high these days.  Go figure- we are involved in a hot war and god knows how many cold war.  I say this all because the tv show "Stars Earn Stripes" just finished.  I never watched it but a lot of people at work were discussing it today and it just reinforces my belief the American Empire is in decline.  It is no different- just less bloody- than gladiatorial shows put on by the Romans.

The first Presidential debate is tonight.  I am soo excited to watch the season premiere of Supernatural instead....

Shutter day

I have to say it is sad Tony Scott felt he had no choice but to take his own life.  However I also have to question if we really need a sequel to Top Gun?  Don't get me wrong, great flick, helped define the late '80s and I still quote certain lines from it.  But is it really worthy of a sequel?

The Jerky Boys have had a min-revival at work.  Our favorite by far is the excellent Frank's Pickle Barrel Ass.  We of course did some leg work and it appears the company called was Eagle Pickles in Maspeth.  Of course we called the number and the same lady answered- so we hung up.

If you have never seen the t.v.  ad for Stamps.com it is really annoying.  They play it on BBRG TV all the time.  The one point that truly irks me is one guy saying there is nothing worse than having to go to the Post Office and stand in line to buy stamps.  Two things:  1) You don't need to stand in line these days as they actually have vending machines you can buy stamps at and 2) I personally can think of many worse things- finding out a loved one has some horrible cancer, having your dog die, the Large Hadron Collider creating a small black hole and destroying the world, Israel striking Iran and precipitating a much larger conflict to name a few.

The niece's wedding was a lot of fun.  The space was amazing and shockingly the flowers were stunning- who'd have thunk that the NY Botanical Gardens would have great flowers?  The food was very good and the best part was the wedding couple had a photo booth there.  I had never seen it before and it was pretty great idea.  You got two copies of the photos, one you had to glue into an album they had and you got to keep the second copy- which is now prominently displayed on our fridge.

Saturday was a shutter day for the husband and I.  A lot of our friends had told us we need to watch "Grimm."  So we spent all Saturday in the house, plopped in front of the t.v. catching up on all of season 1 and watching the two episodes of season 2.  It is not a bad show- not quite "Buffy" but clearly owes a huge debt to it and is not trying to be that show.  I mean that makes sense since David Greenwalt is involved in both shows.

Yesterday was a bit more productive.  We got up and did a 21 mile bike ride then I cut the grass.  I was psyched as I got to ride the lawn tractor.  With the drought still in effect I didn't cut it too short and I did not have to use the bagger.

I was surprised to read this morning that Frau Merkel wants to have a convention to write up a new Eurozone treaty.  What was even more surprising is that it got very little airplay or ink in the business press here.  Supposedly she hopes to have a date set for said convention in December.  I am sorry but that does not bode well for the whole thing.  It is also actually a pretty brilliant ploy.  We'll see how it all plays out.

Another topic I can't seem to fathom.  Last week there was a lot of chatter about the federal government thinking about a release from the SPR.  Then today I hear chatter about several international oil reserves supposedly getting ready to do a release.  It is real simple actually.  The whole war drum beating Israel has been doing over the last three weeks or so tells you that it may be more than just posturing.  Apparently I am one of the few who seems to think that is what all the chatter about strategic oil reserve releases is related to...

At times I wonder if it drives the ex crazy that her dog loves me and goes bonkers happy every time I go over to the her house to pick up or drop off the boys.  Hell even her cat loves me too.

I need an updated guide

Just some highlights as I have been really bad on writing lately.

The wedding we went to several weeks ago was a blast.   The husband and I were very busy setting up the chuppah, serving lunch for out of town friends and actually attending all the wedding weekend festivities. I actually sat next a woman who graduated from the same college I did but definitely a few years later.  The person on the other side was a professor from some Ivy League university who did not take kindly to me peppering him with so many questions about his field of work- he is a political science professor and I was basically hammering him on how do you model for things when humans are innately irrational creatures, lol.

I think I need an updated gay guide because clearly mine was published before the advent of Instagram.  I say this as I have come to realize if you are gay and on Instagram then it must say somewhere in the guide that you have to post as many shirtless selfies (as the Brits call self portraits) as possible....I am much more voyeur than exhibitionist so I do not post many selfies let alone shirtless ones.

My oldest finally got a proper haircut, started styling his hair and actually using product- holy shit he is growing up!!!  When I picked them up this past Friday I noticed and told him it looks really good and he will have chicks all over him once school starts up in a few weeks.  His younger brother- this is what is great about little brothers- blurts out it is already happening at tennis camp, lol.

I will admit I might be wrong about the Eurozone breaking up if someone can give me just one example of a state willingly giving up part or all of its sovereignty to another state.  Until that happens I stand behind my belief the euro is doomed because Germany will want to control things if they are footing the bill.

As a corollary to  my above statement on the doom of the euro, let me make it clear that it does not mean the end of the world.  The Large Hadron Collider creating a small black hole would most assuredly mean the end of the world; the euro disappearing and the markets going down does not.  Will it be painful?  Yes.  Will it cause problems?  Yes.  Will the sun still rise int he east and set in the west?  Yes.  Will the earth continue spinning?  Yes.

I think there will be some good t.v, i.e. major hotties on the show, this fall .  I am thinking mostly of "Arrow" on the CB with one Stephen Amell. 

The husband's niece is getting married this Friday at the Bronx Botanical Gardens.  It should be a fun time even though I will need to suit up at the office.

The boss took two weeks off in a row for vacation.  That meant the j.v. was on the field, i.e. me.  It totally reinforced what I told him over six years ago when he first interviewed me- I do not  want his job.  I am not wired correctly when it comes to dealing with "office politics" or having to answer the same question from the same person 4 different times.

Last weekend was my annual boozefest with the fraternity brothers.  Oh and we also took a small drinking break to do the Warrior Dash.  The course had a lot more incline to it this year and we all agreed the obstacles- whilst there was much more barbed wire- were not as good.