Wow, apparently so. Fair amount’s happened in the past few weeks since the last post.

First up, work. Conference went well by all reports, despite the “legal issues” surrounding our esteemed Prez. As that was going on, I managed to whack out the magazine, which was greeted with much applause and back patting. Seems like I’m capable of doing my job AFTER all, and it would have been a rather stupid move to give me the old heave ho, eh Mr. President? Alas, rather than make this statement to the afforementioned Prez, he fell on his sword and resigned. So all change at the office again, but the atmosphere is a lot better back there, and people have reported that they now wake up for work singing this.

Not an image I want in my head. (Shudders)

In other news, we managed to disappear up to the cabin for a long weekend. Myself, Tracee, Professor Mike, and Jarod were joined by a pair of lovesick teenage kids. Awww, just kiddin’ Michael, but you did almost induce vomiting at a few points! (That might have been the copious amounts of beer…) As usual, a good time was had by all, and the beer served an extra purpose – creating empties for the newly formed….

Ta-daaa! Yep, not satisfied with buying the brewing equipment, I’m getting all obsessive about things as usual, so Long and Short Brewing has a name. And a logo. But more importantly, two (count ‘em, TWO!) brews in progress. The brown ale which is unofficially titled Ol’ Dirty Bastard, and a – wait for it – double chocolate imperial stout to be referred to as “Whenin Doubt – Chocolate Stout”.

The brown hits bottles next weekend, while the chocolate stout’s not going to be drinkable for another 6 months or so. Which means we’ll have to make a couple more stopgap brews to tide us over until we crack that mutha’!

Other than that, not a lot going on. Michael will be furiously dialling me when he reads that my arse hasn’t been on my bike at all in the past month – thanks to crappy scheduling for work, being out of town or busy doing other crap (cabin, roped into wife-related events, in-law invasions, etc.), my riding partner disappearing for two weeks on vacation (how dare he!!) and – I’ll be honest here – lack of motivation to ride dusty as feck trails in the height of summer. The result is that the past month has seen zero weight loss – but has also seen zero weight gain. But being on my duffer is certainly not going to see me in good stead when we ride Tahoe next month. (I know, Michael, I know…)

Footy season kicks off this weekend (another excuse to not ride!), with Liverpool in action against Spurs. Have to say, the confidence that our strong finish had given me for this campaign’s worn off with our activity in the transfer market. Two players out – one of whom was our player of the season – to be replaced by two similar players. Glen Johnson steps in for Arbeloa, which in fairness is an upgrade, while Xabi Alonso’s replacement is Alberto Aquilani – a tremendous talent when he’s not on the treatment table being nursed with some injury or another. Indeed, the guy’s not even available to play for us for another month, as he recovers from ankle surgery.

Christ!

So, um, Gerrard and Nando? Up to you two. Again.

Right, I’m off to bed. Night night!

SAN RAFAEL (Reuters) – Beleagured, bald, belligerent, and still overweight Irishman Gaz was resting comfortably at his San Rafael home today, after a large simian escaped from his rectum. The cause of the incident is still unknown, but experts believe it may have had something to do with USA beating Spain 2-0 in the Confederations Cup. The monkey could not be reached for comment.

Seriously, I didn’t see THAT coming. Truth be told, I was so buried in work I completely forgot about the game, until JB shot me a text half time, asking if I was watching Spain losing to the US. Whaaaa?

Fair play to the US team – they defended REALLY well, Timmy Tourettes was phenomenal in goal for them, and they took their two chances well (because in fairness, that’s all they had – two chances!) Spain, on the other hand, rained hell and damnation on the US area, but just couldn’t crack them open. They seemed predictable at best, and certainly didn’t look like a team that was considered unbeatable. Bummer that we’ve been robbed of a Brazil v Spain final, but I suppose I’ll have to wait until next year for the World Cup final for that…

Work’s on my tits. Conference time is usually bad enough, but throwing in the need to design a magazine from the ground up adds to the fun. Actually, no – what REALLY adds to the fun is when the editor of said magazine disappears for a two week holiday, meaning yours truly didn’t get the articles until the arse end of last week. No, that’s okay – I have a magic button that I just press that makes finished design pieces. Suuuure I do…

Course what makes that even BETTER is when your computer decides to shit the bed, meaning I had to spend all day yesterday wiping it and reinstalling EVERYTHING.

So with that, little time to ride. In fact, haven’t hit China Camp in over a fortnight thanks to the work schedule and the fork issues I had. But even though I’m not riding the trails, I’m at least on the trainer downstairs. Thank Jebus for that thing, otherwise I’d be going mental.

Sigh, back to work…

Yes, there’s been more going on other than Liverpool wins, and here’s the quick update.

We’re in house mode – or at least, I am. After getting the recessed lighting installed in the living room and office, I’m all about getting more crap done while I’ve got the motivation. Against all odds, we actually found a piece of art we both liked, so now our living room wall isn’t completely barren. Plus, with our meager tax return, we toddled off and bought a new sectional couch. Nice and comfy, and finally Tracee’s disgusting brown monstrosity has been condemned to the basement – where one day, she’s going to come home and find that it accidentally fell into the back of a truck, which just happened to be on the way to the dump.

The big kerfuffle is the garden(s). So we recruited friends of ours to do the design and planting for us. Back in October. And it still hasn’t been done. Not only that, they’re not responding to phone calls and emails. And the $3,000 we spent on removing all the ivy and poison oak is for nothing now, since while we were waiting for them to get started, weeds have infested our blank canvas. So this weekend, we finally resolved to take matters into our own hands, since it’s obvious they’re not going to come through for us. We got a quote from the guy who did our clearing – $1,600 for the front. While I’d love him to do it (purely because I can’t stand garden work), the cash isn’t there, with the humongous Marin County property tax bill we’ve got, so we’re going to tackle it ourselves, and save some money. THAT ought to be interesting…

In other, much cooler news, Mr. Frigo popped out for a visit the weekend before last! Hooray! It was good seeing him, made us miss our old crew from DC, and a fun time was had by all. Did the wine tasting thing (spent more money…), ate one of his phenomenal calabreses (and got the recipe!), and headed out to West Marin for some beach time. Behold gratuitous photos…

Finally, the dental work continues. Finally went in for that periodontal surgery last Thursday, and feck me if that wasn’t awful. The root canal was a walk in the park compared to this. For those that don’t know what crown lengthening is, it’s “giving your gums a haircut”, in the words of my dentist. In reality, it’s having excess gum tissue and bone hacked off, and it feckin’ gargled my balls. Nothing like lying there in the chair, and suddenly tasting/smelling barbecue – before realizing it’s yourself you’re tasting and smelling. The procedure itself wasn’t bad – the joys of novocaine – but once that wore off, it’s been nonstop pain and discomfort. I managed to pop the stitches in my mouth pretty much immediately, and nothing like waking up in the mornings with little pools of blood all over the pillow. It’s getting better day by day, but Christ if I’m not really really ready for this to be over and done with…

Nothing written in the last seven days, basically because there was bugger all going on! Rain returned to the Bay Area with a vengance, and the weather was basically shite all week. So no footy, no riding. But this week (so far) is looking dry, so should be a few fun days of kicking the ball, and riding around like an eejit.

House thingy is still on the boil, but the credit crunch is making it’s mark. Despite us being “prime” candidates, the rules change daily. Our mortgage was done and dusted with one company, they overnighted the docs to us, and the following morning, just before they arrived, they dubbed Marin County (!!) a declining market, and now want an extra 5% down. Scott’s rockin’ the phones trying to line up a replacement, and should have it done today. We hope….

With that perpetual annoyance ongoing, thank Jebus for our expanding social scene – had nine of us clustered around a table, drinkin’ and answerin’ questions on Thursday night. I never thought pub trivia would be a cornerstone of my social life, but hey… things change. Dave and Laura, Jeret and Anna were in attendance, but new to the mix were our realtor’s daughter Jenny, and her husband Fil – good people, and fun to hang with. Much alcohol was consumed, we once more didn’t win, but we did crack the magic 30 points mark. Hooray for us. Big Papi and Mamasita swung by for dinner on Friday, and much Italian food and wine were knocked back, before a weekend indoors.

And so goeth a week in the life. Christ, we’re boring people. Ooh, I do want to recommend (HIGHLY) the movie In Bruges. Yer man Colin Farrell has completely redeemed himself. Hysterically funny, and smart thriller.

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Now playing: Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication
via FoxyTunes

Dude, shit… er…

Hmm. Now that we’ve gone into escrow on a house, and that drama is (temporarily – not counting our chickens before they’re hatched) over, I’m not sure what to write about now.

Um…

Well, this weekend I actually got back on the Turner. Granted it was just a leisurely pedal around the levies with Naz, but it was great to be out in the sun. Reviewed disclosures on the house, had Lindsey and Sean (Shawn? Shaun? Who knows in this country…) over last night for dinner, and this mornin’ watched my boys eke out a 0-0 draw with Chelski. Ooh, and went up to Mounts to collect some tasty Vino. And now I’m stuck in the living room on the laptop (who’s battery is about to die) since the Missus is working on the taxes in my office. So all in all, a boring weekend, with nothing exciting going on.

Which, to be perfectly honest, was bloody nice.

I’ll sleep well tonight.

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Now playing: Kelly Joe Phelps – Cardboard Box of Batteries
via FoxyTunes

Well, the offer we talked about yesterday is going in today. Full price.

Eek.

Cross your fingers.

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Now playing: The Beautiful Girls – Morning Sun
via FoxyTunes

Well, a week at the ol’ stompin’ grounds came and went, and now am back on the left coast. Which is, of course, the right coast. If ya know what I mean.

Don’t get me wrong. As much as it pains me to say it – as much as it sticks in my craw, I do miss DC. A little. I miss my friends – Frigo, Chinchilla, Osa, Seany, Bengus, Richard and Ingrid, and yes, even the reclusive Fookie. And it was nice to see/know that they all miss me (Hey, I have feelings too!) as demonstrated by not having a night to myself while I was there. It was pretty bittersweet seeing all the old faces each night, and even to hear that others are moving away now since I was (apparantly) the only reason they stuck around. (Hah!) Lou’s pondering a move to Seattle, in an attempt to get a gig with the new MLS franchise – and I think he’d do wonderfully well there (he’s also chasing down 2 former Black Cat chicas whom he THINKS he has a shot at, haha), Ben and Jackie are out of there (destination unknown), Osa’s off to New York, and Frigo’s on the verge of accepting a job in Charlotte, NC. (Which would make him thoroughly miserable, and he deserves much better than that.) Even Richard and Ingrid, stalwarts of DC, are on the fence now about where the future will take them, and mentioned that since we moved, California got a lot more appealing. The upshot of all of this? If I disliked DC as much, imagine what it’d be like without those folks there.

Eek!

But the point of it all was work. I endured the NASFAA Christmas party (an alcohol-free potluck dinner where the association provides the turkey, and we all have to bring sides, held at lunchtime in the conference room, before going back to work) and said goodbye to Dallas, the outgoing president. It’s funny – as much as I may rag on my job, there’s a man who’s heart and soul was that association since before I was born, and he did some amazing things there. But now, there’s new blood coming in, and I got to meet the two candidates for his job. Whomever gets it is bound to shake things up – and here’s hoping one of those ways isn’t dropping telecommuters…

Christ, this blog has become a way of letting people know that there’s nothing going on. And yet another week of that here in glorious San Rrrrrrrafael. Head down and working, that’s about it. No new developments on the housing front, which we sort of expected coming up to Chrimbo, and I’m off to DC tonight for a week.

I did come close to lobbing my Mac through a window this past week tho… I made the upgrade to Leopard, but discovered that Quark 6.52 doesn’t like it. So had to downgrade back which has caused all sorts of problems. Which I eventually fixed, but a dumbass moment from me saw me bollix it completely (I changed the ownership of the hard drive from system to me, but stupidly clicked the “apply to all contents”) so now a format and reinstall of everything awaits me when I come back. Although I did have work order the Quark 7 upgrade, so first I’ll try hopping back to Leopard and doing that instead.

Anyways, that’s the current ska – we’ve been so busy with work, we haven’t even gotten pressies or cards in the post to Ireland and Scotland, which is shameful on our part – I’ll be expressing everything out when I get to DC in the morning…

Stunning show last night at the Warfield Theatre in the City. Tracee, Jeff, and myself headed off to see John Butler Trio as well as local Oakdale boy, Brett Dennen. Jeff was the man who turned me on to John Butler in the first place when he recommended Sunrise Over Sea to me something like two years ago, so it was rather karmic checking out the show with him coming along. John Butler’s music isn’t only bloody amazing to listen to, but it carries significant weight. His lyrics are about love – but not the same sort of whiny bullshit prepubescent love you hear in Volume 34 of the Grey’s Anatomy Soundtrack. Nope, JB3 preaches love for one another, our fellow man, and our planet. Something lots of people have lost sight of.

Chippiläñga and myself checked out JB3 at the 9:30 Club in DC last year, and were blown away. So we showed up with high expectations – and we weren’t disappointed.

First things first. Little known to us, you can’t drink your beers at your seats, so we got to chug our $6 minicups in the foyer, while listening to Brett Dennen’s set kick off. But it’s completely fine to chong out or munch plates of chicken wings. I guess the two kinda go hand in hand, and the free contact buzz was something of bonus, I suppose. But as stoned as the majority of the crowd were, their high was nothing compared to that of Brett Dennen, who seemed to perform his set in a rather fucked up state. Which may have also been something of a bonus – I’m not a huge Brett Dennen fan, feeling that his tunes all sound the same, but I developed a new respect for him after hearing him live.

But just like the show in DC, all memories of opening acts and how good/bad they may or may not have been, were wiped away as soon as JB3 took the stage, and proceeded to blow the roof off. Even with my earplugs in, I noticed that the sound wasn’t as good as the 9:30 Club – which I later discovered was down to their sound engineer. (Check this article out, and I’d have to agree with her – although she’s a bit over the top.)

But they still rocked their fucking socks off. Peaches & Cream was the only notable absentee from their setlist (which was a bummer – they had the whole 9:30 Club chanting the chorus in perfect unison at the DC show) but they did play my beloved Ocean (which is so good, I now pause as I seek it out in iTunes), and made up for Peaches & Cream by bringing Brett Dennen (and his bannana. Don’t ask.) and his gang back on stage for a jam version of the Beatles’ Come Together. as well as a mind blowingly haunting acoustic version of Fire in the Sky.

All told, they were on stage for 2 hours, and that’s not including Brett’s hour long shennanigans. If he’s coming to your town soon, buy tickets, and buy ‘em now.

Excellent stuff! And excellent seats too – see if you can spot the Ubermick and crew:

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Now playing: John Butler Trio – Ocean
via FoxyTunes

It’s amazing what you hear and dismiss as a child. My brothers, parents… you name it. Anytime their birthdays rolled around, they’d look at me and say “When you get older, it’s not going to matter as much.” And they were right! Although this year, it’s tempered a lot by not being around my friends. I’ve become so used to having blowout parties with dozens of folks in attendance, that just a quiet dinner with the Missus seems so… anticlimactic? I mean, I just don’t really care this year. Heck, I didn’t really care last year either.

But the upside? PRESENTS! Tracee scored me a beautiful Tissot watch I’d been eyeing, and her parents snagged me an Ireland rugby jersey (although after their performance in the World Cup, I might want to rethink it.). But the best gift of all was the financial dude calling, to let us know our credit is stellar, and we have zero mortgage worries. Hooray!

And the cherry on the cake is that we booked tickets to Hawaii for our first anniversary in April. So hey, maybe birthdays are pretty good after all.