things I like that I already own: red chair

It occurs to me that during this time of financial insecurity one better get busy liking what they've already got. Never mind that I have a small mountain of things piling up that need to go to Goodwill. This, my friends, is a celebration of things I already have. I encourage others to take inventory as well.

I thought about doing this in list form, but that doesn't seem appropriate. So much of what I have that I truly value (whether for the item or more often times the sentiment) deserves a bit more than a one-off list.

First and foremost on the list is the Red Chair. Now, whether or not I own the Red Chair is up for debate. I think my family might argue that I hold it in some form of Trust that they could legitimately lay claim to. As much as I like to call the chair mine, their rendering is probably the more accurate of the two. Since lists are so much fun, I present a list of why this chair is RAD:

• the fantastic red color
• velvet!
• it still has much of the original horsehair construction
• we were not allowed to sit in this chair as children and now I can sit in it every day
• it was my grandma's chair
• the chair is facking comfortable
• did I mention the red?

To be continued...

following the geese

So, last night I didn't sleep so well. It could have been the geese honking as they flew south. Or it could have been today's travel that I knew I had ahead of me. That's right, I followed the geese south to the Land of Strip Malls for conferencing, meetings, and a truncated visit. Its good to do the whole I-show-my-face-at-work-sometimes thing. You know, the check-in. But does the check-in have to start on the first day of fall when the leaves are changing at home and it slated to be in the mid-80s here? Bah! I don't even need the sun yet! Okay, okay, I shouldn't complain about weather in the 80s, but damn people, I LOVE ME SOME SWEATER WEATHER...

Sweater, no coat! Thank you very much.

um, yes. a hair cut.

So, I finally got really tired of my long hair and chopped it. I'd say it hasn't been this short since right before I went to Germany a few years ago. Interesting decision, given that summer is, for all intents and purposes, over. Anyhoo, its fun and easy, easy being the more important of the two as I'm fantastically lazy when it comes to hair.

On to more entertaining topics, its getting chilly at night and I've spied some yellow and red leaves! We're less than two weeks from October, the greatest month on record. Woohoo!

a reason to celebrate....

I went down to a local Mexican league soccer tournament this weekend in hopes of scoring some delicious tacos. You know the kind.... two small tortillas, asada, onion, cilantro, lime... They had tacos aplenty, but there was a booth with a bright golden light leading the eye to the sign that said "Pupusas". Could it be? No! Surely not! Yes, by jove, I think they do have them! Pupusas are a food that hails from El Salvador. There is not, as far as I can tell, a large Salvadorian crowd in the general area. So I took the opportunity that so delightfully fell in my lap and I stuffed myself with Pupusas all weekend long. That's right people, I went down to the tournament on both Saturday and Sunday just for the food. Even brought some pupusas home to freeze, though I doubt they'll make it into the freezer. One of the best parts of the whole pupusa experience is this delightful cabbage, carrot, and onion mixture that goes on top. Almost like a blanched, not creamy cole slaw. I doubt that would freeze well. So, really, I probably should just go ahead and eat them. For the best.

Anyway, here's to hoping others were as delighted by their weekend discoveries as I was.

Natural Light

Yes, indeedy. There I was engaging in some due diligence on the Consumer Reports web site when I went a little off track. Much to my dismay, they recommended Natural Light as a CR Best Buy for light beers. I was a little disappointed they only tested light beers, but what can you do? Of course, their descriptors were a bit disheartening. Their "fair" rated beers were classified as "skunky and oxidized," which, in my book, would rate as bad. Meh.

Since I have no pictures of Natural Light consumption, I'll throw some Natural Ice in the mix with the charming KFR.

old man slippers

Oops, should've turned it
Originally uploaded by the bandits altercations

One of my finest purchases on the family vacation was a fine pair of Minnetonka mocs. Yes, I look forward to wearing these slippers for many many years to come. The above picture is just further evidence of my evolution into an old man... I'm wearing my slippers and driving an RV. So, what else qualifies, you might ask???? A list:

• the minnetonka slippers (the RV is not mine to drive)
  
• the old man Ivy Cap.... think Kangol, Pendleton (usually plaid), or Woolrich
  
• I live next to Rose, Blanch, Dorothy, and Sophia
• I like gin & tonics and other such cocktails
• I require consistent sleep to function at a human level

Yeah. I think I need to work on being crotchety. That will really take my game to a whole new level.

images only

So, I'm back. Hence the fancy video (at Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park, sipping some wine, enjoying the sunset). I'll start the task of posting my billions of pictures on Flickr sometime this week, but now I'm going to have a beer, maybe separate my lights and darks, watch the boob tube, and hit the hay. To conclude, some highlights from the last few days of the trip:

• a fantastic thunder and lightning storm in Jackson
• chatting with a mink farmer and his "twinkie stuffer" wife.... no joke.... she worked for Hostess
• birthday X 2
• there's snow on them thar hills (or mountains, whatev)!... we had some chilly nights with the storm, thus I didn't have to try so hard to pretend that fall was here.
• family

Alas, my holiday is over. The working world demands attention tomorrow and Friday. At least the weekend is almost here.