Whine & Cheese

2005

While lying in bed last night, it hit me that today's post would be the last one of 2005.  So quite a bit of tossing and turning ensued as I reflected on the past year... and ...

I have to say 2005 was a very good year, definitely above average. 

I just re-read my last post of 2004... there is definitely seemed a tinge of melancholia... but I'll just chalk it up to a temporary intrusion of the 'holiday blues' ... but little did I know what the new year would bring:

It was a milestone year... I can hardly believe 2005 marked my 15th year in Arizona.  I think that officially makes me a Arizona native. 15 years of a lot of growing up. That 22.5 year old kid would have been pretty pleased (and likely pretty shocked) to see how his life turned at the end of 2005.

2005 was the first time I ever left the country (apologies to our neighbors to the north, but I am not counting two family vacations to Canada).  I have already exhausted the list of superlatives about our trip to French Polynesia in May.  We wanted an "escape from the real world" and that is most certainly what we got... we were in awe of the beauty of the islands and have many lasting memories... sitting out on the deck of our Moorea beach bungalow listening to music and sipping Tahiti drink, walking back to our hotel under a the most incredible starry night and then watching the moon rise over the Bora Bora lagoon.  We also enjoyed each other (get you mind out of the gutter!)... after 10+ years together, it was nice to be together for a week without all the "noise" of everyday life getting in the way.

2005 was a very good year business-wise.  Last year, we thought we had an unusually good year profit-wise, easily busting the bottom line from any other year.  In the last month of this year, we managed to even surpass that!  So while I don't love my job, I love what it affords me to do... I have a sense of financial security (something that was non-existent my first 10 years in AZ) and the list of things that are great things about working from home is far too long.  We already know we are losing some business in 2006 (some clients going in different directions), so I doubt we'll have another repeat... but that's what we said last year too!

We made some new friends in 2005.  I left some friends behind in NJ all those years ago and the handful of friends I initially made here in AZ gradually faded away... so it was the most unexpected and pleasant surprise to meet Scott & Buckaroo.  I was losing faith that at age 37/38 that I would ever have some new friends... thankfully that was not the case and we couldn't ask for two nicer guys!

2005 also widened my circle of "blog" friends. It has been fun to get know other folks via their blogs, but there have been a handful that I have enjoyed some further communication via email. I am sure if the miles did not separate us, I would enjoy a movie, dinner, coffee, or cocktail... with (in blog name alphabetical order) Scott, Kenna, Kenneth, Jeff, and "Atlanta" Todd.  Perhaps our physical paths will cross one day, I would welcome the opportunity!  Also, it was great to meet up again with long-time "Internet" friends (before blogs existed!), JD and Bill... we had a memorable evening of food and fun (even with fire alarms going off at dinner) with them in Vegas in February.

2005 was the first time Todd made a trip back to NJ.  After all these years, it was nice to finally show him "my roots" and also take him into NYC (for what would be a memorably wet whirlwind tour of Manhattan).  My parents bought that house in 1963, so this is a place that is truly "home"... Todd also met my very best friend, the "Grace" to my "Will," so that was pretty special as well.  I am sure he got some insights into my life, for better or worse, from this world he had only previously heard about.

So not bad, huh? 

Having seen a lot of blogs peter out or disappear altogether, I am truly surprised I am still around.  I tend to go through phases... moving onto something else once I lose interest... but we are 2 years and 3 months later.  I know W&C isn't terribly focused... one day it's The Amazing Race, next day its something gay and/or hunky, next day its a trip to the dentist or something about a tennis player... but as the song "Bitch" goes ... I'm a little bit of everything/All rolled into one... so expect more of the same in the new year, and if you don't like what you see or read... just come back tomorrow or the next day!

Best Wishes for 2006!

The Year of Magical Thinking

My holiday cheer continues!  First we see Munich and now I finish up a book about death and grieving... Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking.  I don't know what this says about my subconscious during this time of the year!

I picked up the book based on the critical acclaim.  As mentioned in yesterday's post, Entertainment Weekly named it the top non-fiction book of the year and it has been a staple on most "best of" lists I have seen thus far.  I am also guessing it likely is (or will be) Didion's bestselling book of her career. 

The book documents the year following the death of Didion's husband and fellow author, John Gregory Dunne.  The timing could not have been more appropriate... Dunne died on Dec 30, 2003 and, as the title suggests, the book ends Dec 30, 2004... and here I was reading it the very same week in 2005.

The book has been called a "brave account" of Didion's life without her soul partner.  While I certainly can not quibble with that, I dare say it is no more or less brave than anyone else.  As Didion recalls her husband saying... "it all evens out in the end"... everyone will face the death of loved one and, of course, ultimately reach the end of their life journey.  So while the experience is not unique, Didion certainly has the literary chops to get the words down on the page far better than the average person.

I have not experience a great death in my life as of yet. My grandparents are all gone, but either I never really knew them or they passed after a prolonged illness.  So the book provided some insights into what to expect and some of the pitfalls of the grieving process.  Of course, we all anticipate what those reactions and emotions may be (or do we? is it just me?), but those tend to get flipped, morphed, and tweaked, this is where the "magical thinking" comes in... while it may be "common sense"... the death of a loved one rarely involves the rational.  Here was one example, that stuck with me:

I could not count the times during an average day when something would come up that I needed to tell him. This impulse did not end with his death. What ended was the possibility of response.

Didion's life was further complicated during this time as her only child Quintana was/is hospitalized and critically ill during this same period (Dunne died after coming back from the hospital).  This is certainly an interesting aspect of the book and probably an oddly helpful as Didion micro-manages her daughter's healthcare. Quintana's illness makes the book quite a bit of a page-turner... in fact, I finished the last 70 pages (the book is only 230 pages) in one sitting.  On a sad sidenote, I read that Quintana, only 39 years old, died shortly before the release of the book.

So while certainly thinking Magical Thinking is a worthy and compelling read, it did not quite live up to the hype (an all too common phenomenon for me).  This was my first experience reading Didion, so I don't know if this is her "style"... but the writing often came off a tad cool and clinical.  Likewise, as a member of what most would dub 'the cultural elite' there is a tinge of privilege and superiority in the subtext of Didion's words.  An apparent big researcher, the story occasionally gets bogged down with medical details... and she often quotes others.  At times, while I was reading I thought "oh, what a great quote" only to re-read the passage and realize the words belonged to someone other than Didion.

So, like Munich, I am would not necessarily place Magical Thinking at the very top of the "best" list... but certainly would include it on a "recommended" one.

P.S.  One thing I did not notice about the book cover until I was putting up the very graphic for this post, was that "John" is spelled out in slightly different coloring -- I see it now as I look at the book on my desk, but it is more subtle in "real life"... that or this is truly a color-blindness test!

P.P.S. 'Magical' writing outshines the mundane - See that USA Today just named it "Book of the Year" (including fiction and non-fiction)... shockingly enough, I read two of the other books in the top 10 (Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat and John Berendt's The City of Falling Angels).

Munich

I don't read as much as I used to and we certainly do not go out to the movies all that often these days... so it was quite a surprise opening the year-end issue of Entertainment Weekly and seeing that I was reading the #1 non-fiction book of the year (The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion... blog review of that still pending) and that we had just returned from seeing Owen Gleiberman's #1 movie of the year - Steven Spielberg's Munich.

I am sure most of you are aware that this is the movie that recounts the aftermath of the killing of 11 Israeli athletes by a Palestinian terrorist group, Black September, at the 1972 Summer Olympic games in Munich.  Now I was a bit too young to remember the actual event... at age 5, I am sure my parents did not have me sitting in front of the television set as the tragedy unfolded... but over the years I have certainly seen footage of the masked terrorists on the balcony of the Israeli's apartment and Jim McKay's statement "They're all gone" still sends a shiver down my spine (as it just did again as I typed it).

While the hostage taking and tragic end are re-created on film (masterfully mixed with actual footage), the focus of the film is the team of Isreali special agents (assassins) that were sent out to kill the Palenstinians who planned and executed the attack one-by-one.

Now, I think there is probably no such thing as a "bad" Spielberg film... visually the film is amazing and there is certainly packs an emotional whallop... though I would say the tone is a colder than some of Spielberg's "serious" works such as Schindler's List, Armistad, or The Color Purple... but given the theme of vengeance that is pretty much expected.  Despite his Jewish ancestry, Spielberg is careful (almost too much) to not take sides... the Israelis accidentally meet up with a Palestinian crew during one stakeout and their take on the Israel is discussed... and the Israeli assassins are shown as emotionally tormented by their assignment given that it is not terribly different (or less heinous) than the attack that sets the events of this film into motion.

The peformances are incredible... and it amazes me that Eric Bana (as Avner, the group's leader) has not been talked up more for an Academy Award or even a nomination (no actors from the film were even recognized by the Golden Globes).  I am not terribly familar with Bana's body of work, but if Munich is any indication, he should have no trouble finding "leading man" acting gigs in the future.  And I would be remiss to say, that the guy is quite the stud.

That said, the problem I have with the film is that other than what that occurred in Munich at the Olympic Games, the rest of the story is truly unknown and likely never will be known .  While Spielberg notes at the beginning of the flim that what you will see is "inspired by actual events," a quick Internet search will dispute some very basic things shown in the film (i.e. there were several teams of assassins, Israeli PM Golda Meir's involvement, etc)... and the book on which the movie is based (George Jonas' Vengeance) has been dubbed by some as a "work of fiction" with much of the book's story supplied by a man who posed as an Israeli agent...  this Reuters piece goes into all this a bit more.

So while I have absolutely no problems with the artistic qualities of the Munich, it is just a slightly troubling side-effect to have to pan for facts amongst what is apparently a lot of fiction... and I am guessing most American moviegoers will view the events shown in the film as "gospel" since it comes from the lens of Spielberg.

Ricky Martin in Speedos

Well, this was quite the day after the day after Christmas present... lots of pics of Ricky Martin spending his 34th birthday vacationing on the beaches of St. Barts...

Ricky Martin in speedos... Ricky Martin in speedos on vacation...

I'll just lead you to just a few sites that have posted some pics, I'll take the Google hits and say thank you very much!  It was just hilarious to keep seeing the pix pop up everywhere and I certainly did not want to be left out on all the fun! .

Check them out here:

kenneth in the (212): Livin' La Speedo Loca
or here
Pink Is The New Blog | Holiday Fun With Stars
or here
Ricky Martin in speedos on the beach, smoking a cigarette - www.ezboard.com
or here
Just Jared: Ricky Martin & Eric Martin
how 'bout here
Just Jared: Ricky Martin Shirtless
or here
towleroad: Ricky Martin and His Beach Buddy
or here
Ricky Martin Frolics On The Beach | A Socialite's Life
or here
Dlisted: Is Ricky Martin a Top or a Bottom?

Ricky seems to be the butt of a lot of 'has been' jokes lately, but we still obviously love some looking at some Ricky!

Adrenaline Drop

Hello everyone... hope you all survived the big holiday weekend no matter what you did!

Everything went well here.  As mentioned, we had a pretty full house for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so I had a lot of fun trying to be the host with the most.  Without any children around, it was a fairly low-key occasion... so I lot of the "joy" of the season was centered around the meals.   We did manage to make everything that I mentioned in my Holiday Menu post... so it was a lot of cooking and thankfully I had helpers to do the clean-up portion.. which is certainly not my specialty.

The "New Mexican" feast was a hit all-around and everything was quite tasty and comforting.  In retrospect, and as Todd warned me, I think I did get a tad over-ambitious with the Italian Christmas dinner.  Ultimately, I don't think the lasagna offered the greatest payout given the effort, but it was still good (not orgasmic).  I would definitely recommend the stuffed red pepper, ratatouille veggie toss, and biscotti recipes... and, oh yeah, the banana & walnut stuffed french toast is definitely a keeper as well!

The gift giving was a success... though, as mentioned, with adults it does not tend to be the "unbridled joy" it is with kids.  I am certainly not "wanting" or "needing" of much these days, so it is a challenge for me to come up with a list, and when I do it is pretty much "ask and ye shall receive"... though Todd did surprise me with very nice Bose iPod speakers (quite a difference from our current speaker system).

But I certainly experienced a drop in adrenaline after our company had left on Christmas Day.  I had been fighting a cold/sinus thing for much of last week, but thankfully it cleared up for the two days I needed to be at the top of my game.  But yesterday and today, the sinus stuff seems to be creeping back in a bit and I am certainly feeling a big wiped out... but I think that has more to do with Christmas being over than any physical ailments.

We had a day to ourselves yesterday... so we went off to the movies to see Munich (will tell you about that in another post at some point) and just a bit ago, the remainder of Todd's family arrived here and then they all headed off to Disneyland for the remainder of this week. 

They invited me along... but since it was a little late in the planning, we didn't have a good option for boarding our dogs... so I volunteered to stay home and watch our dogs (as well as Todd's parent's dog).  It is not often that Todd's entire family gets to spend time together these days and they are working through some tough personal challenges, so I figured it best to opt out of this trip.

I am also thinking that this holiday week, the crowds in Anaheim might quite challenge the statement that it is "the happiest place on Earth."  But even though I was prepared to see them off this morning, it was still a bit sad to see them go.  It is a bit disconcerting to go from quite a bit of "hustle and bustle" to an empty house.  With work looking to be pretty slow, I will take the opportunity to relax, watch TV, and read my book... and then get ready for Todd's sister to finish out her Arizona trip with us next weekend.

I am sure there will be more rambling blog posts ahead this week... so stay tuned!

My Holiday Card To You

Since a lot of us are likely kicking it into overdrive (myself included!) in preparation for Christmas Weekend, just wanted to give you all our wishes for
Happy Holidays...
Merry Christmas...
Happy Chanukah...
Joyful Kwanzaa...
Happy New Year...
... or if you don't celebrate any of those... be patient, it's almost all over!

For those of you not on my Christmas card snail-mail list... here is this year's card:

The Stockings Were Hung By The Air Conditioner With Care -- and no kidding, high temps for this weekend are expected to be in the upper 70s!

On behalf of our other four-legged family members (Mindy, Lola, Elvis), Toby sends holiday greetings:

This was the 2002 card marking Toby's first Christmas... hard to believe this year is his 4th!   He still looks the same, although I seriously doubt he could fit in that box!

More holiday decor:

Our dining room hutch with just a small portion of our 'Christmas in the City' Village - this year's pieces include (from left to right):  Radio City Music Hall, Hard Rock Cafe, Casino, Church, Bookstore, Bank, Cafe, and Music Store.

Whipped up a centerpiece this year... very "Martha" ... large bowl filled with colored glass ornaments (in three different sizes!) and glittered pine cones.    We may actually use our dining room table for the first time this weekend!

The new Christmas tree -- on closer inspection you can see bottom branches are empty -- that is on purpose, if we put them there they would become cat toys and/or are eaten by Toby (he still managed to destroy one ornament this year).

Happy Holidays and probably see you back here some time next week!

My Grown Up Christmas List

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well I'm all grown up now
Can you still help somehow?
I'm not a child but my heart still can dream

So here's my lifeful wish
My grown up Christmas List
Not for myself
But for a world in need

Okay, here are some of mine as well as the "world in need"... apparently some folks are looking for the same things on Google & Yahoo (honest, click here and browse!)

Nick Lachey Shirtless

James/Jamie Denton Shirtless

Carter Oosterhouse Shirtless

 

Jeff Probst Shirtless

Alexandre Despatie bulge

May you all get what you want this Christmas as well!

Attention Getters

Just a few things that have caught my attention lately:

Found this Brokeback headline (yes, I am sure I'll get around to seeing it!)
Kiss just a kiss, Ledger says - 'Mountain' star saw sex as job

Now that's something you don't hear around the water cooler all too often!

************************

Another headline from last Sunday's newspaper:
More Churches Skipping Christmas Day Service - Worship shifts to days before to let staff, parishioners enjoy holiday with families

Some of the quotes from this article just amazed me:

"We don't fall into tradition around here... That's not what Christ would have us do. He doesn't want us to go through the motions and carry on the routine."

"It's a consumer-oriented society... We are just trying to do both this Christmas. On Saturday, we worship and serve and give praise, and on Sunday we focus on our families."

Ummm... maybe they should take a page out of Heath's book and maybe think of it as... ummm... like part of their job?

*************************
Before finishing up for the year, Jon Stewart was just cracking me up with The Daily Show's take to the "War on Christmas"...

Stewart was at his sarcastic best when he ended a segment by saying:
"Remember every time you say 'Happy Holidays' an angel gets AIDS"

Yes, pretty darn politically incorrect... but I half expect to see that very quote on the Fox News Channel crawl.

Holiday Menu 2005

We are hosting Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner. I love to cook (for others, never for just myself), so it has been really quite fun to come up with the menu.  As you know, I am a bit obsessed with The Food Network, so many of the recipes are available at their website.

We don't do a whole lot of entertaining at our house... some of the holiday parties I am reading about on blogs are simply amazing me (dozens of guests?!!)... so just having THREE people over has kicked my "hostess with most-est" gene into overdrive.

While I wasn't planning on a theme, we ended up having one.  Since Todd is originally from New Mexico, Christmas Eve will be a New Mexican feast.  The "New" is a pretty important part of that phrase, since New Mexican cuisine is slightly more spicy from what most folks consider traditional (Sonoran) style Mexican food. 

For Christmas day, we are taking a cue from my ancestral "homeland"... New Jersey... so it is Italian - Sopranos style!  (Though I am not Italian).

Now I don't have links for the first half of the menu... this is our traditional holiday meal... we have made these recipes over and over again, but here's what's on tap:

Christmas Eve

Posole - A thick soup/stew that's usually made with pork, hominy, garlic, onion, chili peppers, cilantro, and broth... known as "the ceremonial dish for celebrating life's blessings."

Carne Adovada - This is one of my specialties and ridiculously easy to make... pork marinated (for several hours) in red chile w/ garlic and a dash of mexican oregano and salt... then slow baked for a few more hours, leaving the pork fork tender.

Black Beans - Well, this is coming out of a can... sorry!   But will probably add in some onion, fresh cilantro, and cheese!

Mexican Rice - I am going to not go the Rice-A-Roni route and make this "from scratch"... adding in spices (chili powder, cumin), diced tomatoes, green chiles, corn, and cheese.

Christmas Day

Banana & Walnut Stuffed French Toast - Wasn't planning on doing anything fancy on Christmas morn', but after seeing Paula Deen (my latest Food Network girlfriend) make this pretty simple recipe, I knew I had to give it a go!

Lasagna al Forno - Was going to use another recipe, but then I remembered this one that Tyler Florence dubbed as "foolproof" on Food 911... so following this, but instead of getting out a jar (or two) of Ragu going to make the sauce from this recipe... 

Stuffed Red Peppers - Another one from Paula Deen.  Though I am going to take a little creative license on this one... instead of full-stuffed peppers, I am going to turn it into more of a sidedish... making them "boats"... cut length-wise, stuffed and placed on their sides.

Ratatouille Veggie Toss - Couldn't leave Rachael Ray out of my holiday dinner... so going with this already tried/tested and quite yummy veggie side dish.

Of course, will have some salad and bread as well....

And what would the holidays be without..

Dessert

Going to make some oatmeal pumpkin cookies (from a pumpkin bread mix, so nothing fancy), an old family recipe for cheesecake cookie squares... but the big ta-da dessert....

Via Everyday Italian's Giada De Laurentiis is Holiday Biscotti.... found this one thanks to a TiVo Suggestion... it is surprisingly easy to make and very, very festive thanks to its green & red mix-in "star" ingredients of pistachios and cranberries!

As they say on Food Network... Season's Eatings!

Amateur Hour Photo Critique: Holiday Edition!

It's baaaack!

Yes, nothing says "the holidays" like a little amateur porn!

The last edition of this W&C "feature" was waaaay back in April... so just a reminder, this is where I have some fun with some of the naughty pictures guys take of themselves and post somewhere on the Internet.  Past editions have highlighted many of my "amateur" pet peeves... sure a guy can be hot, but a dirty mirror or laundry on the floor can be pretty distracting!.

This special Holiday Edition is a pet peeve in and of itself!   I think it is just hilarious that guys feel the need to spread the holiday joy by exposing themselves in front of the tree or using some holiday decor as a means of "hiding the goods."

I know this post is NOT everyone's cup of egg nog... so I have made the visual portion of this post to be entirely voluntary... if you want to see the pic, click the link and the picture will "pop-up" ...

As always, I have obscured the faces and explicit parts to protect the guilty... so while rated PG-21, I am guessing it is still NOT terribly "work safe."

So here are this year's collection of holiday cheer... again, you've been warned!

Most Improved Award - This guy was nice enough to post holiday pictures from 2004 and 2005!   I give him "most improved" for various reasons... the tree is much more nicely decorated but I am happier that he appears to have moved his computer out of the living room... and, oh yeah, he is showing more skin this year!

Don we now our... - Ok, I would say "gay apparel"... but I am afraid it would be a major insult to gay people.  Umm, is paisley still in?   Or was he just trying to color coordinate with his tree?  I am guessing Madonna's "Vogue" was on during this photo shoot... does he know how to "strike a pose" or what?!

Ho! Ho! Ho! - Not really wrong with this picture... while not a terribly inspired use of a Santa hat, I tend to give a lot more leeway when the person donning the cap looks like this!

Take It Off Santa! - Again, no complaints about this picture... except for the impure thoughts in my head... I've been naughty Santa... VERY naughty!

Hung By The Chimney - This guy easily had the most explicit holiday pictures of the year.  There were just a few that even I couldn't even figure out how to edit (let's just say one of them could have been a pun on 'O Come O Ye Faithful')... this guy was just fearless... but given the size of the "black boxes," you can probably guess why he wasn't terribly shy... and thanks to the butt shot, I am happy to report his prostate seems to be in perfect condition!  Yikes!

Ribbons & Bows -  Do you like unwrapping presents... these guys hope so.   Now, the first guy was a bit too... ummm, cocky...  to think he needed a bow THAT big... and heck he was poking thru anyhow! While, the 2nd guy seems to be on the set of 'That 70s Show'... very retro (probably his mom's house, which makes the pic even more strange!)...  but Donald Duck is certainly getting an eyeful!

All Is Bright -  This is another fairly popular one... strewing lights about you... I don't know about you, but I am not quite sure I would want live electricity quite that close to my nether regions!

Pump You Up -  We'll end on a good note... again nothing wrong with our Kris Kringle here... but I just would have loved to have been in on the decision here.... let's see I am walking around the living room naked except for my baseball cap on, why don't I take a pic in front of the tree?!?   Why don't I get photo holiday cards in the mail like this one???

Don't worry.... I plan on returning tomorrow with a tamer and more traditional holiday post... are you ready to read all about our holiday menu?!!   Hold the applause down, please!