Phở Bo

IMG_0698, originally uploaded by seattleforge.

I made Phở for the first time and it was really good. Did it taste the same as the best restaurant Phở? Nope. Was it a really delicious take on it? Yep.
I've got some ideas of how I want to do things differently next time. Om NOM NOM!

The family is whole again..

My lovely spouse's Dad finally passed and now she's back home with us. It was quite an ordeal seeing the old man out. Jackie's siblings never quite passed into adulthood. The petty rivalries were in full force and without Pop to straighten things out they did their best to hurt each other with every minute they were in each other's presence.
I'm quite pleased my wife is out of there. Quite pleased that Jack is no longer in pain.

Poor sick kid

It's a hell of a cold that's kicking my kid's ass. Fevers, chills, coughs, sore throat.. the gamut, one at a time, one day at a time like a theme. He's a one man diseased bear jamboree where every bear has its own malady.
On top of that the boy misses his mother. I can do my best, but when really sick what boy doesn't miss his Mum.

Snowpocalypse Parking Lot (too much fartsy - not enough artsy) (1 of 4)

Snowpocalypse Parking Lot (too much fartsy - not enough artsy) (1 of 4), originally uploaded by seattleforge.

Spent a few minutes out in the parking lot with my shutter release getting a few snaps of the snow while it is here. It's been coming down lightly, but all dang day. It's starting to turn to ice and I can hear cars sliding around and down Simonds road including the occasional crunch. But mostly I hear the slithering of tires on the ice trying to find traction on too high a grade on ice that is polished smooth.
Henry is feeling much, much better tonight. He's elected to sleep in my room with me tonight, so he must still be ill. This evening we watched There's Something About Mary. I told Jackie that this evening and she commented that it is probably only a matter of days before I get the boy a hooker. Henry said he prefers Asian. Well, we all do at your age, young man.

New Passion or Flushing Money Down the Toilet?

B&W Camping Photo, originally uploaded by seattleforge.

Every time I go on a camping trip I know I want to do more of it. But time away from the family is a big commitment. I can tell myself that I'm a better person when I come home, but I'm good at telling myself things like this.
I'd definitely need my own gear. Much of it is borrowed when I go. Something to consider after the holidays.

My family is good at knicknames..

Alaska 2010 (39 of 151), originally uploaded by seattleforge.

You might think to yourself, "why did Scott keep this picture of Henry that is obviously distorted, his eyes are half closed and he looks special needs?"
The answer to your question is.. check out the couple in the background. The woman is perhaps the creepiest person we met on this cruise. She is French, dresses like a teen-tart from a Disney kid's show, she's had a massive amount of plastic surgery and she was at LEAST 75 years old. Henry dubbed her "Nana Montana". This either proves that he's my son or that nurture dictates talents and behaviour.

Vacation Anticipation

Every time we travel there are some predictable behaviours. Jackie packs, re-packs and frets over what is packed. If she discovers she's forgot even one thing she damns herself to hell for the rest of the trip. The dog knows something is up and doesn't like it. She's been doing her usual and throwing up all over the carpets this morning. Henry is underfoot, playing with the DVR and not paying attention to what he should bring. There will be tears.
I'm packed. This isn't hard. Socks, undershirts and pants for every day I'm gone. Two collared shirts, a cardigan, 25 gold guineas, a pair of jeans, a pair of chinos, a rain parka, cap, wine opener, pocket knife, ipod, headphones, chargers, two bottles of meritage, cufflinks, nail trimmers, orc bait, lens wipes, camera, lenses, short sword, mobile phone, mail shirt, lembas bread, 3 torches, tinderbox and some lip balm.
It couldn't be easier.

Sometimes I forget that my 10 year old isn't my buddy

Traffic in this area is a fickle mistress. I leave work at 4pm on days that Henry has soccer practice so I can get home, get him in uniform, put some food down his neck and drive to the practice field. Most days we get there just in time. On Wednesday we were 30 minutes early.
On those days we chat. Sometimes I say too much. Henry is an only child who spends most of his time around adults and in many ways behaves like an adult. He's also pretty smart with a fairly sophisticated sense of humour. But these are all excuses. Most of these conversations in the car are pretty benign and he'll talk about something some kid does at camp, but once in a while he asks some pretty serious questions. This week he asked me about condoms.

"You just buy them at the store?"

"Yep. You can buy them loads of places. You can buy them online now, but that wasn't around when I was of condom buying age."

"OMG! GROSS! You bought condoms?"

"Yah. And I found it mortifying. You had to ask for them at the till. As a matter of fact this one time I was buying them at a Mac's Milk in Windsor and the guy behind the counter was a middle aged Chaldean and his English wasn't strong. There was a huge line behind me and I was trying to be discrete. So I said very quietly,`I'd like to buy some condoms` and the man behind the counter said, `You want to buy my gar-r-rbage?` (I said rolling the r's as best I could). `No!` I exclaimed and then more quietly added,`I want to buy condoms`. `WHAT? Garrrbage?` the man yelled. `No!`, I said, `Rubbers! Johnnies! Sheiks! A sheath for my ole fella!` `Ooohhhhhhh!!!` the man spat, `Cr-r-ream or no cr-ream?`"

Cassoulet

Cassoulet, originally uploaded by seattleforge.

I sauteed a little trinity, garlic with sea salt, smoked paprika and some smashed white peppercorns. Sauteed some chicken and linguisa, added some soaked white beans and par cooked brown rice. Topped that up with some stock and popped it in the oven for a couple hours.
Voila! It tasted much better than it looked.

With one year left on my lease I have to start my OCD car buying process.
I quite like my VW GTI but it is known to be QUITE problematic maintenance-wise after 3 years.  I don't think I'd like it so much then.  I also have guilt about not sticking with the family when Ford has soo many good offerings on at the moment.  But where am I at?  What is most important to me? Who am I if I have these cars?  These are the contenders:

2011 Ford Mustang
The V6 (the only engine I'm considering) has 305 HP, pretty great mileage, a very small backseat and my folks can't get in and out of it.  It's fantastic, but does seem sad for a fat, bald, middle-aged telecom manager to be driving around in. The insurance is also ridiculous.



The 2011 Ford Taurus
I think it is actually quite handsome.  I think it was a mistake to name this car the Taurus as it has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Taurus of the past. It's much larger and QUITE luxurious. I was actually stunned at how nice the interior was, how good the drive was for a large car and how many great electronics it had.  The SYNC features were amazing in this car. I could actually see myself going out to sit in this car and listen to music it was so nice inside.  I'd have to spend an additional $40k to get this level of luxury in a Euro-car. The insurance would also be dead cheap compared to the Mustang. It also goes like stink for a big car.  My folks can get in and out of it quite comfortably. No one will ever sleep with me again if I buy it.  I think I'm okay with that.

Cars are for Drivers

A week or so ago I was reading an auto review blog.  The author was complaining that cars were becoming far too automated and removing the need for actual driving.  Sympathy oozed from my every pore and I penned the following:


I would be okay with these gadgets as long as they were accompanies by other gadgets designed to protect us. Such as a laser that sends your gonads bursting into flames if you read a magazine or check your phone while you drive. Maybe a signal sent to a sniper if you are applying mascara or using your electric shaver? Last but not least a lethal amount of current sent through your anus if you fail to notice that the light has turned green after a full count of two, and then the park assist could automate to get the car with the dead driver off the road.
Then I would be satisfied.

Peco's

Peco's, originally uploaded by seattleforge.

A rite of summer. Peco's Pit BBQ. Spicy BBQ beef brisket sandwich spiked with a hot link.
I've been in agony ever since.
Pray for me.

Nostalgia

Ever run across a song in your collection and wonder why you haven't listened to it every day of your life? Yep.

Song: Teenage Kicks - Undertones.

Well, well, well...

I absolutely love the idea of a house in a box.  I'm not sure why? Some might dream of a custom built home, but for me the idea of something coming out of a box that is meant to fit together and goes together as easily as flat-pack furniture is as close to a dream come true as you might imagine.  I also prefer small, charming urban dwellings to giant suburban McMansions.. any day of the week.  When Anarqueso from the LJ posted these amazing kit homes I had a moment in my pants.
We have been discussing the idea of fixing up the condo and moving out to share a home with my folks.  It makes a lot of sense and I don't have a problem living with them.  They treat me like an adult and I can tell them to go to their room.  We have loads of time to think about it.  But part of me likes the idea that in about a decade we'd have this place paid off, could buy a property on the rain-shadow side of the mountains and put together a kit home that beautifully covers the essentials.  It's a nice thought.
---
One of my pics was picked to be in some guy's gallery.  I'm sure this happens to a lot of my photographer pals all the time, but it hasn't happened to me.  It also helped that it was one of my absolute favourite shots I've ever taken.  The composition was by no means perfect but it was a great moment with great light on a really great trip and it makes me happy again just to look at it.
---
Tonight I got home a bit early and started putting together a healthy dinner when Jackie called.  Her tire was flat.  I packed up the boy and we drove to Jackie's office so I could put the spare on.  Because of the hour we went to Burger Master drive in next door.  Jackie dumped my fries over onto the floor of her car.  LOL! Not an easy day for my darling.

Time for a scotch.

Written Monday 6-14-10

Lovely day to own a motorcycle: cloudy, mid-50s and only a slight breeze.  Most folks want to get on their bikes when the sun is overhead and it's quite warm. Not me, thanks.. every idiot is out on their bike, my air-cooled engine is kicking out loads of heat, my helmet tries to become one with my hairless head. Loved the weather this morning.
One downer however.. my security badge for work is blowing around I-405 somewhere.  Apparently the lanyards were not built to sustain speeds of 75+mph.

It was a pretty great weekend.  I could tell because it was over as soon as it started.  Lovely weather, lovely people, good food, some good drinks.. it doesn't take that much to make me happy.  The wedding was fun.  We hadn't been to one in a while.  Jackie absolutely loves weddings and she cares a good deal for the bride, Adrian. They seem like great kids.  The reception was on her grandparents property.  A really lovely piece of land east of Renton. I wish them luck.

Because Jackie and I never seem to get out alone together I asked her if I could take her to dinner elsewhere.  She agreed.  We bolted for Issaquah and I took her to Jak's so she could get a filet.  It was a really nice day, capped with a pretty great meal.

Yesterday Henry had a two game soccer tournament.  He was on the field for almost both whole games.  His coach told me he was really impressed with his gas tank and how he plays his role on the field.  Coach said he has the makings of a really good midfielder if he can get a bit more aggressive.  Note to Jackie, a bit more me and a little less you.  As a kid I lacked any real athletic ability.  Small, but strong for my size, moderately coordinated, but smart.. and aggressive. Henry doesn't have that fearlessness I had, but maybe that means he'll have a body that still works when he's 40.

KHL vs. NHL games in October

Kontinental Hockey League - Official Website

This sounds like the most exciting thing to happen to hockey since the old All-Stars of the NHL vs the Soviet Red Army games of the 70s. Hot damn!!

It doesn't take much to make me happy

For lunch today I took my pal Gregg to Byblos Deli.  Beneath a thin veneer of fake Greekness is a very tidy Turkish shop run by a very nice Turkish couple.  I go there mostly for the lunch counter but do pick up supplies there occasionally (halal meats and cheese, olive oil soap, spices that are hard to get on the eastside, etc..).
Today I got there early and the couple was sitting down to a pot of Turkish coffee after getting the shop set up for the day.  I was pretty excited as I didn't know they served it and I asked if I could order some.  The couple is VERY sweet and very soft-spoken.  He explained that they don't make the coffee for customers but they would be happy to share a cup with us.  Which they did. It was gorgeous.  Then they thanked me for liking it.  Such gentle manners.
Lunch was great, simple and fresh. The baklawa the best I've had since leaving Detroit.

Oil Spill

I had a good bit of discussion with Henry about the oil spill today.  We looked over newspaper articles, photoblogs, talked about the petroleum industry, the loss of life, the possible permanent changes that will take place down in the Gulf of America (as Stephen Colbert says, it used to be the Gulf of Mexico, but if you break it, you bought it).  It was rather interesting to me that they hadn't discussed this in school.  Henry's teacher is quite an environmentalist.

In any case, Henry and I decided to make a donation.  If you want to help out, the link is below:

The Gulf of America Fund

Thoughts on Cosmos

If light is one of the fastest things in the universe then surely a Seattle driver in a Saab station wagon (Saab estate for my European readers) is one of the slowest.

I say we do this now...

I've been begging for this change for YEARS!!!  Let's vote!!!!

Off to henry's first crossfire tournament. The journey begins.

Convoluted Nonsense

This is likely to be a bit of a ramble as I try to sort out my thoughts on this week.
Before I left for the UK I had a chat with my boss that I was committed to getting to the next level in the company.  I'd worked at that level before for other companies and that I was in a place to make the jump.  He told me he was glad to hear me say it and he'd help me prepare so that if the opportunity presents itself I'd have a shot at it.
He went out on vacation this week and left me as his manager in charge.  I've done it for him quite a lot before, but he recently inherited 5 new direct reports in an org change and this was one aspect that made things different. I should also mention that most of the 5 new folks worked for my boss in a previous job. It concerned me that I might lose some favour to directs that he had worked with for years. One other thing that was different was that he had me attend all of his meetings normally held with his peers and his boss' staff meeting.  We hadn't done that before - so I could see that this was to give me some exposure.
I worried for nothing on the losing favour bit - although I have much less of his time than I did before I could tell I was still in very good standing.  He was spending an immense amount of time with his new/old directs and I gathered that wasn't necessarily for good reasons - they NEEDED his help. In my boss' absence I was startled to find that several of the new/old directs, two with years more experience in the company than me, were coming to me several times a day for direction. They were coming to their peer to tell them what to do.  They weren't brainstorming, or partnering or asking for input or someone to give them perspective.. they were coming to me so I would tell them what to do.  My mouth must have been hanging open.  I haven't gone to my boss empty handed like that since I was a kid. This tells me why I'm pretty well regarded by my boss.  It also tells me that he's not a genius at hiring managers.
I can hardly wait for this week to be over.

On my own for dinner

On my own for dinner, originally uploaded by seattleforge.

I got a text from my wife near the end of my work day, "H & I will be in Factoria. Meet for dinner?"
"Sure! Anywhere but RR. I h8 that place and we've been there 5 times recently."
"We r going to RR. See you at home"

And that was it. I was rejected callously for refusing to go to a shitty burger chain. The Lebanese grill's take-aways know how to make me feel better.

Man accidentally shoots self in testicles

Man accidentally shoots self in testicles

These are the types of loons I live near. I'm crying!

All moved in...

Everything is unpacked.  I'm all moved in.  The living sinus that sits across from me is out sick.  The weather has returned to nasty and gray just the way I like it most of the time.

Every middle manager in the world has a stack of self-improvement business books on his shelf and I'm not exception.  A few are from compulsory training classes. A few are from design classes that I've taken and never been able to apply. Several are actually cook books but there is also a TopGear DVD and Ewan McGregor's Long Way Down book. I realize this isn't entirely subversive, but it is enough to cast me as the outsider.

Celebrities

On LJ my pal, deadflowers, has a point.  I hate the question, "what celebrity would you like to meet"?  Fact is, I don't want to meet any.  I want to meet their characters.  


Actors are filthy whores.

Big Let Down

I've been back from the UK for well over a week and I'm feeling quite let down. Hope I snap out of it soon as those trips are quite expensive.