Turkey Pot Turkey Pot Turkey Pot Pie

Do you ever cook food that smells or tastes so good you're like "where's my camera?" Ginny cooks food like that all the time. It's awesome. Here's a Turkey Pot Pie she made the other day:

The J. Peterman Catalogue

I once believed, perhaps as you do even now, that J Peterman was simply a fragment of Seinfeld's imagination. I tell you- J Peterman lives and breathes as surely as you or I. He is a real man. Made of flesh and blood, clothed in fantastic and exotic fabrics. His life is full of passion and romance. He has experienced things that the average man can only dream of. And he tells his tales in a catalogue- that he calls an Owners Manual- so that you can wear the clothes that he wore while he was on his adventures.

Ginny recently made me aware of the existence of the manual, and I can't tear my self away. It is intoxicating to read and imagine myself in a far away place and time... Perhaps London, Paris, Munich, or Milan. I see myself standing at the end of a coffee bar having perfected dressing as only Italians seem to know how to get away with. I look spectacular. Beige wool tie. Purple check shirt. Dark Orange scarf. And this amazing three-quarter-length lambskin blazer. Fully lined, hand cut 100% ultra soft lambskin. Four button front with real Corozo buttons. Center back venting. Two besom pockets with flaps, as well as a welt chest pocket. All in a 3/4 length Italian cut. Splendido. Men's even sizes: 38 through 48. Imported. Color: Milano Chocolate. Price: $498

Gina (or Jenna)

We were out for a neighborhood stroll today when we saw a dog running down the middle of a major street.

My wife, being the dog lover she is, knew we had to do something. So... being the athlete that she is... took off running after the dog in her big clompy boots. We finally caught her using Gidget as bait. She had no tags.

After asking several passersby if they recognized the dog, we began to think that we may have a new member of the family. I knew we couldn't take her to a shelter because I've seen that awful Sarah McLachlan commercial too many times- it's all I could think about.

Gina took to us quickly but was badly in need of a bath. Eventually we decided to take her to a nearby animal hospital to see if she was microchipped. She jumped in my car, slobbered on everything and breathed in my face the whole way there. When we arrived we scanned her and found out that she was indeed microchipped (whew).

They called the owner who said her name was Gina and that she had run away while they were stopped at Trader Joe's. They are not from here... they are on a road trip. So we waited around and said our goodbyes and Gina's family pulled up in a big Winnebego. Two little blonde-haired kids tore open the door and sprinted across the parking lot to the animal hospital. Gina saw them through the window and went nuts. They had australian accents so we realized that they might have been saying Jenna, not Gina. Hard to tell.

We will be getting Gidget microchipped. If it weren't for that, there would have been two very sad australian tourist kids in a winnebego.

But she was. So... Gina/Jenna lived happily ever after.

My Favorite Movie This Christmas

I love Christmas and Christmas Movies... Christmas Vacation, Home Alone, Elf, Die Hard... I can't get enough.

This year the movie that stirred up the most Christmas Spirit for me was Smile Pinki. You probably haven't heard of it... but it won the Academy Award last year for Best Documentary Short. The film-maker, Megan Mylan, followed an organization called Smile Train that provides cleft palate surgeries for kids all over the world who cannot afford it. Most of them do not go to school because they are believed to be "cursed", so they are outcast. This film is about a little girl named Pinki who got this procedure done and can now have hope for a normal life. It was a beautiful story.

Smile Train has performed over 500,000 cleft surgeries. One surgery takes about 45 minutes and cost about $250 and changes a life forever. A great Christmas gift...

Just Beet It

I've recently begun juicing things. Let me tell you... there is nothing like a room temperature glass of beet juice to start your day. I recommend only using the finest beets.

Turkey

Let me ask you a question, my friend.

Do you like smoked meat?

Yes?

Then may I suggest a Greenberg Smoked Turkey for your next holiday get-together.

I cannot remember the last Thanksgiving that did not include a Greenberg. This Thanksgiving was no exception... we had a great feast in Scottsdale on Thursday followed by hourly turkey sandwiches for the next two days.

We worked it off though- with bike rides, ping pong, beach ball (our record was 56), football, and hot tubbin'.

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving as well- there is much to be thankful for.

I Couldn't Take It Any Longer

Starting about Mid-October every year I start to get the itch... to put up my Christmas Tree.

I made it until November 21, which I think is respectable. Tree day must be done right, like a good date. You can't rush it. It's important that the house is clean, so you are working with a clean slate. Also, seasonal candles should be burned all day and a good meal consumed just before dark, to get your energy up. I also watched Home Alone around mid afternoon just to set the tone. The meal was flawless... Ginny prepared the best bowl of gumbo I have ever had.

Right after we finished eating the sun went down and we went to work. It was timed perfectly. We had our music going through dinner and we got to the heart of the playlist just in time to go to work. Some recommended tree music: Elvis' Christmas Album, Josh Groban's Noel, Crooner Christmas, Alabama's Christmas album (I grew up with this one and Elvis).

After the tree is up you MUST have a treat. Tonight is was chocolate dipped Jo-Jo's and milk.

Remember: puppies love milk.

It was an exhausting and satisfying night. When you are done, if you need something cozy to go to sleep to I recommend Sounds of the Season and some pinon incense (Ginny disagrees with the incense).

Here are some of my favorite ornaments:

Gift Ideas

If you're wondering what to get me for Christmas this year, I put together a collage to give you some inspiration...

So, to sum up, thats...

Sports

Disney

Movie Tickets

Good Smells

Snow

Meat

Pumpkin Time

I love carving pumpkins. I know that everyone will be carving "Wild Things" this year but I couldn't help myself.

You'll notice some freshly baked pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins in the background that Gin made to go with the theme.

Here he is lit up...

Flu Shot...

Every year Ginny picks up every bug, virus, cold or anything that is going around. I usually go out and collect it, don't get sick, but bring it to her.

Last year, she got a free sample of an herbal "cold and flu shot" and amazingly did not get sick all season even though I did (and I got a real flu shot). While I am by no means sold on this product, I am intrigued. So we ordered some this year and I'm going to give it a go. Ginny is also going to try to go back to back years without getting sick. I'll keep you updated on our well being.

By the way, it tastes like death and mud.

Lego Man Dance

If you are familiar with Lego men you know that they have four basic moves...

1. They can twist their hands (which are permanently locked in the "c" position)

2. They can swing their arms back and forth (which are always slightly bent at the elbow)

3. They can twist their big yellow heads around

4. They can bend at the waist (yes, the legs are separated, but really the only "joint" is at the waist)

So obviously, put this all together and you can only come to one conclusion... this is would be a killer on the dance floor. Allow me to demonstrate...

This Voice in My Heart

I knew a man when I lived in Austin named Gilbert Tuhabonye. Gilbert, or T-Bone, is an incredible runner and a local celebrity with many devoted followers called "Gilbert's Gazelles". The Gazelles are a group that Gilbert teaches how to run through an organization called Run-Tex, which is really a world class joint. Austinites are lucky to have Gilbert, Paul Carrozza, and the Run-Tex team.

What I learned about Gilbert was that he was a survivor of the genocide that took place in Burundi in the early 1990's. He had a miraculous escape from a mass murder of which he was the only survivor. He still has many scars on his body from the ordeal, but he has an amazing story of courage, strength, and faith. And his perspective on life is inspiring. What is really amazing is his ability to forgive the men who tried to kill him, and did kill many of his family and friends. I wish I had gotten to spend more time getting to know him better.

Gilbert wrote a book called "This Voice in My Heart" that tells his story. I just read it for the second time and I am thankful that he wrote it all down so that others can be encouraged.

Teeny Tiny Potatoes

That's what they call em'

Good Golly

Ginny's mom was in town this weekend. She is such a delight. I owe quite a bit to Molly because she taught, and continues to teach, my beautiful wife how to cook and make a home feel like a palace.

In preparation for her visit we saw Julie and Julia to get some ideas on what we could cook. Being bread lovers, we couldn't turn down the bruschetta that Julie made when she decided to write her blog. It was delicious. We made it twice.

It's even better if you dress up like a golfer.

The Fourth Turning

I just read a very interesting book called "The Fourth Turning." It is about time and it's cycles and seasons and how generations are formed by those seasons. Basically, time is broken down into units called saeculums that are about the length of a long human life (80-100 years). Within a saeculum there a four seasons, just as there are four seasons to the year and four seasons to a human life. Your generation is shaped and defined by the season that it was born and came of age in. Your generations reactions to the seasons are what shape future seasons. It's incredibly accurate. The authors trace back history hundreds of years to show the cycles.

The book was written in 1997 and the predictions that they made for the early 21st century are dead-on so far. We are in the first part of the fourth season of the saeculum. This season is called the "winter" or "crisis" season. Past fourth turnings have included the Great Depression and World War II, The Civil War, the American Revolution, the Glorious Revolution, The Spanish Armada, and the War of the Roses.

This book will give some great perspective on current events and how they may unfold.

Carrot Machine

When I was a kid I had a book called Bug's Bunny's Carrot Machine. The plot was pretty simple: Bug's Bunny built a carrot machine and had to find the right parts to make it produce normal, orange, carrot-shaped carrots.

One time when I was staying at my grandparents my grandma decided that I needed a haircut. I did not want a haircut and I put up a fight. So she came up with this device:

She took a coffee can and filled it with some bolts, washers, and other miscellaneous pieces of hardware. She said that she had read my book and was making her own carrot machine, but it was missing one vital ingredient that would provide the magic needed for carrot production... my hair.

Suddenly I decided a haircut was a pretty good idea. So she put me in the sink, snipped around the bowl, and we added my freshly cut locks to her "machine". To make it work, I simply had to march around the house and shake the can as hard as I could.

After what seemed to me like an eternity, I decided to take a peek under the lid to see the fruits of my labor. Nothing. Not even some of the oddly colored, square shaped carrots that Bugs had gotten from his first attempts. Could it be that my hair was not magical enough?

Grandma assured me that the construction of the device was sound and my hair was plenty magical. The machine simply needed to rest so the carrots would have time to grow. So we left the can on the kitchen counter and went to the other room (apparently it works better if you don't watch). We came back a short time later and... the machine had worked. I was so satisfied by that rust-covered, hairy carrot that I always volunteered to get a haircut when I went to Grandma's from then on.

Treats and Murder

Ginny and I occasionally like to go to the library and check out DVD's and go to the grocery store to get tasty treats. We will then proceed to make our home as cave-like as possible as we enjoy our movies and treats. We recently had one of those days. We checked out a bunch of Agatha Christie murder mysteries and made s'more brownies.

Ingredients: graham cracker crust, chocolate brownie, toasted marshmallows

We got Gidget a treat too

Check out the ingredients for this treat:

That's right: Steer Pizzle.

If there is any confusion about what steer pizzle is, you can find an explanation here.

The Queen Mary and the Aquarium

We went down to Long Beach last weekend when my family was in town. My Great Uncle Bob came home from World War II on the Queen Mary, so we had to check that out. And while we were in the harbor we went over to the Aquarium of the Pacific. It was great. I love aquariums and zoos.

Here's Ginny and I in front of the Queen Mary, me helping out with the anchor, and with the bell:

We also ate brunch on the ship just as I imagine my Uncle Bob did at good ol' table 53:

If you go to the Queen Mary you can also take a tour of the reported haunted areas of the ship. It was creepy. A lot like the haunted mansion at Disneyland... only people really died there.

After that, we went across the harbor to the Aquarium of the Pacific. One of my favorite parts was petting some of the smaller sharks and rays:

After a few minutes of these guys coming up to the wall I noticed that there was a flounder (?) buried in the sand. I didn't think he was real at first, but then he swam off. Look closely underneath the ray:

I also loved the Puffin exhibit. This one guy was crazy. He looked like he was trying to run on top of the water and then he'd splash around like a duck. It was hard to capture with the camera but here's my best attempt:

I think he was really just trying to get the attention of the fine crustaceans in the tank across the room.

Some scuba divers came and fed the fish and they just swarmed them. There was one ray in particular who would not leave them alone. One diver couldn't shake him off. He must have been really hungry.

We also hit a bunch of our favorite places to eat while T-Rex and Scotty were in town. Asakuma Rice (we got just about everything on the menu), The Farmer's Market, breakfast at Le Petit Hotel, and Angelini Osteria (best italian food ever). Thanks again guys!

It was a Chico's Kind of Day

All Week Long...

We recently went to Chico's so Ginny could try on some jewelry

But they made us leave because I set off the alarm and Scott was harassing the customers in the dressing rooms

Sam Comes to Town

My brother has had some major changes lately... moved to a new city... started a new school... new friends... new baseball team.

He's handling it all like a champ. So well, in fact, that he had time to fly out and see his big brother. We always have a good time when we're together.

We usually like to stay outdoors as much as possible- so hiking at Runyon Canyon was a must.

When we got to the top we were pretty hungry, so Sam ate the Hollywood sign.

But if you go to Runyon- look out for snakes

After hiking we went out to Will Rogers Beach for more fun in the sun. I'm the really white one.

After the beach Sam had worked up an appetite again, so he ate Hard Rock Cafe:

And then we both ate some candy and went to see G.I. Joe (Real American Heroes)

Come on back, Sam.