7 Kids, 1 cat, Mom, and Dad

Everyone deserves a fair hearing or I hope they make her squirm.

I've been listening on the radio and reading in the news the ongoing saga with ex Cabletron alumni Linda Peppin and Joe D’Alessandro. Anyone that worked there for any length of time has a story to tell about one of the two.

I can remember a trip down to HR to work out a pay snafu. These seemed to happen all too frequently and seemed to be tied to either changing positions, getting a pay raise, or when it was time to be paid a bonus. I happened to be standing there waiting to talk with someone about it when this very topic was discussed in the aisles and loud enough for anyone in the immediate vicinity to hear. Basically, it wasn't a private conversation and no pains were taken to keep it quiet.

They realized that they had screwed up on a bunch of people's pay and they were trying to decide what to say and how to handle it before all the "whining cry babies" started to call and complain. This is the cleaned up version, by the way. The real kicker was that they knew the pay problem was going to happen and didn't think it was worth mentioning to anyone.

I let them wind down and then mentioned that I was one of those people, and that if I ran my group in support and dealt with my customers the way they did theirs I would be out of a job. I manged to say it more diplomatically than that but had to wonder if I'd be the victim of one of their legendary vendettas.

I wasn't and I think it is only because they were so wrong and there were so many witnesses to their admitting it.

I wonder if they feel like cry babies as they deal with the feelings of their jobs being gone and their finances in jeopardy. I don't think you'll find many willing to step up and plead for leniency.

Have you been getting botox shots or a funny thing happened on the way to my 40s.

Middle Daughter had three friends over last night. I call them Mabel, Penelope, and Calliope. Those aren't their real names. I just made up names one time when they were over and for some reason they stuck.

Anyway, Mabel asked if I was doing botox because I looked younger. I mentioned that I had shaved my mustache and goatee and they agreed that it made me look younger. Then they asked why I didn't have the "cute highlights" in my hair any more from my trip to Hawaii. This all went on while I was making a spaghetti dinner for them from my standby 30MM recipe. The only change I made this time is that I used vegetable stock rather than beef stock because Calliope is a vegetarian.

Later on in the evening we were watching "Night at the Roxbury" which features Richard Grieco of 21 Jump Street fame as himself. He wore noticeable eye makeup and I mentioned he must be a meterosexual as is his fellow Jump Street star Johnny Depp.

In case you're wondering a meterosexual is defined many ways on the Urban Dictionary website. For the most part it is a term used for a man that likes the finer things in life and doesn't see anything wrong with having facials, spa treatments, and a lineup of products that would make the Fab 5 proud.

Anyway, after I said that the girls started laughing and one said the "moms" were discussing me during a car trip to Boston and had decided that I was a meterosexual and that I was so cute.

To think...it all started with having a Good Friend with a pony tail...

Good Friends had a great wine dinner or Amigos, alimento, e vinho grandes!

It is always fun getting together with all of our friends, and doing it around an evening of great food and wine makes it even better. The theme of the evening was Food and Wines of Portugal. My favorite wine of the evening was the 1997 Sentus Douro. I think this wine has many more years on it than the 2005 date set by Wine Spectator. I sure hope it does because I have five bottles left and would like to drink one a year.

With Good Friends opening a bottle the other night, it was like I had six bottles!

Our Good Friends were gracious hosts and they served up an incredible evening. Beautiful Wife and I stayed the night in the Brown Room and had a royal breakfast the next day again served by them. Of course the room is beautifully decorated now and the bed is very comfortable!

I think we may have been the first guests in that room to successfully keep the Three Darling Cats on the other side of the door for our entire stay.

My name is Bob or Is it still my name if you don't capitalize the first letter?

I've noticed something and I think it is pretty odd. The word "God" has permeated our language and pretty much makes it hard for anyone to write without using it. The thing that bothers me is that they try to show their enlightenment (why don't atheists and agnostics consider it a sign of ignorance to be so) by not capitalizing the first letter.

Now I'm all for everyone worshiping and believing as they will. But if you're going to say "thank god" I think you should have the integrity to spell God with a capital since that is the original intent of the phrase.

You may want to try these alternatives to show your independence from the God of the Universe:

thank non Judeo-Christian God (still have to capitalize, sorry)
thank eternal-being (is eternal too spiritual?)
thank some higher power but not sure what it is (will give grammar check fits)
thank the inner god that is me (talking to yourself is kind of crazy)
thank the life force that surrounds us all (you are my son, Luke)

I'm a rocket man or Beautiful Wife and I went to see Elton John last night.

We joined our British Friends that have a daughter that is Laura's age and saw Elton John at the Verizon Center last night. Elton John puts on an incredible show. He doesn't have any warm up acts and he only leaves the stage for a couple of brief moments during the three hour show.

Our British Friends introduced us to another couple. The other couple said, "Oh! the American that has a British sense of humor! "

Here kitty, kitty or I wonder if tomato juice would really help.

I was sitting out a couple of nights ago on a comfortable lounge chair in our yard. It was well past the time that the sun went down but the sky still was lightened a bit by the waning sun. I laid there while sipping on a glass of wine and enjoyed listening to the duos, trios, and choruses of peeps that are part of the night time sounds this time of the year.

I dozed off at one point and when I woke up I noticed something standing right by my left elbow. My first thought was that Buddy had some how gotten out of the house and was coming to me for rescue. It wasn't Buddy, but it was a creature that had black and white markings similar to his...a skunk!

I was frozen with fear and laid there as the skunk sniffed around, walked back around behind me, and then ambled slowly over to my deck before disappearing under it and out of my sight.

As the skunk moved away I experienced my greatest feelings of fear since the business end of the skunk was facing me. I could only imagine what would happen if Beautiful Wife or one of my Darling Children decided to come outside, tap on a window, turn on the lights, or in any way put the skunk into spray mode.

I was able to slowly get up, pick up my wine glass, and then hold the lounge cushion up between me and where the skunk disappeared and slowly make my way inside.

To run where the brave dare not go or Saving seats for your family at a school play.

It actually was very easy to save seats at Son's play. He's a senior, and he was easily the star who also happened to have the lead role. Other parents of cast members were gracious and nobody had anything negative to say even when I saved 24 seats for the final performance.

All through the last couple of days we'll remind each other about favorite parts and things that happened and relive Son's incredible performance. I hugged him last night and told him that I was very proud of him.

It feels good when your 18-year-old son doesn't mind hugging you in public.

To dream the impossible dream or Son stars in school play!

We went last night to see Son in Man of La Mancha. He ignored theater throughout high school but decided to try out for this musical. He got the part of Don Quixote and there was literally not a dry eye in the house as he sang Impossible Dream. I was in awe of his singing and acting abilities as he seamlessly moved between playing three different characters.

He has a show tonight and tomorrow night too at the Oyster River Middle school. The play starts at 7:30 but you have to get there much earlier than that to get tickets ($7 adults, $5 kids) and a good seat.

The play is performed "in the round" and all of the cast did an incredible job of staying in character throughout the performance.

A cool wine store or Another alternative to the state stores.

I visited the Bacchus Wine Gallery this past weekend. They have a decent selection of wines and give you suggested pairings for most of the ones that they sell. Maggie was working that day and was very friendly and talkative. This is a stark contrast to most NH State Liquor Stores. These smaller shops tend to have the wines that you won't find in the state stores and the people running them have actually tried what they sell.

Went to CCB for dinner or Middle Daughter got the full treatment.

We went to CCB on Friday night with Middle Daughter. All the rest of the kids were visiting friends, cousins, or at play practice. Middle Daughter had never been to CCB before and had only heard our stories about the treatment and service we get while visiting there.

Just a side note before I continue the story. It may seem odd that we've been there so often but all of our kids haven't eaten there. The reason is that the menu isn't really geared toward kids and it is a little too pricey to have them order something and not like it.

Anyway, the staff at CCB didn't disappoint. We were greeted like long-lost friends and everyone stopped by to chat and see how things were going for us. Our Favorite General Manger stopped by and asked if we'd be having the Banana Fosters. Since it is done table-side, flames up spectacularly, and really tastes good, we ordered that. Turns out that they weren't doing it that night. Middle Daughter was more than happy to try out Crème Brule. Our Favorite General Manager appeared at our table to apologize and offer us complementary glasses of port from a tray he carried to the table with him. You have to love things like that!

On the way we chatted with the owner who made sure we knew about their Friends and Family night at his new restaurant that will be opening in a couple of weeks.

All-in-all it was a great night and Middle Daughter was suitably impressed.

Karate update or I know you've all been on the edge of your seat.

I passed the physical test and found out that I passed the written test too with a score of 97. You need a score of 95 to pass. Son got a score of 98 so we both did well.

Keep your calendars clear for June 18th, the night of the Black Belt Extravaganza!

Another great zin or What happens when I host a party for Beautiful Wife.

Beautiful Wife agreed to have an Arbonne party at our home which then just happened to be on the first night of a class she wanted to take. Daughters had invited friends and their mothers and we were expecting a large crowd.

I stepped up to the plate and on my way home bought some snacks that I knew would be a big hit: mini creampuffs and mini eclairs along with some Milano cookies. I also put a bottle of Benziger's Fume Blanc and the Coturri 2001 Estate Bottled Zinfandel into the refrigerator to get slightly chilled before serving.

Both of these wines were big hits though I can definitely say that I liked the Coturri best. We had this wine at a wine tasting at Artichokes and I remember feeling like I could almost chew the wine it was so full bodied. I also remembered a distinctive mocha-like bouquet that really made it interesting.

The only down side is that I forgot that this wine was fairly expensive at $31 a bottle and that only 300 cases had been made. I went back to Artichokes this past weekend and got another bottle and will hold on to this one a little longer.

Suffice to say that I probably had the coolest Arbonne party that these ladies will ever host.

2000 Four Vines Paso Robles or You never forget your first love.

I've had a bottle of this wine in my rack for over a year and decided to open it the other night to have with the Rosemary and Balsamic Vinegar Chicken that I made again since my mom stopped by to visit.

I forgot, really, how much I like a good Zin and this was a great one. I had a glass while I was cooking, I had a glass for dinner, and then I sipped on a glass while watching the Two Towers.

Each sip throughout the evening was a revelation as it warmed up and opened up.

I hope I can find another bottle of this wine. I got this one in Portland, ME while there on business so I know it is in the area, just not in the fine NH Liquor Stores system.