Here it is Christmas Eve in the beautiful desert. In the 30's this morning (brrrr) but still better than ice and snow and bitter cold... (sunny and in the 60's later). Just spending the holiday at home this year with my buddy Steve, who has returned to the Phoenix area after 5 months on the road touring the US. He's staying with me for a little while until he figures out where to go from here. Putting up my tree (yes, Virginia, Jim does have a tree) and planning the Christmas dinner menu... (cheese and crackers, carrots and celery, and shrimp cocktail for the games, t-bones on the grill with baked potatoes and apple pie with ice cream for dessert). Yes I will have some kind of vegetable... I don't know which kind yet.
Not much going on with me... played a little golf and am working the Cardinals game this Sunday (they have the website up and you can sign up for gigs online and then call and confirm) so I will be working security and not the parking lot (thank the Lord). Then I will be working the Insight Bowl on New Years Eve and then attending the NewYears Eve party in Scottsdale that Events & Adventures is throwing. And I'm going to the Suns-Lakers game on the 28th with E&A.
I wanted to wish all my blog readers and their families a very Merry Christmas... I miss you all and think about you often. I hope Santa brings you all the presents that you desire and my Christmas gift to you is... MORE blogs!!! (Don't thank me all at once). Enjoy the holiday and I'll be in touch...
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Let it snow...
While the East is getting a "white" Christmas complete with freezing cold and horrible holiday traffic, I am laying by the pool getting some sun. Is that rubbing it in enough? While you guys rub your arms for warmth, I rub my arms with sunblock. While you don your boots and galoshes (does anyone call them that anymore and what the hell is a galosh? Sounds like Middle Eastern cuisine), I slip on my shorts and sandals. Wool hat for you... sun visor for me. Parka for you... t-shirt for me. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. If I miss the snow I'll watch the Weather Channel and the news of you guys digging out your cars and waiting for the snow plows... The only downside to this time of year is that golf prices go up and the courses are packed... (damn snowbirds!!). But I'll manage.
Worked two shifts at ASU Thursday and Friday as there were 8 separate commencement exercises. Started at 6:30am and worked til 9 pm Thursday and then 6:30am til 8pm on Friday. I still have Pomp and Circumstance playing in my head. The coolest thing I saw was the headgear from the engineering school graduation. Some of the students wore ASU hardhats with the tassel hanging on them. I was a roaming security guard and walked around the arena putting people in seats and confiscating air horns. It was a sweet gig but the time on the feet was gruesome. I wish to use this space to once again thank my cousin Beck for sending me a foot massager. My feet are the only thing not in pain today. In fact, I just came from a massage and we ran out of time bewcause she was working on my painfully sore legs and glutes... (not to worry, I'm going back on Monday to finish the job). It was an hour of physical torture but worth every second. I am going to be even sorer tomorrow. I need to stretch this old body and become more flexible or I'll be stiffer than a customer at Werson's Funeral Home. Increased flexibilty is also good for the golf swing and isn't that what it's all about? (Everyone together now --YES!!).
Planning a quiet Christmas here in the desert after the great airport debacle on Thanksgiving. I am even putting up a tree and decorations this year. Heard a great joke, will pass it on now. What's the difference between Tiger Woods and Santa Claus? Santa Claus stops after three "Ho's". (Who says golfers don't have a sense of humor?) I heard the S&M store ran out of ball gags... Tiger gave them to his lady friends for stocking stuffers. Enough already, I have to go. Got a free ticket to tonights basketball game at ASU (can you say perk?). This time I get to be ushered in and have a seat... sweet! Talk to you soon.
Worked two shifts at ASU Thursday and Friday as there were 8 separate commencement exercises. Started at 6:30am and worked til 9 pm Thursday and then 6:30am til 8pm on Friday. I still have Pomp and Circumstance playing in my head. The coolest thing I saw was the headgear from the engineering school graduation. Some of the students wore ASU hardhats with the tassel hanging on them. I was a roaming security guard and walked around the arena putting people in seats and confiscating air horns. It was a sweet gig but the time on the feet was gruesome. I wish to use this space to once again thank my cousin Beck for sending me a foot massager. My feet are the only thing not in pain today. In fact, I just came from a massage and we ran out of time bewcause she was working on my painfully sore legs and glutes... (not to worry, I'm going back on Monday to finish the job). It was an hour of physical torture but worth every second. I am going to be even sorer tomorrow. I need to stretch this old body and become more flexible or I'll be stiffer than a customer at Werson's Funeral Home. Increased flexibilty is also good for the golf swing and isn't that what it's all about? (Everyone together now --YES!!).
Planning a quiet Christmas here in the desert after the great airport debacle on Thanksgiving. I am even putting up a tree and decorations this year. Heard a great joke, will pass it on now. What's the difference between Tiger Woods and Santa Claus? Santa Claus stops after three "Ho's". (Who says golfers don't have a sense of humor?) I heard the S&M store ran out of ball gags... Tiger gave them to his lady friends for stocking stuffers. Enough already, I have to go. Got a free ticket to tonights basketball game at ASU (can you say perk?). This time I get to be ushered in and have a seat... sweet! Talk to you soon.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
My island paradise...
Being in Aruba is like an extension of where I live with greater amenities... the hot weather, the sea breezes, the beach and of course the water. Its been awhile since I heard the surf lapping and crashing onto the beach and felt the sand between my toes. I came out of my self-induced coma on Saturday morning (note to self--better trip planning is a must!) raring to go and was slapped in the face by the humidity and heat (God, it felt great!). The cool thing about staying at my resort is that I can walk to visit Bob and Toni Ann at their resort and walk up to the high rises the other way... (a little over a mile each way). So I put on a bathing suit, packed my sunblock and towel in my backpack and hiked up to the high rise hotel area. I stopped at Dunkin' Donuts (a necessary part of any place I temporarily "move" to) and had my coffee and walked around to see what was new since last year. A whole new section of restaurants (Hard Rock Cafe, Papillon, Chino-Latino, etc.) was open now and that's one of the things I like about Aruba. There's always something new and different being built, but the island remains pristine and wild at the same time. I then proceeded to hang on the beach at the Holiday Inn until the security guard reminded me that the chairs were for hotel guests (my towel didn't match the guest ones) but I was there for long enough to get some color so I just moved on to a different resort. If you walk around like you belong, you can pretty much get into wherever you like... (and I did because with all the construction at my resort--mad renovations--the beach and pools at the high rises aren't as crowded).
I reconnected with my cigar lady and arranged to have some sent back to Arizona. Love the "Dominican" cigars she is able to send back to the states... I also purchased some for the week and continued my walkabout most of Saturday... (another note to self--walk in your running sneakers--blisters from the sandals not good with sand in them). That was pretty much the norm for the entire week. I either walked or went for a run in the morning (baby runs, but man did they feel good-knees didn't bother me at all), had coffee and explored the island or walked down the beach along the water's edge to the ABC and laid on the beach with the New Yorkers. Then off to dinner at our favorite places and a new place thrown in either for dinner or lunch, a little gambling, a little shopping downtown, and a lot of beach and sun time. The weather cooperated with mostly sunny days and the occassional downpour. Toni Ann and I went horseback riding on Friday (Bob has turned in spurs and saddlesores) and it was great. I got to stay in one of the renovated one bedrooms (very nice update) so I am pleased with the construction going on. All in all it was a great "relocation". My return flights were pleasant and I was back in NYC Saturday night and Sunday. Did the tourist thing, saw the tree in Rockefeller Center, St. Pat's Cathedral, Central Park, etc. My apologies to Loretta for not getting in touch earlier so that she could meet me in the city.
NYC was C-O-L-D... (34 degrees and windy on Sunday) but I put some major miles on my feet walking around. I also picked up a cold that materialized after I returned to Arizona... (I hate being sick!). My flight back to Phoenix was also a bit of a pain in the ass. After landing in Dallas a half hour early I had a 3 hour layover, but because of weather in other areas of the country my flight scheduled for 9:45 takeoff didn't leave until almost 11pm meaning I didn't land in PHX (Skyharbor Airport) until after 1am and by the time I collected my car and drove home it was well after 2am. Plus because of high winds we had a roller coaster descent into Phoenix. But the Captain did a good job and landed without a hitch. So now I'm back at home and there is an unexpected cold snap (60/38 high and low). But like all good Arizonans I will adapt. I guess I'll have to wear some long pants after all. Oh well...
I reconnected with my cigar lady and arranged to have some sent back to Arizona. Love the "Dominican" cigars she is able to send back to the states... I also purchased some for the week and continued my walkabout most of Saturday... (another note to self--walk in your running sneakers--blisters from the sandals not good with sand in them). That was pretty much the norm for the entire week. I either walked or went for a run in the morning (baby runs, but man did they feel good-knees didn't bother me at all), had coffee and explored the island or walked down the beach along the water's edge to the ABC and laid on the beach with the New Yorkers. Then off to dinner at our favorite places and a new place thrown in either for dinner or lunch, a little gambling, a little shopping downtown, and a lot of beach and sun time. The weather cooperated with mostly sunny days and the occassional downpour. Toni Ann and I went horseback riding on Friday (Bob has turned in spurs and saddlesores) and it was great. I got to stay in one of the renovated one bedrooms (very nice update) so I am pleased with the construction going on. All in all it was a great "relocation". My return flights were pleasant and I was back in NYC Saturday night and Sunday. Did the tourist thing, saw the tree in Rockefeller Center, St. Pat's Cathedral, Central Park, etc. My apologies to Loretta for not getting in touch earlier so that she could meet me in the city.
NYC was C-O-L-D... (34 degrees and windy on Sunday) but I put some major miles on my feet walking around. I also picked up a cold that materialized after I returned to Arizona... (I hate being sick!). My flight back to Phoenix was also a bit of a pain in the ass. After landing in Dallas a half hour early I had a 3 hour layover, but because of weather in other areas of the country my flight scheduled for 9:45 takeoff didn't leave until almost 11pm meaning I didn't land in PHX (Skyharbor Airport) until after 1am and by the time I collected my car and drove home it was well after 2am. Plus because of high winds we had a roller coaster descent into Phoenix. But the Captain did a good job and landed without a hitch. So now I'm back at home and there is an unexpected cold snap (60/38 high and low). But like all good Arizonans I will adapt. I guess I'll have to wear some long pants after all. Oh well...
Friday, December 11, 2009
I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!
Greetings and salutations to all of you... I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday (because mine sucked eggs--more on that later). I have returned from my "I'm living in a different place this week" trip and it was terrific. This is my seventh trip to Aruba and let me tell you it never gets old. It was great hanging with the NY friends (it always is) and I had a blast.
It didn't start out that way, however. As many of you know, I have to book my Aruba trip a year in advance so that I can stay at my resort. I also made airline arrangements well in advance to take advantage of a terrific deal. The original plan called for me to leave Phoenix at 3pm on Thanksgiving Day and fly through Dallas and on to LaGuardia in NY, landing around 12:30 or 1 am on Friday morning. Then I had a 7:30am direct flight to Aruba from JFK. Piece of cake. I would arrive in Aruba around 1:30pm and sleep on the beach until my room was ready. But American Airlines didn't want to have it so easy. They changed my flight to leave Phoenix at noon and I arrived in NY at 9pm. No problem I thought... I'll just check my luggage through and cab into the city and hang until the morning. WRONG! You can't check luggage until the day of your flight (learn something new every day) so I would have to drag my bag around with me until 3:30am and then get in line to check in. So I found a comfortable chair and began the overnight vigil...
I don't know what was worse... the piped in muzak versions of Christmas carols (I now officially hate "O Tannenbaum") or the Latina woman speaking Spanish non-stop from midnight to 3 am. But that combination and the fear of being robbed kept me awake. The airport is eerie overnight. A real collection of characters (including yours truly) inhabit the airport in the wee hours. The zamboni man polishing the floors was entertaining. So there I sat until 3am and the line started to form. I'm glad I was there already, because by 3:45 the line was snaking around and down the corridor. I was fifth in line and didn't get waited on until almost 4 am... (they had 2 people checking in passengers). I checked in, went through security, and then collapsed by the gate to wait for boarding. After 27 hours awake (a new record without the aid of questionable pharmaceuticals) I boarded the plane. I remember the safety instructions and then the next thing I knew we were landing in Aruba. Great flight (I think).
So after collecting my bag and hailing a cab, I was on my way to the beach! When I arrived at the resort, my room was ready so I went there and laid down for a nap... I woke up after midnight, rolled over and went back to sleep. My traditional cigar on the beach at sundown would have to wait until Saturday...
It didn't start out that way, however. As many of you know, I have to book my Aruba trip a year in advance so that I can stay at my resort. I also made airline arrangements well in advance to take advantage of a terrific deal. The original plan called for me to leave Phoenix at 3pm on Thanksgiving Day and fly through Dallas and on to LaGuardia in NY, landing around 12:30 or 1 am on Friday morning. Then I had a 7:30am direct flight to Aruba from JFK. Piece of cake. I would arrive in Aruba around 1:30pm and sleep on the beach until my room was ready. But American Airlines didn't want to have it so easy. They changed my flight to leave Phoenix at noon and I arrived in NY at 9pm. No problem I thought... I'll just check my luggage through and cab into the city and hang until the morning. WRONG! You can't check luggage until the day of your flight (learn something new every day) so I would have to drag my bag around with me until 3:30am and then get in line to check in. So I found a comfortable chair and began the overnight vigil...
I don't know what was worse... the piped in muzak versions of Christmas carols (I now officially hate "O Tannenbaum") or the Latina woman speaking Spanish non-stop from midnight to 3 am. But that combination and the fear of being robbed kept me awake. The airport is eerie overnight. A real collection of characters (including yours truly) inhabit the airport in the wee hours. The zamboni man polishing the floors was entertaining. So there I sat until 3am and the line started to form. I'm glad I was there already, because by 3:45 the line was snaking around and down the corridor. I was fifth in line and didn't get waited on until almost 4 am... (they had 2 people checking in passengers). I checked in, went through security, and then collapsed by the gate to wait for boarding. After 27 hours awake (a new record without the aid of questionable pharmaceuticals) I boarded the plane. I remember the safety instructions and then the next thing I knew we were landing in Aruba. Great flight (I think).
So after collecting my bag and hailing a cab, I was on my way to the beach! When I arrived at the resort, my room was ready so I went there and laid down for a nap... I woke up after midnight, rolled over and went back to sleep. My traditional cigar on the beach at sundown would have to wait until Saturday...
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