When was the last time you watched The Big Chill?

I'm in a bar in Cooper Landing, while the soundtrack from The Big Chill plays behind the noise of slope workers playing darts. What a fantastic movie!

There are forest fires in the area, so the air is thick with smoke - and heat. It was 85 degrees F in the shade tonight, after dinner, when we went to get ice cream. In the shade! I was sliding off my deck chair with perspiration. I suppose after last summer, I cannot complain.

So long! So overdue!

I should stop procrastinating on my posts, so that they all aren't titled with such titles. A goal.
Anyhow, we've just come back from a wonderful, wonderful 4 days in San Francisco. So fun! God, I enjoyed the whole bit (except for Thursday afternoon, when we were walking back from the Ferry Terminal, and it was hot, and I was wearing a black turtleneck, and we had a meeting to go to, and I was anxious for that, and I hadn't gotten much sleep, and I was hungry, and, and, and.....).

In any case, what a Fun City. Can't wait to go back. Here are two small pictures:

New Year's Eve

Some photos from last night:
Isn't my apron sweet? I borrowed it from Jim:Friends socializing...Jim was chef de amazing. He made bacon-wrapped scallops. These ain't your little storebought tiny frozen blobs, either - nice big ole plump Alaska scallops. (Credit where credit is due: he also made New York steaks, four of them. Yowza!) Here he is basting the scallops with a syringe of butter (I love this man):
We're cookin'! I'm steaming clams in white wine, garlic, and butter; Kristin is washing asparagus. Matt brought a bar bag. Not an overnight bag, a bar bag. Good man. He made negronis - here is Ingrid looking a wee bit skeptical:And here she is tasting it:Of course I like it! It's a martini! (sorry, Brittania - it's with gin)
Ahhhhhh......guilty pleasures. Kristin and me with Jim's bacon-wrapped scallops - look at those puppies! My "grin" is due to the fact that I had just shoved an entire lovely bacon-wrapped scallop into my maw...
Happy New Year, everyone!!

Coincidence?

How strange is this? Over the weekend I received an email from my first disgruntled employee (didn't like his seating assignment). I responded by email this morning, since I'm not in town. I shut down the computer and went out to my rental car. When I opened the back door to put my bag in the back seat, I saw a book there that I hadn't noticed yesterday: "You Want Me to Work with Them? How to get along with others at work." or something to that effect. Who has been planting appropriate books in my car??

Old Style Ski Race

Check out these fine folks participating in the Sons of Norway annual race at Russian Jack! (I couldn't find my ski boots - but Megan is riding Mom's wedding skis, and Jim is on Dad's!)

Winter Wonderland

We went up to Glen Alps today to play in the new snow that's been falling! Also, we bought cross-country touring boots last spring for a song, and wanted to try them out. Jim's are great; mine pinch my feet (why did I buy women's instead of men's??), so we didn't get all that far. Still, it was fun to get up there and see the mountains covered in snow, although they were a bit windswept. Then we came home, Jim changed the oil (thanks!), and went to see the new James Bond movie. O, Daniel Craig...

Reneging

I just reviewed the extensive list of post topics, and I am just going to let that be as a list of things that have happened. By now, I've talked to you all and you know how it all turned out.

We did have a trip to Montana in September, complete with a fantastic trip to Wapiti, Wyoming, which I love to say. Wapiti. WOPitti. I rode a horse, which was fun and completely freaky! I definitely have no desire to explore that further, which I suppose is good, as horsing around (har har) is pricey up here. Britt is my hero for falling off a horse and, literally, getting right back on. I would not have been able to do that.

I have decided that we need to be done with obligation trips, though. Montana is fun, but it's not much of a vacation any more - it's a series of visits that we "need" to do, that we don't really need to do. We talked of driving the motorcycles down next time; making the journey the destination. How fantastic would that be? With the in-laws traveling up here to see their granddaughter, we'll see them regularly. We shall see.

It has become my latest and most nerdy goal to erg one million meters. I think you must say it like Doctor Evil - one MILLION meters! I log them on the Concept2 website, and I'm about 450,000 meters in - it's a lifetime accumulation, and I guess I started charting it last winter or the winter before. But with World Masters Games in Australia next October, the desire for a dedicated effort this winter is very strong. Plus, at the end of the year party (which I missed), I won the award for the best 2K time (woman). Yeah! A nerd and a buff nerd at that!