Big Leather Couch

Well, seriously...both Nancy and I need a vacation after the last week of moving. We are complete. Now we live in a new land called "The Land Of Never-Ending Boxes"

My new 'studio' is pretty much set up with a few minor adjustments to be made - It is actually more open and manageable than the one at the apartment and I have a big old window to my right to look outside and gather my thoughts before honoring y'all with my glowing prose...

OK, well - no really, there is a window, which only makes me wander and take longer to write.

And if I decide to take on the next step in the New Music travels, it will be a perfect 'studio' indeed!

SO, a number of you have sent emails or comments on facebook or here and they all seem to have the same theme...y'all want to see photos...

Without making this place a Aunt Gwendolen and Uncle Frank's summer vacation slide show over the following days (exact number to be determined) I will share what was a total freakin blast.

Have I mentioned that yet?

Well it was and I am so glad there are pictures to remember it all. We still have to send off the 10 'wedding' cameras we put out at the reception and the underwater camera we used in Jamaica.

I have received CDs loaded with pictures from a few friends and videos are also on their way. Eventually, I am hopeful to put together a full fledged DVD of the weekend. Our good friend Greg video-taped most of the reception and even did those little interviews the professionals do - like em or hate em - and it looks like I will have three different camera for our first dance and will be able to edit them all together...

Thursday, Matt came in with Frat Brother's Greg and Dean on Thursday and friend John also came in. That night we all went down to Rendezvous Restaurant for dinner with dad Vince.

Friday morning the boys came over for breakfast and a few other Fraternity Brothers arrived and we had some enjoyment throughout the day.

That evening, we all met at the hotel bar before the family went to dinner and the friends hit the bars of Beale Street. We tried to get Liz and Brad to meet up with them, but when they called each other there was so much noise, they could not hear each other!

Friday's dinner was so that my family could meet Nancy, Peter and Ernie and spend time getting to know them better.

So - visuals from Friday...

JIM - It had been 22 years at least

JAMIE - Have drink will travel

GREG - The official videographer & my NYC roommate

DICK & DEAN (my fantasy football partner)

THE BOYS
(clockwise)
Me, Greg, Dick, Dean, Bob, Murdock, Jamie, Jim

Nancy & the Marini/Clifford/Pierro women
(L-R) Niece Adele, Mom Joan, Nancy, Sister Lynn,
Sister-In-Law Cindy, Aunt Patricia (mom's sis), Niece Candice
(Missing is Niece Amelia)

The Barton/Clifford/Marini Men
(L-R) Ernie, Me, Brother Richard, Nephew Joe, Peter,
Dad Vince, Matt, Brother-In-Law Kevin

Mom Joan, Aunt Pat & Dad with their grand kids.

The gang - BACK at the Rendezvous on Friday
Clockwise from back right:
Dean, Dick, Bob, Jim, Donna (Jim's wife),
Cindy (Murdock's wife), Murdock, Greg (taking picture is Jamie)

Tomorrow we begin the wedding day...

Today, some round number of years ago, our special friend TURNBABY blasted into this world and the world has never been the same.

She is a woman of many loves and passions.

There are her babies, she L-O-V-E-S Chloe & Callie



(I have no clue which is which...
but I have met them both and they are the sweetest!)

She L-O-V-E-S to go out and Karaoke...


and will even dress the part....

The gal L-O-V-E-S left hand turns and yellow flags and the smell of engine exhaust in the morning and
JIMMY JOHNSON...

The girl can cook up a storm, but she L-O-V-E-S BACON TOTS!

Have we mentioned she L-O-V-E-S shoes????

OH, no? We haven't?

Well Turnbaby L-O-V-E-S shoes...

She L-O-V-E-S her friends...she is the bestest of friends, because she always there when you need her...

OH, and Turnbaby absolutely L-O-V-E-S the beach...

and L-O-V-E-S putting her toes in the sand...

Wait...can't remember...did we mention she L-O-V-E-S shoes?

And when it comes to decorating at Christmas, no one L-O-V-E-S it more than my friend and she spends a tremendous amount of time making sure everything is correct...

OH and the most specialist thing...is she L-O-V-E-S Brad...
and that makes her smile and that makes me happy
because she deserves to wear the smile she does.

There are so many other L-O-V-E-S in her life, like horses and her family and her career (you KNOW you L-O-V-E it !) and ...oh my, we could be here forever...HAIKU..yup she L-O-V-E-S Haiku...

Today is the day
We celebrate TurnBaby
In Comments Haiku

I guess one of the reasons we get along so well is that we are both Gemini's, so when we are together there are four of us and normally, two of those personalities referees...

bwahahahahaahahahahahaahaaaaaaaaaaaa

Turnbaby...from Nancy & Vinny...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, and as we said...this is a great set of numbers you are joining...incredible things happen in your life!

Make sure you GIT ER DONE and visit TURNBABY'S and wish her HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

So, I think I am going to do it…Yes I am…I have been thinking about it for a while now…I have some extra cash put aside for just this occasion…I work hard and have reduced my debit load in the last year by about 40%...There are so many events coming up that this would truly make more special…I have been using the same one for over 30 years now…

Yes folks, I really believe I will be doing this in the next week or so…

Canon XSi - 12.2 megapixels of sheer photography power. I found a deal where I will also get 6 lenses (18mm-55mm; 75mm-300mm; 50mm; 500mm; wide angle, telephoto)- hard case, backpack case, 3pc filter kit; 2 - 16gb cards; card reader; full tripod; tabletop tripod; cleaning kit and screen protectors.

Will let you know if I actually pull the trigger on this baby…

Update: Yeah I know I said I was not going to do a lot of updates, but HECK-A-DOODLE…in contact with three caterers…picked the menu…now waiting on some quotes. Once that is settled, everything is pretty much ready except for selecting colors (that is NOT my chore!)…

Update 2: As some of you might remember, Matt was planning on going to a try-out for the Continental Baseball League in Texas. Well, the league has been in turmoil…losing three teams, then merging with another league to get to 8 teams, then having four of them leave. So the whole thing fell apart quickly.

He did have a try-out with the New Jersey Jackals last week, but he didn’t think anything would come out of it. He felt like the only players they actually were interested in were two pitchers.

He is staying positive and is continuing to look for other opportunities while he finishes up school. He is still working at the Baseball Academy and looks like he will be working at a local fitness center.

TURNBABY left a comment yesterday that read, “What--no food??? I know you did some cooking!” – Well, Nancy and I did do some cooking, but again, I did not pull the camera out…I think with this new purchase, I will be more anxious to shoot when cooking…

So, what did we cook this weekend…

Friday we went to the local Japanese place with the boys for some Sushi and I had the Beef Teriyaki from the Hibachi table. And SAKI!!!! Yummo…

Saturday we grilled some Tilapia with a pineapple salsa… a recipe Nancy wanted to try and boy am I glad we did.

Sunday, we grilled some Filet Mignons which were in the freezer. I do love the FOOD SAVER SYSTEM. We froze these puppies at least 3 months ago and they tasted like the day I trimmed and cut the whole tenderloin into steaks. Along with that we roasted some potato wedges in the oven that were coated with some olive oil and fresh rosemary. Finally, I grilled some Vidalia’s. I peel them, slice them in half and place a beef bullion cube on top, then wrap in aluminum foil and place on the grill from about a half hour.

What you end up with is the non-soup equivalent of French Onion Soup - put one on your steak and go to town!

On Memorial Day we cranked up the barbeque again and did a rack of Baby Back Ribs smothered in Uncle Stubbs Sauce and some gi-gundo chicken breasts which received a heaping slathering of Hunts barbeque sauce. We finished it off with some deliciously sweet corn on the cob.

Long weekend…way too much food…wonderful time spent with my angel…

Nancy and I hope y'all had as great a time as we did. Our evening with TURNBABY from "And As The World Turns" and sometimes blogger BRAD from "Pointless Drivel" and Nancy's friend Aline was SPECTACULAR!

The other friends canceled the day before and we were not pleased by that, but we made the night great with only 5.

I will say that my timing was a tad off and we did not sit for the main course until just after midnight. I miscalculated the time on the Green Beans with Onions & Bacon and that put me behind. I don't think it mattered as all were certainly not starved throughout the evening!

Decided to enter 2009 with our first Vlog (other than the cooking and Tuneage posts)...

Hope y'all enjoy....

And this is the promised visit to Graceland Video...

One of those days...begins with a smile and ends with me shaking my head...wish I could discuss it here, but the details are just not sharable at this time.

Let me just say that adults need to take responsibility for their children and themselves and sometimes you need to sacrifice for your children...no scratch that you ALWAYS have to sacrifice for your children and not think that someone else is going to bail you out of your haphazard life style.

Thanks to Mother Nature, it appears I have some fixin' to do on the lights at Nancy's home. Yesterday we had thunderstorms, torrential rains and high winds all day and some of those lights are now no longer on the home. dang dang dang...and Heck-a-doodle!!!!!!!!!

Only one person noticed I dropped the f-bomb the other day...well, not in my writing, but in one of the photos I posted...I wondered if it would be mentioned in comments and it took until the last comment from my sweet friend JULIE from "Julies Jewels & Junque" to mention it...

YET...many wondered about Heck-a-doodle...I found that amusing....giggle...YES I giggled!

Getting ready for this weekend. Nancy and I get to fly to Durham for her company's Christmas Party. All expenses paid! WOOOO! Should be a blast.

Y'all I think I have mentioned the New Year's Eve Dinner Party Nancy and I are hosting. It is going to be a blast with a 6-hour dinner being served.

I have mentioned this before, but in case you are new, we begin with Appetizers at 7:00pm and serve one course per hour until Dessert/Champagne/Celebration at midnight!.

I finalized the menu today and I am pretty happy with it.

What? You think I am telling y'all what it will be? No way! You will need to wait and see pictures after it is all done. I will say the courses are, Appetizer, Soup, Pasta, Salad, Main Course, Dessert.

The guest list is Nancy's good friends from Atlanta, her friend from Tupelo, two neighbors (they might not be coming, I am still not totally sure) and TURNBABY from "And As The World Turns" and her main squeeze MR FAB from "Pointless Drivel".

I am sooooo looking forward to it! Last year Nancy and I got to celebrate with Turnbaby and had so much fun. We are thrilled we get to do so again.

Got a little press this week on the web site for the PR firm that sends me music...unfortunately, I did not pass it along to my two editors, DAD VINCE and ANNDI from "Transition" as I now see MANY grammatical errors...OH Well! You can see it HERE

My friend PATTI from "Late Bloomer Boomer" asked if I were taking requests yesterday and requested Mr. Bennett's "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", so we will honor that request today.

ENJOY....

This is from one of my most special places in the world. A true testament to Mother Nature...Niagara Falls. I have visited the Falls many times, beginning as a child with my family.

Then I went a few times when I was in college in Rochester (normally on our way to the Molson Brewery in Toronto...). I brought a lady I was dating there once when we had been in Rochester to visit the campus, and also went when Matt was a wee-lad (though that visit was marred by a spousal dispute)...

This was from the trip I took with Diane, back in the late 80's. I look forward to taking Nancy there at some point and sharing my love of this majestic area with her.

For my submission, I added some contrast and darken it slightly to bring out more of the water details.

Hope you enjoy...(click to enlarge)

Hope y'all had a most wonderful weekend, because I surely did...

Friday was an enjoyable evening out to the local pub for a few beers and dinner with darlin' Nancy. Then home where we had a few more cocktails and watched some TV.

Saturday I went over to the gym ready for my first meeting with a trainer, but it was not to be...guess I misunderstood...anyway I took care of some other needs while Nancy was out on her daily run.

When she returned, we headed down to her home and took care of the dogs, then headed back to my place. We stopped and picked up some things for dinner and then got home.

Dinner was my Grandma Marini's Chicken and Onions...sauteed the chicken (breasts and thighs), then pile about 10 onions sliced thin on top and cover. let it cook on simmer for about 40 minutes and a wonderful au jus is formed and the onions just melt down until OH so yummy... I do mix in some sweet with yellow...

Also made some mashed potatoes and a chopped salad. While we ate we watched "Untraceable" with Diane Lane...a decent cyber/thriller. I also came across a leak under the kitchen sink...UGH...

Sunday we woke and I called in the repair and then headed over to the gym for my first meeting with the trainer. We spoke for a while, I answered a bunch of questions (lifestyle/diet/exercise)and then he showed me some core muscle "homework" exercises. Some I knew from the years of baseball...some I knew from living with a chronic pain sufferer for so many years and a few were new.

I am not going to make this a huge subject here until I get to where I want to discuss it again. Suffice it to say that some pictures were taken and some measurements as well. I will be charting the same monthly with a new picture taken each month.

Went home, took a shower and then headed to help Nancy with some shopping. We then ended up back at her home for a delicious pork chop dinner with steamed zucchini and baked yams.

We listened to our good friend Turnbaby on her BlogTalk Radio Show...As am sure many did, I had guessed her "Special Guest" and was happy to hear them together.

Then again...what is it with people who have no life of their own, so they find it their purpose in life to act 'holier than thou' and just make crude, unintelligible, sophomoric comments in chat and then by calling in? If there is something that bothers you, move on. No one makes you come to a blog or listen to a radio show, do they?

Is your meaningless life so void of any redeeming values that this is how you spend your Sunday evenings?????

CLIMBS DOWN OFF SOAP BOX.....ok, sorry....

I did almost no internet the whole weekend...never even sat at the computer Saturday and it was fun fun fun...

Sunday morning I did read/answer a ton of emails and also posted a bunch of comments and then responded to them.

The last week of the month I have to travel to Dallas on Monday, returning Tuesday. Nancy and the boys are going away for a few days on vacation that week, so I am considering taking Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off and doing something that has begun to poke at me again recently.

I am going to stay here, hit the shuffle on iTunes and write. "The Quest" is calling me again and I think this is a perfect opportunity to really focus on it and it alone for 5 - 8 hours a day.

IF I decide to do this, I will be taking a week off from blogging I will not be posting or reading. I want to work with a clear mind and not be reading your words, or using mine to do posts.

I figure depending upon the weather I can write inside (if raining or too damn hot), or outside by the pool.

Justin Timberlake hosting the ESPYS is really annoying....real dumb featurette inserting him into press conferences and sports plays.

My Yankees have come out of the All-Star break hot, winning three in a row and now only 4.5 games out of first place.

April 1st - April Fools Day - the location is Amsterdam, Netherlands. The band is Janis Joplin & The Kozmic Blues Band. The song is the incredibly-most excellent-brilliant "Summertime". It is most certainly the summertime here in Memphis, TN....

Funny...I did a Google search for Kozmic Blues Band and the best picture I find, I click on it and LOL...it is from The Couch! From our 9/24/2007 Tuneage Tutelage on Janis...LOL

ENJOY...