The Year That Was

Photograph by Kilroy_60

At the end of October I celebrated my three-year blogiversary.

In truth, internet time is better measured as dog years are than by a conventional calendar. I've read that people consider anywhere from one to four months on the web to be equivalent to one year.

Take into account how many blogs you find abandoned and that point of view isn't difficult to understand.

There were just short of 200 posts here in 2008, 191 to be exact. Needless to say, it's easy to lose track of what you've been blogging about, regardless of the tags assigned to each post. {Yes, that's when I remember to plug them in.}

This is the third time I've done a review of what I was blogging about over the previous year. Actually, it's more a sampling than a review. The way it's done is to pick out the first sentence of the first post that was published each month.

A rather small snippet of a large picture and yet, at the same time, very enlightening I think.

Looking back over 2008 this is what you get:

January...

The true measure of blogging success is that it's worth your time to do. - Kilroy_60

February...

I have 361 messages sitting in my Inbox.

March...

Tuesday, 4 March, voters go to the polls in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.

April...

I was checking out the news at Yahoo and couldn't help but notice the advertising.

May...

I met The Master Baiter Monday morning for breakfast.

June...

I had my IT guy came in yesterday to see if he could diagnose why my machine has been running slower than normal.

July...

I really wanted to enter last time, but I missed the deadline.

August...

I received a most interesting email from TheSpecialOne.

September...

I had lunch one day at MarthaStewartLite's house with TheSpecialOne.

October...

I got back to town early Saturday morning.

November...

Professional Football Hall of Fame classes in recent years have been dominated by the Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.

December...

I'm celebrating my first year as a member of the social media site StumbleUpon with a blog carnival.

Happy New Year!

I couldn't think of a better way to close out 2008 than spending a week at my plantation in Costa Rica, La Alegría.

It was, I thought, a great way to celebrate the end of George W. Bush' reign of terror. Being out of the country for any portion of this month, though, when Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States, was never an option.

We flew into Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose Christmas Eve morning and left there yesterday afternoon.

There was nothing I wanted to do more than relax and enjoy the fruit of my gardener's labor, a hydroponically grown hybrid we call K60 Bud.

What I enjoy most about La Alegría is, The Sanctuary....


It was here, on this balcony, where each day I read the outermost HOUSE - A Year Of Life On The Great Beach Of Cape Cod by Henry Beston.

This book is a literary masterpiece. That, I think, is reflected by these excerpts...

>>> A year indoors is a journey along a paper calendar; a year in outer nature is the accomplishment of a tremendous ritual. To share in it, one must have a knowledge of the pilgrimages of the sun, and something of that natural sense of him and feeling for him which made even the most primitive people mark the summer lights of his advance and the last December ebb of his decline." (page 59)

>>> "The three great elemental sounds in nature are the sound of rain, the sound of wind in a primeval wood, and the sound of outer ocean on a beach. I have heard them all, and of the three elemental voices, that of the ocean is the most awesome, beautiful, and varied." (page 43)

>>> "It is not easy to live alone, for man is a gregarious creature; especially in his youth, powerful instincts offer battle to such a way of life, and in utter solitude odd things may happen to the mind." (pages 93-94)

>>> "Dwelling thus upon the dunes, I lived in the midst of an abundance of natural life which manifested itself every hour of the day, and from being thus surrounded, thus enclosed within a great whirl of what one may call the life force." (page 94)

>>> "Study your birds on the ground as you will, but once you have thus observed them and studied their loveliness, do not be afraid to clap your hands and send them off into the air. They will take no real alarm and will soon forgive you. Watch birds flying." (page 98)

Downstairs I have a sitting room commonly known as The Fortress of Solitude. Looking out the window, or down from The The Sanctuary, you see a portion of the garden....


We live, undoubtedly, in interesting times. I wish for you much joy, good health and prosperity in 2009.

As much as anything I'm looking forward to President-elect Obama's inauguration, That comes 19 days from today.

Cheers!

A Chrishanukwanztivus Celebration

Today is the winter solstice.

There couldn't be a better time to share my recipe for biscotto. For those of you who are not acquainted, a biscotti is a crisp Italian cookie. It's the only thing I bake with any regularity.

I find that, for me, baking is more challenging than cooking because it requires more discipline. It's necessary to adhere to the recipe and freelancing rarely brings a positive result. That's counterintuitive to how I typically function in the kitchen.

Last night I made two batches, one almond chocolate chip and the other pistachio, white chocolate and cranberry.

I'll take you through the recipe focusing on the almond chocolate chip, which is more of a traditional recipe.... {Keep in mind, I've never done any food writing so there may be cooking terms here that are applied incorrectly.}


You start with four large eggs, two teaspoons of almond extract and two cups of sugar. For the pistachio, white chocolate chip and cranberry substitute vanilla extract for almond and add a bit of lemon zest.

Beat together the eggs, extract and sugar until they're well blended.

Next you add two cups of flour, plus a few tablespoons, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda. Mix well.


At this point you start adding your featured items.

In the first batch it's toasted almonds and chocolate chips. The recipe actually calls for toasted chopped almonds, but I leave them whole and it works just fine.

I put pistachios, white chocolate chips and cranberries in the second batch.


The dough will be sticky and it's important to fold in the ingredients so everything is well incorporated.

At this point you cover the bowl and chill the dough until it's firm.

This, according to the recipe, takes about an hour. I normally smoke about six or seven joints and it's good to go.


Preheat the over at 350 degrees, lightly grease two large baking sheets and grease two large baking sheets.

Divide the chilled dough in half and place the dough on baking sheet.

It's important to use wet hands to execute this maneuver. Pat and shape the dough into a log. The optimum shape will be ten inches long and four inches wide.

Try to do it quickly and handle the dough as little as possible. I say that, again, because the dough will be sticky, even with wet hands.

Repeat on the second baking sheet.

Sorry, I don't have a shot of the logs {or as they're referred to next loaves} going into the oven or coming out. Here's a reminder, though, of what we're putting together....


Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Remove loaves to a cutting surface. With a long, sharp knife cut the loaf into 1/2 inch slices.

After cleaning and re-greasing the baking sheet, place the slices cut side down. Bake about 15 minutes until crisp and golden, turning the slices once.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Then, you eat.


In this season of Chrishanukwanztivus I wish you joy. This recipe is my gift to you. Enjoy!

Flingin' It For Freedom!

Check out all the Shoes For Bush
Email yours to: myshoesforbush@gmail.com

Good Morning, San Diego!

Photograph by Kilroy_60

I'm a curious sort. {Yes, I know that can be taken more than one way}

Something I find fun about blogging is how you're able to touch people around the globe. That makes a world map of visitors the most interesting Site Meter feature to me. It satisfies my curiosity about the locations from which people visit.

The number of people only attracts my attention because the first thing you see when logging in to Site Meter is a summary.


I'm well aware that while some visitors come purposefully others are misguided and some fall down a rabbit hole and land to find their virtual fate momentarily twisted.

All are welcome, of course, regardless of the route taken. What you'll find isn't something that can ever be predicted so keep the proviso in mind that's included in the header.


It's been almost 22 months since I installed Site Meter; this morning my counter rang up visit number 35,000. That visitor came from San Diego, California.

One proven way to attract visitors to your blog is by writing comments. I invite you to get in on the fun. Write a comment and include a link as an invitation to your little corner of the blogosphere.

Look For A Contingent Of Black And Gold Welcoming Two Steelers To Canton In 2009

Photograph by Kilroy_60

The Professional Football Hall of Fame has announced 25 semifinalists being considered for the Class of 2009.

A list of 133 preliminary nominees were considered by the Hall of Fame's Board of Selectors who chose the semifinalists.

I was right on 12 of the 25 I predicted.

The candidates I picked who made the cut are...

• Ron Woodson
• Shannon Sharpe
• Richard Dent
• Russ Grimm
• Ray Guy
• Bob Kuechenberg
• Paul Tagliabue
• Andre Reed
• Bruce Smith
• Chris Carter
• Derrick Thomas
• Dermontti Dawson
  

I had an opportunity to speak with a few writers who serve on the Board of Selectors as well as personnel at the Hall of Fame this past week.

From all indications, it appears two members of the Pittsburgh Steelers, whom I picked, are suffering from a backlash which has sidetracked their candidacy. It stems from the high number of players who have already been inducted from the 1970s Super Bowl teams.

Neither L.C. Greenwood, who has been a finalist in the past, nor Donnie Shell, who has more interceptions than any other strong safety in NFL history, made the cut.

In addition to L.C. Greenwood and Donnie Shell, the other players I picked who didn't qualify as semifinalists are...

• Cornelius Bennett
• Jim Covert
• Ed DeBartolo Jr.
• Irving Fryar
• Russ Francis
• Nick Lowery
• Phil Simms
• Hershel Walker
• Ken Anderson
• Dwight Clark
• Gil Brandt
  

There aren't a lot of players from the 1980s San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl teams in Canton. That appears to have swayed picks of recent years and it continued this time around.

Those who moved to the semifinal round that I didn't pick include...

• Roger Craig
• Terrell Davis
• Chris Doleman
• Kevin Greene
• Charles Haley
• Lester Hayes
• Cortez Kennedy
• Randall McDaniel
• Art Modell
• John Randle
• Ken Stabler
• Steve Tasker
• Ralph Wilson

This is the first time Roger Craig has qualified as a semifinalist; he's been eligible for the Hall since 1999.

A mail ballot will determine which 15 of the modern-era semifinalists will join Claude Humphrey and Bob Hayes, who were selected by the Hall of Fame Seniors Committee, as finalists. That list will be released in early January.

Here are my picks for the 15 modern-era finalists...

• Rod Woodson
• Shannon Sharpe
• Richard Dent
• Russ Grimm
• Lester Hayes
  
• Bob Kuechenberg
• Cortez Kennedy
  
• Andre Reed
• Bruce Smith
• Chris Carter
• Charles Haley
  
• Dermontti Dawson
• Roger Craig
• Terrell Davis
• Chris Doleman
  

The Class of 2009 will be chosen at the Selection Committee's annual meeting January 31, 2009 in Tampa, Florida, the day before Super Bowl XLIII.

Under it's current ground rules, the Board of Selectors will select a class ranging in size from four to seven. No more than five modern-era candidates can be included.

I expect the Class of 2009 to have six members including Claude Humphrey.

In Praise Of Marinades

I love to eat and enjoy cooking. If nothing more, it can make for delicious foreplay.

This will never evolve into a blog that foodies will flock to, but I thought it would be fun to start running some posts on cooking.

I've never had any sort of formal training to learn how to cook. I expect now that I'm sharing this I'll find terms I use are wrong and there are better techniques I can utilize to accomplish things. Selah.

So, let's get started...

I'm a big fan of marinades from Made In Napa Valley. One of my favorites is Shanghai Tangerine Sesame.

The ingredients in Shanghai Tangerine Sesame marinade include soy sauce, sugar, rice wine vinegar, tangerine juice, sesame oil and ginger.


One thing that I like to use the Made In Napa Valley marinades for is baked vegetables.

When I marinate vegetables what I typically do is put them in a freezer bag with what I think is enough marinade to give them a good coating, seal the bag and give them a shake. Then I let it sit for two or three hours.

For this bake I used red bell peppers, yellow squash, yams, carrots, broccoli and gold pearl onions


I put them in to bake for about 45 minutes and flip things over half way through.

When I put this batch in the oven I started smoking bong hits of BC Bud. Suffice to say, I had a world class case of the munchies by the time the vegetables came out of the oven.

I forgot to take a photograph of the finished product...which came out just as I hoped.


I also use Made In Napa Valley's Shanghai Tangerine Sesame marinade to make burgers. This time I managed to photograph the entire process.

Ground chuck is what I use for burgers and I like to let them marinate overnight.

They start like this...


Then look like this when they're ready to go in the skillet...


I don't know off hand how long I cooked the burgers to get them medium-well, but they came out great.



I didn't get a photograph of the final dish with wild rice on the side. After this I was more than ready to eat.

Thanksgiving Day Extended For More Holiday Fun

The night leading up to Thanksgiving is typically one of licentiousness for TheSpecialOne and I.

This year, though, it was her turn to host the family Thanksgiving feast and that provided a perfect opportunity for her sisters to stay overnight.

I visited with the three of them for awhile, drinking mimosas and playing dominoes.

After that I was on to a night of debauchery, fueled by Columbian flake, with TheRedhead. It became especially intense when TheSpecialOne called for a bit of phone sex before retiring for the night and TheRedhead provided oral pleasure.


TheSpecialOne wanted to do something special to make it a memorable holiday for the family. So we created a winter wonderland theme in the hallway leading from the main portion of the house to the master suite.

After dinner, that is after the main course and before dessert, I went out for a walk and a smoke with one of TheSpecialOne's brothers. The only time he gets high is when we get together, so I made a point of dipping into my stash of purple haze.


By the time everyone left Thursday evening TheSpecialOne and I were both ravenous and a tidal wave of orgasmic pleasure washed over us.

It wasn't my intention to be out of circulation for this long, but we didn't leave the house Friday other than going for dinner with MarthaStewartLite and her husband. Then Saturday we went and got a Christmas tree.

This year TheSpecialOne decided to decorate the tree in gold. I shot these photos last night using the night vision setting...

Photographs By TheSpecialOne

What a great surprise I had on Monday.

TheSpecialOne captured the first {real} snow of the season in The Writer's Refuge. What had come earlier was nothing more than a dusting.

Yes, I got one....

It was TheSpecialOne, though, that truly celebrated the best of the arrival of Winter. This series of shots she got, I thought, was rather impressive.


I think I may just have to take her out for a photo safari. I'll have to give that some thought and come up with something good for her to shoot. Other than snow!

Resolve To Evolve

Simply put, effective and productive communication means...

---(-)-> Understanding that communication means receiving input not just giving output
---(-)-> Possessing thorough knowledge of facts to support your position
---(-)-> Being able to see things from the other person's point of view
---(-)-> Having an open mind to consider possibilities other than what you believe
---(-)-> Conveying your thoughts in a way that is easy to understand
---(-)-> Pursuing opportunities to learn
---(-)-> Making a solution the goal, not being right

The First Snow Of The Season Marks The End Of Golf For 2008

Photograph By Kilroy_60

I was wrong on Friday, I'm happy to say, when I thought that I wouldn't get out to play golf again this year.

As it turned out I played with TheRedhead on Saturday. We also got out to play 18 holes.

There weren't many people on the course, mostly because it was gray, cold and a bit windy. But, it was dry and that was the deciding factor. {The fact that TheRedhead's father has a cart with a heater helped.}

We didn't bother keeping score; in fact both of us played three balls. It was fun getting out on the course one last time this year.

Better later, of course, in front of the fireplace giving TheRedhead a full body massage after grilling steaks for dinner.

We woke up this morning to snow. For me, that officially marks the end of the golf season. It led to a long morning in bed, though, which makes for a delicious substitute.

It's Party Time In The Blogosphere!

Photograph courtesy of The Lives and Times...

My buddy Tony is celebrating the three-year blogiversary of his Lives and Times... blog. There's a Blogiversary Celebration Carnival next week, so let's get together and have some fun.

If you've attended a blog carnival before you know it's a great way to meet other bloggers and benefit from both increased traffic and new link swaps. If you're a carnival virgin it's time you have some fun. {Here's all you need to know}

It's easy to take part.

You don't have to write a new post, in fact it can be any post you're published in your blog. {one post per blog, however many blogs you have}. There's no specific theme for this carnival, just pick a post you think will interest people in checking out your blog.


Here are the rules...

• Entries accepted from blogs only.
• Only English language posts will be accepted.
• No more than one post per blog.
• No posts that are advertisements.
• No posts with titles that include profanity or pictures of a sexual nature.

The carnival runs on Sunday, November 23rd. It takes a lot of time to put one together, which you know if you've ever hosted, so don't delay, enter today.

Submit your post to: starkreporter@gmail.com with the subject line: Blogiversary Carnival.

Include...

• Your name as you want it to appear in the post
• The name of your blog
• The blog URL
• The title of the post
• The post URL

If you have any question, at this point, I'd recommend writing Tony at: starkreporter@gmail.com.

Do you have a blogiversary coming up? Drop me a line if you want to put together a carnival. I'll do what I can to give you a hand.