bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
TUESDAY (New Year's Day)

I got up around five to find Gary awake and doing something with his phone. I went to the bathroom and back to sleep until the alarm went off at six. Gary told me he'd been up since 1:30 or so.

We were packed and ready to go about 7:40, and arrived at Colleen's by eight. We each had a banana for breakfast and Colleen put away the leftover soda, applesauce and gelatin cups. We chatted for a half hour or so, then said our goodbyes and left for the airport. We got our bags checked in and got through security without incident, even though I had to do a bit more disassembly and reassembly than usual due to the tablet and my suspenders. We went directly to the gate and decided to wait until Minneapolis to have lunch.

The aircraft was a Bombardier with four seats across, but we both needed seat belt extenders, which was unexpected. A cute cubbish dude in a heavy tan jacket kept getting up with the seat belt sign on. Across from us was a family of four, likely grampa and three grandkids, who were headed to Saskatoon.

When we arrived in the concourse in Minneapolis, I noticed someone sleeping on the floor between the charging station and the people mover. We made our way to the airport mall, but found the food court closed for renovation. Fortunately there was a restaurant just before the entrance to concourse F, where we had lunch (a turkey burger for Gary and a Juicy Lucy with sauteed onions for me, both with coleslaw and surprisingly good unsweetened tea).

The gate area got very crowded and I noticed a couple of bears across the way, the younger with a thick dark beard and the older wearing a T-shirt with a cartoon labeled BEER which was a bear with antlers. I saw them seated together as we boarded the plane. I thought the cute daddy cub with 3 children had the aisle seat, but it remained vacant until a very well-behaved girl of perhaps 6 or 7 boarded with her mother and took the seat; her mother sat a few rows behind us. We got to see snippets of the first half of the Rose Bowl in which Ohio State was leading 14-3 before we landed. I ended up having the same shoulder and back pain I experienced in Tacoma during my last SMC performance there because there wasn't room to "spread my wings", so the wait for the multitudes of children having to get out of the way before we could disembark was agonizing.

When I got into the terminal I sat down to stretch my back before I hit the restroom. We collected our bags and caught the shuttle to the light rail station. The train trip was unremarkable. When we arrived at Union Station bus stop to catch the bus to Everett, we heard a screeching of tires and witnessed a pedestrian crossing against the light and nearly getting creamed by, of all vehicles, a police cruiser. That car and a second police SUV just behind it in traffic lit up, and when we boarded the bus (a Double Tall, where we sat downstairs in the back with our bags) and passed the scene, two officers were still interrogating the hapless pedestrian, who was a rather cubbish dude but clearly not very bright. On the bus back to Everett Gary showed me the final score of the Rose Bowl: Ohio State 28, Washington 23.

When we arrived at Everett Station I called for an Uber but the driver apparently picked up someone else and my phone battery died before I could cancel the trip. So we ended up taking a conventional cab home. I later got the Uber trip straightened out without incident.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
SUNDAY

I ended up getting up twice during the night and didn't sleep well. When the alarm went off at seven, I texted Colleen to let her know what was going on and that we wouldn't be joining her and Dad at church. Then I rolled over and went back to sleep, getting up once more before starting our day around ten.

Gary left around noon to get some lunch at Big Boy. Around 1:30 Colleen arrived with bananas, Sprite, applesauce and gelatin cups, and Italian ice. She stayed for a few minutes and we chatted about some family drama, which came as a surprise to me and I hope gets resolved as soon as possible.

About halfway through the Cowboys-Giants game I felt sleepy again and laid down for a nap, and felt a lot better when I got up. We watched the rest of the Bengals-Steelers game while keeping track of the Seahawks-Cardinals game online. Then we had dinner at a little Chinese place in a strip mall across the street, and came back to watch the Colts-Titans game. I ended up falling asleep around quarter to midnight as the game ended.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
FRIDAY

I woke up a couple hours early to use the bathroom and went back to sleep. We managed to get downstairs in time for the hotel's breakfast buffet, then returned to the room where I texted Colleen to arrange to meet her at Dad's condo.

We arrived around 11:30 and Colleen, Rab, and Alyssa followed soon after. Gary and I took inventory of the family cedar chest which was in the room where I used to sleep when visiting. There were artifacts for each of us, along with Dad's Navy manuals, Mom's wedding dress, and their travelogue and photo album from Ireland. I took the papers that pertained to me and returned the rest, except for a couple of photos which should join the larger collection downstairs. Afterwards we sat downstairs while Colleen took some phone calls and Alyssa showed us some of the jewelry she chose from Mom's collection. Just before we left, Rab returned the end table from Dad's apartment which we replaced with his new table and lamp combination.

We all had lunch at the Olive Garden off Colerain in Bevis (heh heh...), where I spotted a young black dude enjoying his lunch in the next room and a muscular dude emerging from the restroom. We had a nice chat over lunch and then went our separate ways.

After we got back to the hotel, I ended up taking a nap for about an hour and a half while Gary sat up in bed watching TV. For dinner we went to Skyline Chili, then came back to watch the end of the hockey game (Toronto beat Columbus 4-2) and the Valero Alamo Bowl between Iowa State and Washington State. I hit the sack early before the game ended, but found out later that WSU won by 2 points.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
THURSDAY

We got a late start and missed the hotel breakfast, so we stopped by Frisch's Big Boy for their breakfast bar. From there we headed down to Union Terminal to visit the museums underneath the rotunda which is shaped like an old Art Deco radio set. The line for tickets was rather long, spiraling around the box office in a semicircle. At one point I noticed a black bear about our size with dreadlocks and wearing a sweatshirt with the logo of Bogart's, a live-music bar in Clifton. I suggested to Gary he just might be a bouncer there. We were served by a cute cubbish dude with a trim black beard and a nice smile; Gary noticed the rainbow pin he was wearing.

We descended the escalator to the mezzanine level to visit the Holiday Junction display, then continued down a long ramp to the Duke Energy model railroad display, which used to be in the lobby of the CG&E building when I was a kid. Also on the lower level was a reproduction of the Cincinnati Public Landing from the 1800s, complete with the Gibson print shop, a beer hall, a stand at the 5th Street Market, a boarding house, and a photographer's studio among others. The highlight of the exhibit was the Queen of the West, a steam paddlewheel riverboat model with simulated cargo. From there we returned to the mezzanine level to view the Lego model train exhibit before following a cute cublet in a construction hi-vis vest up the escalator to the rotunda level and making our exit.

The next stop was Dad's apartment, where we were surprised to find Colleen and Sheila had assembled his new reading lamp and table. We chatted for a bit while an occupational therapist checked to see if Dad could manage to wheel himself to the dining room. He did well walking the chair with his feet to the bottom of the ramp, but not so well navigating up and down the ramp itself. Colleen took care of testing his blood sugar and administering his insulin, then we all accompanied him to the dining room. On the way, an older dude thought Gary looked like his brother, but when Gary told him he's from Brooklyn, he said his brother is from Kansas City. We said our goodbyes at the dinner table and went our separate ways.

Gary and I returned to the room to charge phones and decide where to go for dinner. We ended up going to Golden Corral since we'd missed lunch and were pretty hungry. There was a cute ginger cub in a feathered cowboy hat with a lady companion. After dinner we went shopping at Meijer for drinks and snacks, and noticed the wind had gotten much stronger while we were eating. We checked out with a tall bear whose height and voice reminded me of Joe Dietl from Where the Bears Are; he had a nice gingerish beard though.

When we arrived at our room we watched axe throwing on ESPN, featuring rather a lot of cute bears and cubs (the runner-up, David Cycon from the Philly location of Bury the Hatchet, is particularly cute), then switched to hockey (the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Flyers 6-5 in overtime; Carter Hart was not in net). After that it was news and bed.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
WEDNESDAY (Boxing Day)

We got up about 6:30, unpacked our bags, showered and dressed, then headed downstairs for breakfast around 8:30. Around 10:30 we dropped off the box of dishware at the UPS store for shipment to Everett, then had lunch at LaRosa's Pizzeria a few doors down before returning to the hotel to get some more sleep. When we got up I called Colleen to plan out the next couple of days. We'll be meeting Friday at the condo to take inventory and start preparing it for sale. Next was dinner at that Chinese buffet on Kemper Rd. I used to go to often with Mom and Dad. When we got back from dinner we watched the Kennedy Center Honors and the news before bed.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
CHRISTMAS EVE and CHRISTMAS DAY

We took the usual route to the airport, starting with the Everett Transit 8, Sound Transit 512, and Link light rail. The trip was unremarkable except for how few people were on the train. There was essentially no line at security so we went through in less than 10 minutes.

Dinner at the Seattle Tap Room was nice; I had a burger and fries, Gary had a turkey sandwich, and we each had an Angry Orchard Rosé. The cider is made from naturally red-fleshed apples and is somewhat sweeter than their usual variety. Our waiter, a kinda cute young otter-pup with a scraggly beard, suggested we might like a shot of liquor with our cider, but I declined based on past experience with Angry Balls (a shot of Fireball cinnamon whiskey in a pint of cider). After tasting the cider I thought it would be ruined by the whiskey, which opinion was shared by a couple of our friends from the Fireplace Bears on Facebook. We made our way to our gate nearby, and while our phones were charging, I picked up cough drops, a soda and a copy of Rolling Stone. As we waited, a particular young dude caught my eye as he was taking off a heavy outer shirt revealing a black T-shirt stretched out over his broad shoulders. He spent some time trying to stow the other shirt among the bags at his feet. I thought it curious that he was standing in front of the ladies' room; obviously he was waiting for someone.

Because I'd spent some miles on upgraded seats, we got to board just after first class and VIPs. The chief flight attendant was a tall young bear, with a thick but trim beard, named Amir. All the flight attendants seemed to know the two young dudes, one seated opposite me and the other in front of him, on the aisle. Amir in particular was very friendly with them. We were delayed briefly after pulling back from the gate but took off without incident. I got a little sleep on the flight with the help of the relaxing music channel. When we landed we had to wait a few minutes for paramedics to check on someone in the far back of the plane before we could disembark; it was the mother of a family whose father was a tall strapping dude. It took me a little longer than I wanted to collect my things and leave the plane, but I managed.

Rather than taking the train, we ended up walking through the tunnel from concourse A to concourse C via the people mover, and noticed a rain forest scene in the first tunnel and an Atlanta history exhibit in the second. We had breakfast croissant sandwiches at Atlanta Bread, and then walked to the end of the concourse to our gate for the second leg of the flight to Cincy. A military dude in civilian clothes (guessing by his backpack and the ink on his arms), his wife and their cat sat opposite us. Down the row from them was a huge balding bear with a long, thick beard in a gradient from dark brown at the roots to platinum blond at the tip, in a black Carhartt jacket with hi-vis stripes, jeans and boots.

On the flight we sat in front of a couple guys who were apparently off-duty pilots, since our very bearish co-pilot came back to chat with them. Also, a couple rows in front of Gary sat a cute young bear with a trim beard and a thick neck, wearing a Nike ball cap in black and white. I slept most of the hour-long flight. Our flight path took us just west of the College of Mt. St. Joseph just before landing.

We made our way through the airport to baggage claim and on to the Hertz lot via shuttle bus. Of the full-sized cars on offer, I first tried a Nissan Altima but had trouble finding the controls for the trunk and the tilt steering wheel, so I decided to skip that vehicle and pick up a Ford Escape which is a small SUV like our VUE.

From the airport we drove directly to Erin and J's for the family Christmas party, because it was closer to the airport and Colleen and Rab were already en route with Dad, the gifts and most of the food. Of course, Colleen forgot to inform Erin and J we were coming, so it came as a bit of a surprise when we arrived and J answered the doorbell. Our family tradition has been to have Italian food for Christmas dinner: spaghetti with meatballs and sausage in red sauce, lasagna and garlic bread. This started 39 years ago when we weren't sure when Colleen's firstborn would arrive (as it happened, Steve was born late on Christmas Day, minutes before midnight) and so an elaborate turkey with all the trimmings was out of the question. Eventually Colleen, Rab, and Dad arrived and we loaded the gifts and food into the house. Soon after, Matt and Tristan arrived and we had a really nice conversation with Tristan over dinner. Afterwards we tried a new form of Stealing Santa that involved rolling dice and passing wrapped gifts around without opening them, but that didn't work out, so we went back to the traditional Stealing Santa. Matt and Len got the waterproof Bluetooth speaker and FM radio combos we contributed, while Gary got a set of CorningWare and I got an Amazon Fire mini-tablet for reading e-books.

After a few rounds of goodbyes we headed to the hotel with a stop at Walgreens for some needed supplies. We settled in to watch Jeopardy! and Gary was fast asleep by the time the game was over. I stayed up briefly to finish my journal and follow "Gary's son" (LeBron James) as his Lakers squared off against Golden State (Warriors... come out to play-yay...). I fell asleep about nine.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (closeup)
In this year of sometimes unnecessary drama, I'm thankful for still being close to my family, for being able to make a home with [livejournal.com profile] gmjambear, for our good friends, for the gift of song, for the ability to travel widely and experience much, and for all the little things that make life such a treasure.

I wish all who read this safe travels and a happy Thanksgiving, free of the fear and anxiety that are all too present this year in particular.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (closeup)
Christmas was fun. [livejournal.com profile] gmjambear and I each got some video footage of the family's "Jingle Bell Rock" gift exchange (everyone stands iin a big circle and you pass packages to the right on "Jingle" and to the left on "Rock") and hopefully we'll get some more from my sister and edit them all together.

Boxing Day brought a significant snowfall, after which we went outside and played in the snow with my grand-niece Alyssa and grand-nephew Aiden; there's a big hill behind my dad's place and they had sleds already waiting for them in Dad's garage. After Alyssa's mother came by to pick her up (as she got off work early due to the weather) we headed out for chili for lunch.

Thursday we had lunch at White Castle and did some grocery shopping with Aiden in tow, and that evening Gary and I headed for downtown Cincinnati to see the Cyclones play hockey against the Elmira Jackals. As usual, lots of bears in the stands and a few on the ice. Unfortunately for the 'Clones, Elmira won 4-3. As a promotion, they had the Stanley Cup out on the concourse so we got our pictures taken with the Cup.

Friday I went to get my hair cut and beard trimmed since I was done with my Santa impersonation for another year. Later we did some photo processing on Dad's computer so he's got copies of our Christmas snaps, and then hit the YMCA on Winton Road which I'd visited last time I was in town. We were pleasantly surprised to find our ActivTrax accounts work there too, since the old FitLinxx system was specific to the facility where you signed up. Unfortunately one of my contacts washed out in the pool so I have to wear my glasses until we get back home.

Yesterday we attended my nephew Andy's wedding. A good time was had by all, even if there was a slight misunderstanding when it came time for family photos, but that was cleared up by the time the party was over.

This morning I took Dad to church, where a very nice-looking otterish/bearish fellow was the lector (reader). Afterward we had breakfast at Dad's favorite restaurant, First Watch, did a bit more shopping and came home to watch the Bengals beat the Ravens, 23-14. The late game is still in progress and I'll catch up when I finish this post.

We return to Everett tomorrow evening just in time to ring in the New Year. Wishing you and yours a happy and prosperous New Year!
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
My brother used to say that to my niece (whose name happens to be Erin) many St. Pat's Days ago.

Kind of an uneventful day. I'm still coming down from the weekend. I've taken on the lead producer role for the SMC's No Talent Show at retreat, and this weekend's show turned out just fabulously, despite the change in venue from a working theater to a hotel ballroom.

[livejournal.com profile] gmjambear told me I'd worked a little too hard on the show, as now I have a minor chest cold (mostly a cough triggered by postnasal sinus drainage). Still, I was able to get through a somewhat grueling dental visit and yet another SMC rehearsal before virtually collapsing Monday evening. This week I am also taking on overnight patching and upgrades once more, which means I am working split shifts again.

In honor of the occasion I decided to make Pig's Ass and Cabbage the way my mom used to (fun fact: at one point in my childhood I hated cabbage and Mom would substitute green beans; nowadays I rather enjoy the cabbage). Unfortunately, the third ingredient in the traditional boiled dinner -- potatoes -- had all sprouted or rotted in the pantry. So instead we made noodle soup of the ham and cabbage. It turned out very tasty and filling.

As my folks always say, "Top o' the morning to you!" (to which the proper response is "And the rest of the day to you!")

Mom & Dad

May. 10th, 2009 10:59 am
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
Thought I'd post for Mothers' Day.

Mom seated at a diner car table, Dad standing behind her

Taken aboard the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train, April 17, 2007.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
It's been a really quiet Christmas this year, mostly due to the snow. I've been working from home Christmas Eve and Boxing Day to give the facilities folks time to clear the parking lots around the office (they were dismal on Tuesday when I went in to recharge my portables).

Christmas Eve [livejournal.com profile] gmjambear and I made the trek to Federal Way for our friends' traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Once we'd left Everett the roads weren't all that bad. Christmas Day we spent at home, listening to music and surfing the Net. I chatted with my folks and my sisters on the phone. We're chipping in for a new stove for Mom and Dad's place; the insulation on the old one is so deteriorated that my sister thinks it's a burn hazard if not an outright fire hazard.

Boxing Day (yesterday) after I got done with work we went out in search of a snow shovel (they have been out of stock for two weeks now and they don't know when they will have more) and looked at a few more things we'll eventually need around the house, and ended up buying some doormats and a plunger. Any excuse to get out, I suppose.

While we were out we had dinner at the Buzz Inn on Broadway in downtown Everett. The first time we drove by the place we thought it was a biker bar because of all the motorcycles parked alongside; we later learned it's the flagship of a chain of 14 restaurants all around the north Puget Sound region. The food was really good; they had 16-ounce T-bone steaks with all the trimmings on special for $14.99. As we were waiting for dinner to arrive I called up my folks to let them know we got their Christmas cards, and found the new stove had been delivered.

Today it looks like the clouds overhead can't decide whether to rain or snow, so instead we are getting fog and no precipitation to speak of. (Hence my joke post.)

Hope everyone's holidays are going well.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
Friday night I left from Sea-Tac Airport for Cincinnati to attend my nephew Steve's wedding.

Read more... )

This is getting really long so I'll continue later with the events of overnight and the next day.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
Just a quickie post from my folks' place in Cincinnati. I'm finally here, having arrived at CVG (across the river in KY) about 8:45 last night and waited until nearly midnight but my bag never made it to baggage claim. I left the folks' address with Delta baggage service so hopefully they will schlep it out here before I have to leave for the airport. Comair (the small airline that provides all Delta service to ROC) has canceled all flights nationwide today and tomorrow, because there were so many flight changes and cancellations that their poor computer keeled over and died.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
I'm off to Cincinnati way too early in the morning tomorrow, provided they don't cancel my flight due to today's snowstorm. Just wanted to wish all my LJ friends a happy holiday season, whichever your favorite holiday to celebrate. In other words, Merry Chrissolkwanzakkah!!! ;-)

Update (12:03 AM Thursday): Yup, they canceled my flight. It is taking literally hours to get someone on the phone to rebook -- hours I'd much rather be sleeping. I'm surprised they don't have some means of rebooking via the delta.com web site.
bigmacbear: Me squatting naked in the Miller River (naked)
Where: Desk at home
Wearing: Nothing
H Factor: 6
C Factor: 8

I got back in from my folks' place in Cincinnati yesterday afternoon about 2. Gary ([livejournal.com profile] gmjambear) came to meet me at the airport, which was a pleasant surprise. We went to dinner at the home of a friend from church and had a very good time.

While in Cincinnati, I got the opportunity to chat with my folks and my sisters and their families. However, there were some other relatives (mostly cousins of various degrees on my mom's side of the family) who were essentially holding their family reunion at my folks' place, which made the place crazy-busy for the weekend after Christmas and limited my opportunity to be with my immediate family to a degree.

Although I've been disappointed with the way scheduling worked out this year with respect to Gary, and I know he's been pretty down lately, I think my cousins' presence would also have made Gary and I very uncomfortable had I been able to bring him there for the holidays. I jokingly suggested to Mom that she and Dad could avoid this next year by coming to Rochester for the holidays. We shall see. ;-)

Anyway, gotta go. In case you don't hear from me before then, I wish a Happy New Year to all.
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
I'm just about to sign off LJ for the holidays (as my folks' computer just isn't up for much surfing as yet, I probably won't have an opportunity to check E-mail or LJ while I'm there). I have to pack for a 6 AM flight and finish Christmas cards, which probably means no sleep whatever tonight.

I'll be back on Boxing Day. [livejournal.com profile] gmjambear has to work, so he'll be here.

Just want to wish you all the happiest of holidays. "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"
bigmacbear: Me in a leather jacket and Hockey Night in Canada ball cap, on a ferry with Puget Sound in background (Default)
OK folks, I suppose I should have done this as soon as I returned from the festival last Monday while the events were fresh in my mind, but since I only got back from Cincinnati about 1:30 Monday morning I was in no shape to do so. So here goes...
Read my travelogue from Cincinnati... )
In sum, a very interesting way to spend a GALA weekend. Next post: the weekend to come -- an embarassment of riches.

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