Fir Friendships

Posted on October 18th, 2010

Friendship. Even the word sounds nice. Like a toasty flannel cocoon, friendships embrace us in warm, safe comfort. “Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together” – Woodrow Wilson. “The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend. I have no wealth to bestow on him. If he knows that I am happy in loving him, he will want no other reward. Is not friendship divine in this?” – Henry David Thoreau. And my favorite on friends no longer around: “With every friend I love who has been taken into the brown bosom of the earth a part of me has been buried there; but their contribution to my being of happiness, strength and understanding remains to sustain me in an altered world.” – Helen Keller

I’ve been thinking about friendships of late. What they mean, why they are so important to us. What is a “true” friend, and aren’t all our friends true? Semantics run wild, I know, but I do believe we have different types of friendships. Like the flora that covers “the brown bosom of the earth”, friendships come in all shapes and colors.

Some are like the spring crocus. Fragrant and beautiful, yet also fragile and short lived. Even when given great care, they are meant to be around for only a few weeks. The beauty they bring to a mountain side, however, is meant to be treasured for a lifetime. Continue reading →

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Game Day Breakfast Pizza

Posted on October 11th, 2010

Beth and I love going downtown to the Sport Restaurant and Bar on football Saturdays. Number one reason is that it’s home to the Seattle Buckeye Alumni Club, and watching the Bucks in a bar full of OSU fans is a total rush. Number two reason is the food; great garlic fries, dips and pizzas. This past Saturday, however, Beth woke up feeling like crap and it was a crappy day to match, so we decided to hunker down and stay in. OSU was on national TV, so we were good to go there, but what to do about food?

I was going to just make us some scrambled eggs, but then I saw we still had some smoked salmon left and the wheels started turning. Capers? Check. Cream Cheese? Check. Pizza dough? Surprisingly enough, check! I had picked up a tube of the ready to go pizza dough a couple of days earlier. I was going to make a “Faux Beef Wellington”, but dammit, this was football man! And just like that, Gregor’s Pub Breakfast Pizza went on the menu.

I’m certainly not going to claim this as an original. I’ve had similar versions many times. In fact, the Sport Bar used to make one. This is just the way I threw it together, using what I had. The real key to this, is to make sure none of the toppings overpower the others.

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Doing 50 in a 35

Posted on October 6th, 2010

Well, I did it. I managed to make it through my 50th birthday, and have officially entered my 50’s. I did not go gently into that good night as it were, but I made it. It’s just another birthday, right? For someone who feels like life is already speeding out of control though, it’s like doing 50 in a 35.

I have a loving wife who puts up with me better than I do myself. I have 2 incredible boys. I have 2 amazing step-daughters and one damn cool grandkid. I have a mother who exemplifies what it means to be caring and generous. I have a brother I love and admire, more than he will ever know or understand. I have friends scattered throughout the world. Some close, some distant, but all are the best friends any person could ask for. I treasure each and every one of them. In short, I am one lucky SOB in many, many ways.

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America the Beautiful

Posted on September 26th, 2010

Like most of America, we are getting inundated here with political ad after political ad. Seemingly nice people who are accusing each other of running this country into the ground. Republicans blame Democrats, Democrats blame Republicans, and some just go ahead and blame everyone. Some claim the problem is that our President is a pinko commie socialist of unknown parental lineage. Others claim it’s that terrorists lurk behind every shadow, just waiting to steal our way of life away. Still more claim that the government has no right to collect taxes, that it invades on peoples right to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness and that in turn, has ruined us. (Why these same people claim it’s up to the government to pass laws on who can love who, or what god you can worship is way beyond my little brain.) Some people claim all this is Bush’s fault. Others claim Clinton started the mess when he made one on a dress. The common theme on all of it though: “It’s someone else’s fault”

I, for one, am sick and tired of that attitude. It’s time for us to stand tall and admit our own failings. Businesses, political parties, common folks like you and me. Start small. Personal accountability. Let’s start a “pay it forward” movement of accountability. If we want government out of our personal lives, we need to behave like grown adults, not 2 year olds. Let’s remove “Not me” from our vocabulary, and instead use “I made a mistake, what can I do to learn from it?” Simple accountability. Continue reading →

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A Biker Looks at 50

Posted on September 6th, 2010

Let me start off with apologies to Jimmy Buffet for mucking with his song title. I love “A Pirate Looks at 40” and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear he wrote that damn song about me. I’ve always been drawn to the ocean, I’ve made some money, and I’ve pissed it away pretty damn fast. Bottom line was, I never really meant to last. Never meant to last.

Now I’m on the threshold of turning 50. Forget 40 man, I’m flying into my 50’s so fast I need goggles to keep my eyes from tearing up. Victor Hugo once said that “Forty is the old age of youth; fifty the youth of old age.” I’m not sure if I like that or not. On one hand it points to the beginning of a new phase in ones life with certain benefits, AARP membership for one thing. On the other hand it points to… well hell, AARP membership. AARP man. My mom belongs to AARP and she’s old! Cripes. No offense Mom. (coughs)

Thing is, when I was in my 20’s and on the sub, we’d sit around behind the maneuvering room and talk about doing 30 years. We’d laugh and say, “Hell, we’ll all be dead by 40 man, why waste it on the Navy?” We’d laugh, but deep down I believed it. Hell, between the sub life itself, smoking, drinking, carousing, and riding scoots faster than a sane person should, I figured hitting 30 was a crap shoot, let alone 40. Continue reading →

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The Need to Hate

Posted on August 26th, 2010

I was getting ready to write a short piece on the difficulties of finding work today. About trying to find a job when someone is 50, over 20 years experience in a particular field, but getting passed over for kids right out of college. I know the reasons, and they are quite sound from a long-term ROI point of view. Still, the more I wrote the angrier I got. I realized I had started using the word “hate” quite a bit in my rhetoric. Then it hit me. The “hating” made me actually feel a little better about myself. I was transferring a lot of my own insecurities and “hate” of my own inability and inaction onto others. It felt empowering, and oh so wrong. I was fired up and words were flowing when wham… it hit me. Humans seem to have a need to hate.

I stopped writing and started pondering on how it might apply to the world. The ongoing Muslim Mosque/not-a-Mosque issues came to mind. There are groups now springing up all over the US trying to stop Mosques. One in Tennessee is trying to “stop” the formation of a Mosque that has been there for 30 years. I think deep down these people know there is no issue, that in reality, any terrorist cell would most likely be operating as far from the public eye as possible. But it’s just plain easier to hate. Makes us forget that we’ve abandoned our own gods. Makes us feel better when we do something violent or wrong to be able to say, “Hell, at least I’m not a Muslim terrorist!” Humans seem to use the hate to sooth the feeling of inadequacy when shown how little we actually know. Hate is like saying, “I know you are, but what am I”. Childish, immature, and yet so easy to say.

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Crabs and Cruise Ships

Posted on July 24th, 2010

One of the great joys of having friends and family visit is having the opportunity to show off what a truly great city we live in. Unfortunately, one of the great pains of having friends and family visit in the summer is that the city is frickin’ up to it’s proverbial neck in tourists. Every day, cruise ship after cruise ship disgorges hundreds upon thousands of tourists who, while great for the city and local business coffers, tend to make local travel around the city a royal pain. Normally we tend to stay away from the tourist spots during this time of plenty, but when family is in town you have to bite the bullet. So with a 30-30 round firmly lodged in my molars, we took the boys down to the waterfront for a trip to the aquarium, the Market, and then lunch at The Crab Pot.

First up, the aquarium. I won’t even go into the mess that was traffic on Alaskan Way. One of the cruise ships was loading, and the snarl was unreal. After a bit of honking, praying and general good-hearted cussing, I managed to get to the parking garage. I pulled off a miracle, pulling into a space designed for a grocery cart, and we headed to the aquarium. For those who have not yet gone to the Seattle Aquarium, I really do recommend it. It’s a wonderful place to lose yourself for a couple of hours. The local divas of the aquarium, the sea otters, were as entertaining as always. We caught them napping on their backs, lazily floating around like old men at a pool party. One even held on to what looked to be a small frisbee, apparently dreaming of younger days at the beach with his buddies and cases of Bud Light.

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Aged to Perception

Posted on July 21st, 2010

What the…? No, I haven’t lost my ability to spell. Hang in there with me and all will make sense in a bit.

My boys are in town visiting for about a month. Marc is almost 19, headed into the Air Force and I could not be prouder, even if it isn’t the Navy (grin). Jake is 15, going through a serious growth spurt, and is a serious sports nut. And again, I could not be prouder. Beth and I took them to LockSpot Cafe for lunch yesterday followed by a trip to the zoo. At LockSpot Marc got the sampler plate with fried cod, shrimp and clams, while Jake decided not to stray too far from Central Ohio and got a cheeseburger. Beth and I went the the fish and chips, always a winner at the Cafe. All four meals were quite tasty, as was the service. I also scored a parking space right out front which was a total bonus. The boys dug the lunch as well as being in the place that After the Catch was filmed in, as you can tell by their smiling, joyous faces. (coughs)

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Pesto Flat Iron Steak

Posted on July 2nd, 2010

How many times has this happened to you? You get home after work and remember you have nothing in the fridge. Or maybe you stop at a watering hole for happy hour and end up inviting half the bar over for a party, even though you haven’t been to the grocery for days. It’s happened to all of us at one point or another. So what do you do? You ad-lib baby. Ad-lib your ass off.

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Artopia 2010

Posted on June 28th, 2010

Hey Gregor, you ask, just what in the heck is Artopia 2010? Well, I’m glad you asked kids. Artopia is a street/art festival put on by Seattle Weekly and a bunch of sponsors and volunteers. Live music, trapeze, performing artists, art show, flea market, and farmers market. Artopia manages to do it all, and all in one day. I guess that’s my only nit, we spent 4 hours and we really only saw half of what was available. But oh that half. Wow. And it’s not just a visual treat, oh no. Street food, fresh veggies, molten chocolate cake, candles, and homemade soap scents wafted through the breeze to combine with incense and other familiar sweet smells. Hard to put into words, it goes down as one of those you just have to experience it moments.

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