up at Mile High

was up north of Denver some time ago to commission some new equipment we were buying.. that's beautiful country up there, east is flat all the way to Ohio, and looming large on the west is the Rocky Mountain range. the air is nice and clean, albeit thin.. not the best place for people with breathing troubles. of course, the altitude also means that the alcohol kicks you faster! is it a coincidence that there is a vast proliferation of microbreweries out there? there's a bunch of them, and many of them are pretty good too..




thanks to the Fleetwood-Goldco-Wyard-Ambec conglomerate, that took care of food, drink, travel and other entertainment while we were up there! ;-)


oh yeah, there was a small matter of commissioning a machine too.. well, we already own #001 of the line, and they put in whatever we learned on that into #002.. so that was that..

RoboMax 002

exit wounds

there's gotta be more to life than work > study > drink > sleep > work > study > drink > sleep > work..

breakfast of champions

the term 'breakfast of champions' has been variously used and abused since it was first coined by the late author Kurt Vonnegut who died earlier this year.. Vonnegut in his prime was a creative satyrist, and that was the title of his 1973 novel.. but the phrase is more often used to describe any sort of a pick-me-up in the morning - cocaine and champagne (a martini glass filled with champagne and cocaine on the rim of the glass, like salt on a margarita glass - famous in the late '80s); burgers and nicotine (as popularised by Dire Straits in 'Heavy Fuel'); or any sort of alcohol and inhalant with a traditional breakfast (as my breakfast choices were dubbed by the brownie boys)

it's funny, i had actually driven past Vonnegut's house in Cape Cod and hadn't given it a second thought.. until the Wizard of Odd introduced me to '1 Giant Leap', a compilation multimedia project on which he spoke. (Side note - you must watch this video and listen to the CD if you ever get a chance - it has a track - 'The Way You Dream' done by REM frontman Michael Stipe & Indian crooner Asha Bhosle).. anyways, this post is not about the 1 Giant Leap project, or about the writer Kurt Vonnegut..

back when i was trying to finish my thesis and struggling with an on-campus job, i splurged on weekends and that was my breakfast of champions, see earlier post.. what's funny now is that it's still pretty much the same, only that it's the rare sunday where i didn't have to go into work to troubleshoot something or the other, and as a result i am up and awake at 7 am on a sunshiny sunday morn, making a slightly modified version of that old breakfast, only this one has no orange juice and coffee, which have been replaced by gatorade and beer..

getting hammered early on sunday morning and going to bed is fast becoming my new favorite thing to do over the weekend.. heh!

around the bend

i'm not an alcoholic.. alcoholics go to meetings

so, i got a little story for you

yes i'm back.. unfortunately. actually i was back on sunday afternoon, and even went into work on sunday night. work has been so hectic this week that i haven't really been able to revel in the memories of the now-distant florida trip, let alone type out a few lines of the blog..

i'd like to give you all the details of the trip but what happens in vegas florida stays in vegas florida.. heh! i will admit a few things though - yes, i had lots of fun, a bit too much fun if you ask me! the meetings were great too, lots got dicussed and the positive contribution of the junior members of staff was duly noted.

heartfelt thanks and sincerest apologies to two particular establishments that we haunted.. Flanigan's and the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel, both in Deerfield Beach. we would love to be back next year, as long as you promise to make the same awesome wings and ribs, and let us commandeer your bar and ballroom again!

to AirTran.. your cheap fares and on-time flights are negated by your refusing-to-recline tiny seats and poor baggage handling staff. the only reason you are still in business is the free XM Satellite Radio and the fact the other airlines can be equally horrendous!

the 7-Eleven franchise, especially in florida - kudos for being open to sell beer until 2am, just when all the bars are closing. and for having my favorite Hall's cough drops too. and also for acknowledging that by no figment of the imagination do i look under 21 and therefore not bothering to card me.

mom-n-pop diners, non-chain rib shacks and other small eateries - you guys are the best.. for honest to goodness food at ridiculous prices, even in tourist-dense markets like florida.

casinos in florida suck. they only have slot machines and poker tables. what happened to the craps, and the blackjack, and all the other traditional casino attractions like cabarets? the Seminole Hard Rock Casino was especially bad! i'm glad i didn't throw away too much of my money on you!

airboat tour operators in the sawgrass area - your loud boats are still an environmental pestilence, despite all your bragging about ecotourism. what is described in this article here has to be the biggest crap ever, as the boats are so loud that they frighten all living beings in the vicinity deep into the 3 foot tall sawgrass or the 2 foot deep swamp.

riding down the intercoastal at night on the GM's 48 ft yacht, looking at the huge houses and boats of the rich and famous has to be one of the most inspiring and awesome things i have ever done. when you're done slowly rolling up your tongue and lifting your lower jaw from the deck, you have to wonder how people make so much money as to be able to afford such lifestyles!! kudos to anyone who did it, even if it took selling drugs to get there!

boy i'm glad i don't tan/burn easy.. cos hanging out at the beach was a lot of fun. the jury is still hung whether watching beach volleyball is better than playing beach volleyball, but the verdict is definitely all in that bikinis were made with brazilian women in mind. yum.

getting drunk might be overrated, but there is a particularly morbid entertainment in getting drunk with your colleagues and superiors. that is taken to the next level when you end up taking full advantage of the open-bar, to the tune of 20+ drinks. the pretty bartender sure made a lot of tips, i felt i owed her after emptying two bottles of her finest rum, and all the shots she's making here. oh yes, that's my boss on the bar, trying to upstage me at my not-so-finest hour! i was told the next day that i had sat his boss down too and explained very loudly what my master plan was to knock the place shipshape again. i'm only glad he holds grudges as often as i hold hangovers! i am still amazed at how it took only two Tylenol and a bottle of Gatorade to get me bouncing back to form at 5 the next morning!

finally, one thing that you cannot ever get over is how beautiful the sunrise can be. this shot below is worth slogging your butt off now so that you make enough money to be able to wake up to this every morning..

monday fun

there is always a good way to end a dreary monday.. a bottle of wine and some surprises make for a great way to start the week! unfortunately, a not so great tuesday morning however.. i think i'll keep a low profile at work until i clear the cobwebs and cotton balls from my head!

cheers!

i say there's very little that can happen in life that can't be cured by a couple of beers.. all very tongue-in-cheek of course! so i got me my couple, erm make that many many, cold beers and am feeling much better.. hic!

weekend!

yeah! finally the weather is changing, spring is here, and so is the weekend.

so have yourselves a great weekend, and do what you do best.. i'm already on it!