Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Back from Vacation
I returned from my vacation to Rochester, NY on Sunday but had to work Sunday and Monday nights, so I finally got some much needed rest these past two days. Had a very nice time in Rochester meeting up with old friends. I went with Don and Dave H. to have dinner at Dave W.'s house, where we were treated to a great steak and potatoes dinner with marinated grilled cuts. Delish! Terrific job, Dave W. (he was a little concerned he forgot the sauteed mushrooms, but no worry believe me).
Don was gracious to let me stay at his nice little home in Webster, a Rochester suburb, growing by leaps and bounds lately, perhaps a little too much for some of the longtime residents there who want to keep traffic at bay. He lives in a peaceful neighborhood, quite befitting his gentle and humble nature.
You might ask, how did he allow a loudmouth like me into his place? Cash. Lots and lots of cash. In fact, I talked him down on the price of the stay only after learning his order for the credit card processor had not arrived at his home yet. That, and I also presented him with a VHS copy of Citizen Kane still sealed at a local thrift store.
Also great was seeing Dave H. again. On that Monday, we went to the great record store in Rochester The Bop Shop. Dave told me President Bill Clinton was in town canvassing for local candidates (God, it's amazing to actually be able to call someone a President instead of an Occupant). I was able to get to the airport in time to shake President Clinton's hand and present a couple of the store's business cards (Clinton is known as quite the Jazz aficionado). I then visited the video store I used to work in (Hyatt's Classic Video) and was able to get a copy of The Telephone, the last movie co-written by the great Terry Southern and disowned by its star Whoopi Goldberg, who should have instead taken copies of Fatal Beauty, Burglar and Jumping Jack Flash to the nearest rifle range. I had a tough time finding copies of The Telephone in Chicago. Maybe all the copies were seized at the county line, but the movie's actually worth a look.
The latter half of the week I spent with my family in Wayne County with early Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. Played some lively rounds of Parcheesi with my niece, brother, mom and sister-in-law. And my two nephews were fascinated with the Slinky I brought them. The only drawbacks of the trip were the bout of stomach flu the day before I left and the sinus attack I had the morning of my return, but overall, a really good time.
Don was gracious to let me stay at his nice little home in Webster, a Rochester suburb, growing by leaps and bounds lately, perhaps a little too much for some of the longtime residents there who want to keep traffic at bay. He lives in a peaceful neighborhood, quite befitting his gentle and humble nature.
You might ask, how did he allow a loudmouth like me into his place? Cash. Lots and lots of cash. In fact, I talked him down on the price of the stay only after learning his order for the credit card processor had not arrived at his home yet. That, and I also presented him with a VHS copy of Citizen Kane still sealed at a local thrift store.
Also great was seeing Dave H. again. On that Monday, we went to the great record store in Rochester The Bop Shop. Dave told me President Bill Clinton was in town canvassing for local candidates (God, it's amazing to actually be able to call someone a President instead of an Occupant). I was able to get to the airport in time to shake President Clinton's hand and present a couple of the store's business cards (Clinton is known as quite the Jazz aficionado). I then visited the video store I used to work in (Hyatt's Classic Video) and was able to get a copy of The Telephone, the last movie co-written by the great Terry Southern and disowned by its star Whoopi Goldberg, who should have instead taken copies of Fatal Beauty, Burglar and Jumping Jack Flash to the nearest rifle range. I had a tough time finding copies of The Telephone in Chicago. Maybe all the copies were seized at the county line, but the movie's actually worth a look.
The latter half of the week I spent with my family in Wayne County with early Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday. Played some lively rounds of Parcheesi with my niece, brother, mom and sister-in-law. And my two nephews were fascinated with the Slinky I brought them. The only drawbacks of the trip were the bout of stomach flu the day before I left and the sinus attack I had the morning of my return, but overall, a really good time.
