Binkomonster!

If I were a superhero? No tights. No spandex. Nope.

Introduction? I need no stinky introduction. No. Best to go to the heart of the matter.

Multi-tasking, Chef-enabled, Cat-herder, Gin-swilling-super-woman.
My powers?
Ability to read 798 words per minute.
Retain the most stupid/inane pieces of information.
(I know everything, I've read it all in a book -- sound familiar?)
Mix the most delicious cocktails.
Travel for 14 hours on a plane, disembark, and go straight to meetings.
Veterinarian.
Nutritionist.
Cheerleader.
Can carry an awesome little being and develop for 9 months.

If I could tame a wild animal

Fruit bat by Alex Layzell

Life with a fruit bat?
A bit screechy. Constant smell of ammonia.
Say good bye to our well stocked bowl of citrus offerings.

Tuesday at the Salt Mines.

For as good as yesterday was, today, well, it's not as good. Short summary? The man. House burning down. Usual crappy fires. The CTO is tired. The saving grace? Home again at the castle, with the VeePee. One sunny little smile and giggle and the weight of the corporate world slides off like dust into a top of the line Miele. Bork-ed one of the fresh starts today (good meals, lots of water, but fell prey to a donut). What is there that can be said? You approach the counter with the best of intentions (how about the granola parfait, or better yet, the fruit cup?) and then, you see it. Sitting there next to the danish. Partially obscured by the walnut bread. A corner touching the almond croissants. The twist donut in all its doughy, fried, sugary coated glory. You are rendered powerless. (Ahem, Ill take one with a decaf latte please?)
The gym is on the menu tomorrow. Promise. All 2 hours of it. Cardio. And weights. And stretching.
Tonight the CEO has promised some kind of 'dinner surprise'. As long as there is a glass of red wine waiting with it, there will be happiness. And we know there is good ice cream hiding in the freezer, and caramel sauce too. Ugh. Must. Stop. Now.
If we could wish for the perfect dinner this evening, it would be this:
Oysters.
With toasted french bread.
Maybe with some butter/garlic.
With a barbecue sauce on top.
And make it about 2 dozen to start.

And what would the meal be without the perfect liquid complement? That of course would be this here:
The Binkomonster Chardonnay. Also known as Pyewacket. The label and romance copy are done and in the hands of expert formatters. Soon, we should be seeing the artwork not just in digital pixel format, but on the bottles as well. And then of course those bottles should be gracing the Binkomonster shelves. We've got 25 cases to work through. That in addition to the remainder of the Monstrus Syrah which at last count stood at 20something cases.

We have a very large amount of wine. Send food. And reinforcements.

Making a List. Checking it Twice. Checking Things Off both Naughty and Nice.

The temporal? First week of the new year. 2009 to be exact.
The location? Up in the top levels of the Binkomonster castle. In front of the fire. Warm. Cozy. Glass of wine in hand. In pajama attire.
The VeePee? Loudly burbling and flailing away happily, next to the CTO.
The foodstuffs? Chicken curry stew. Done and waiting on the Wolf-top. And apple raspberry slab with some Cherry Garcia ice cream for topping. Haven't decided whether to include a small tumbler of Bailey's to finish off the menu, but the night is young.
We'll see.
The moving picture box? News. For now. We'll be switching to a rerun of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in oh about, 2 minutes.
The accomplishments thus far (yesterday)? Finished organizing the crippling and mounting pile of mail and paperwork. We are current. On everything. All bills paid/accounts settled. All paperwork filed. All books put away. The house has had a thorough cleaning and dusting, and apart from running around cleaning the new urinary artwork that shows up courtesy of one of our persnickety staff members, it's tidy.
And what have you done for me lately (i.e today)? Another productive day. The Chardonnay wine label is FINALLY finished. Laundry done. VeePee has had a haircut. Email has been read and sorted. The to-do list for the man is complete and we're starting to make a slow dent. We got out of the castle to grab a nutritious lunch (yippee for the new Pho place on 9th). And we rounded out the day putting in some superhero time at a new satellite location (SF Library, how we love you!)
It feels different. But it feels good. The decks have been cleared to go and explore and find some new creative challenges without having that nagging list of mundane tasks hanging around like odors from a ripe litter-box. So we'll start by breaking with tradition and eschewing our usual spin through Macworld this year. No, we don't need anymore neon green neoprene covers for our staff Ipod collection thank you. And we're all set on the hardware front too thanks (all officers have been upgraded).  How about a Photoshop class instead? Or some time in the studio with a blank canvas and some messy paints or clay?

Oh and for those 2.4 readers who are interested, yes, the holidays were fantastic, and our trip to WD-50 was nothing short of sublime so there will be a pictorial review coming shortly. Wylie Dufresne is our new culinary hero.

Happy New Year Internets!

 

Our lovable VeePee. On the CEO's lap. At Bergdorf in NYC. Excited about something.