Binkomonster!

Over the Finish Line, and more contemplation.

Another week, and another castle project. Thankfully this one is not as large in scope as previous. Translation: it shouldn't require the cleaning services of the entire Binkomonster staff for 2 days. No, this one, it is confined to the bath space. New fixtures (Hans Grohe). Replacement tile. And in a little bit, a new sink. And then we're done (well at least the CTO is). We've been lucky to see some sunshine this week, but it is cold this evening. And one of our tribe members (Booboo) seems to be nursing a stomach/digestive bug. Progress is being made in that things are not in bad shape for both ends, but he's still not at 100%. We'll be happy when the litter box deposits are a bit, ahem, more solid. More sleep is what he needs, and fresh water. As for the executive staff, we plod on. The CEO is busy with a packed squash schedule. Lessons on the weekend mean forced participation for the CTO (but it's all good, she's getting the exercise she needs). The CTO meanwhile has been completely slammed with work. Last week was spent in long hours working for the man. And this week is no different. A new opportunity came along, but not good enough to take off the golden handcuffs and walk away. So there was a very polite decline, and the search continues. There's some administrative items that need tending to: the sorting of Binkomonster paperwork, the filing of taxes, and the getting ready of the offices for the new VP. And on a happy note, the VP has finally cooperated and provided a glimpse of what we're getting. It will be a male member that joins the staff this summer. Which makes the overall Binkomonster ratio 5 gentlemen to 2 ladies. Which means that the CTO and Wooby should be sticking together more closely (but somehow, given the rampages of the past few weeks, that doesn't seem likely). Wooby, our female staff tribe member, is grappling with a combination of politics, chip-on-shoulder, and some vast amount of untapped anger at who-knows-what. In turn, this is causing anxiety among the other staff members. Unfortunately, we don't have the luxury of putting her on a performance plan. It's simply a matter of coping as best we can and making things as comfortable as possible for everyone else. But the tribe is smart. The gentlemen are learning to give her wide berth. The CEO and CTO meanwhile are looking for comfortable earplugs to staunch the blood-curdling yells that pierce the early morning.
Other updates and news include a new addition to the fish family. Fred the Betta joined us last week. Blue, cute, and small, he seems happy in his very clean tank complete with forest. And he has a voracious appetite. Thankfully, the tribe continue to be uninterested in the two sushi tanks we have.  Last but not least, the Binkomonster patio has gone through a vegetative remodel. Furniture is the same, but some replanting happened. We now have some jasmine vine bushes, and instead of the lonely/unproductive herb pot, two window boxes of thick shrubs. More green is never a bad thing (unless it's algae and well then...).  We'll get around to getting some snaps up (promise). But in the meantime, it is late, and cold, and there is a cute little fuzzy monster waiting for us to finish up (who needs more sleep to put the 'feline stomach virus' away for good). So we're heading off to the snooze zone with our wonderful little friend in tow (well, actually cradled on shoulder). Happy Wednesday.

Another Monday, All is Quiet on the Binko-Front

We're now heading into March. Well, actually we've arrived if the calendars on all Binkomonster devices are correct. And we're experiencing a lull. The weather has started to turn nice. No more cold that makes you pull the socks out of the bottom drawer first thing in the morning. The plants are actually harboring thoughts of growth and flowers. And of course, the increasing pollen count is making the CTO rather uncomfortable. But all these changes are welcome. After the home-improvement marathon of January/February, it's rather nice to just putter around the castle, and take the time to observe the textures of our street, read a book or two, or just luxuriate in the surroundings. The time is especially precious since the summer will see the arrival of our VP, and the disappearance of any 'down time' for the foreseeable and long term future. Not that we mind. The social calendar has been light as well. We unfortunately missed the Crushpad mashup, but we'll make up for that by this week's attendance at the Bark and Whine ball. And Petchitecture is right around the corner. Otherwise, it's just work and hanging with the other staff members that has occupied the past week. And yes, there are two more castle improvement projects to squeak in (replacing the shower fixtures with some swanky Hans-Grohe Axor hardware, and getting a new sink). But nothing in scale to what we've already dealt with. Which is a *very* good thing. As Martha would say. Opportunity has also paid a visit to the CTO and opened a fork in the highway of life known as work. But at present, it's looking like the CTO may not take that right turn, and instead continue to labor under 'the man' for present. Put another way, the restaurants and real estate down that street don't really look better than where she is currently at. And yes, that does mean slogging through the not so good which tends to outnumber the 'okay' these days. In larger perspective however, with the economy doing back-reverse flips (and the level of the US $ these days), the thought is that perhaps staying put may not be such a bad idea for the immediate present.  Time to shuffle off to the Binko-Bistro and rustle up some chow for the staff. And thank goodness we have Trader Joe's to the rescue. Happy Monday.

The Doctor Has Left The Building

Monday. One word that says it all. A belated Easter greeting to all of our fans. We would have posted sooner but it was a frenetic weekend at the Casa De Bink. Today saw the early morning departure of the Binkomonster staff philosopher, Dr. Spilman. We were lucky enough to be graced by her presence on a whirlwind tour to the States, and although 2 days is much too short a time for debriefings, we are glad that we could at least grab that much time. Saturday saw us doing all manner of castle prep for the guest. And it also saw us visiting Coi. The short of it? The space is nice. Great color, great furniture, cozy and chic. The food? More an academic exercise of presentation on the plate and 'interesting' flavors (foie gras ice cream anyone?), but not something that is making us jump up and down with glee and drag the hordes to worship. The courses were decent, and consistent, but it should say something that 2 days on, the memory has faded and we have a hard time remembering a single memorable nibble apart from the frozen meat custard. We will give props where they ARE due however, and note that our cocktail which began the evening (blood orange juice, ginger, and Aperol) was simply divine, and enjoyed by all. We are on a quest to reproduce this lovely elixir here at the Binko-labs, but we need to locate some blood oranges (which appear to now be out of season). The high point of the weekend festivities had to be Easter Sunday, in which we started our adventures with a trip to Whole Foods for some ingredients with which to whip up a quick and tasty dinner. There was a late afternoon stop (and snack break, and wine tasting, and margarita imbibing) at our satellite offices on Folsom Street. Which, by the way, offer the most amazing view of the San Francisco skyline. And while preparing a batch of fresh margaritas, we fell in love with a new toy. Leave it to Alessi to keep creating objects we simply salivate over. This juicer is in a word, perfect. For some time now we've been using a variety of citrus presses to make the components for our cocktails. We actually have two presses, a large form factor (to accommodate oranges of all varieties), and a smaller form factor (for lemons and limes). And while both seem to do the trick, we've long stared at the rinds thinking that we could be extracting more juice from our fruit. And see, that's where this Alessi juicer is impressive. One slice to halve the willing lime, and one gentle press to the main nub of the juicer starts it whirring (while not making a mess spitting pulp everywhere).  Instead you have a steady stream of clear/green lime juice making a path into the receptacle of your choice. After about a minute or so; all rind, very little pulp, and all the juice extracted. Wunderbar! We are obviously going to make a trip to Zinc this week to add this marvelous instrument to our chemistry lab. After we had the afternoon to poke, prod and fondle this new-fangled device, the party moved to Binkomonster Central. A steady stream of friends/neighbors made their way to our doorstep to share a glass, nibble on a chocolate, grab a quick dinner bite, engage in conversation, listen to some swing, and play some mah-jong.  And a  very cool bonus? Our CEO saw fit to purchase a fountain with spotlight which has now been installed on the deck. So when the 'lights go down in the city' our cozy space is not only warm, replete with couch and table, but also stocked with funky candles, chimes that go 'ching' in the wind, and spotlights on our lovely jungle. We may never leave.

Flying Solo

The sun is setting behind the hill as we sit and peck out this missive on a quiet President's Day Monday.  The salt mines run by The Man have been a busy beehive of activity this weekend. And although we've been paying attention to the goings on, we've refrained from being at ground zero. The conscious decision was made to try and unhook on some level in an attempt to regain sanity. Is it working? Somewhat. It has been interesting that in three days we've managed to: clean the castle from top to bottom, finish ALL the dirty laundry (no baskets/the appliances are empty), keep the tribe fed/watered/scooped, walk around the beautiful city, take a swim, run errands, and get to do some of the things we always 'talk' about doing (like taking a 2 hour lunch at the Ramp). And now, we are sitting on a comfy patio, with the heater blasting away and keeping us cozy. Evening lights are beginning to blink on making the hill light up. And our wine for this evening (Big House Pink) is none too shabby. We'll take these small breaks. Wish there were more of them. Our CEO has taken the usual 'big tin dragon' over to the Right Coast to celebrate Chinese New Year with the extended board members. The CTO remains behind to care for a passel of critters (not just those of the Binkomonster crew, but affiliated partners as well), so it has been a bit quiet. Lonely too. But sometimes lonely is good as it helps one to sort out the cacophony of screaming voices. It helps to simplify. And right now, simplicity is a good thing.  Like being able to just listen to the sounds of the neighborhood instead of screeching emails. Somewhere, there is a vacuum running at full blast. Arthur across the street is having his evening smoke and cellphone chat. The neighborhood dog is howling his disappointment. And traffic? Light. Jazz music is wafting softly outside. And with the occasional breeze, the delightful tinkle of chimes can be heard.  Tomorrow will be another day to pickup the shovel and plow through the massive pile of work that still stands in front of us. And ponder fizzled friendships, and our grand master scheme. Happy President's Day...