I Can Hear the Politicians Waffling Already!

It's getting interesting really fast, as politicians jockey for a position that may eventually lead to the presidency. Obama, Sarah Silverman, Hillary, Paul Reubens, Guiliani, George Clooney, McCain, Howard K. Stern, Edwards, Hulk Hogan, Al Gore, the Geico lizard...who will be there at the end? It's more exciting that American Idol. I can't wait!!

Is There Anything More Fun?

You'd think by the age of 48 I'd be mature enough to see that things like this are juvenile, childish and not appropriate. Well, guess what? I haven't! I still think whoopee cushions are one of the funniest things on the planet, right up there with wet willies, melvins and stink bombs. And I will until I'm 100 -- if I ever make it that far!

Two Teens Kill and Torture Puppy and Get a Long Timeout!

When I read this headline on AOL, it really caught my eye. The teaser read, “Should Teens Have Received 10 Years for Torturing and Killing Puppy?” It got me to read the article, but when I saw the piece, (which I have re-printed below) I read where these delinquents did a lot more than just torture and kill a puppy. They cooked the poor thing in an oven while it was still alive, for one thing! Not to mention one of them is legally an adult! I hate this kind of semi-yellow journalism. You snag me in by misleading me and telling me only part of the story. It’s cheap. Anyway, to answer AOL’s question – yes, I think these kids deserved every bit of the ten years! Studies have proven that serial killers, in many cases, started out by hurting and killing animals just like these two did, before they moved on to snuffing out human beings. These two need counseling and a long timeout. Maybe they'll meet a nice big guy named Bubba when they're in prison and he can teach them the true meaning of "Puppy Love."

ATLANTA (Feb. 10) - Two teenage brothers were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for torturing a puppy by cooking it in an oven.
Joshua Moulder, 17, and Justin, 19, pleaded guilty in January to charges including burglary, criminal damage to property, terrorist threats and cruelty to children.
The brothers brought neighborhood children to see the dead puppy, and then threatened to kill them if they reported it, prosecutors said.
Police said they found the dead mixed-breed puppy inside an oven at an apartment community center Aug. 21. Scratch marks were found inside the oven, indicating the puppy had been alive when it was placed inside, prosecutors said.
A necropsy on the 3-month-old dog found its paws and snout had been duct taped and it had been doused with paint before being placed in the oven, prosecutors said.
Authorities also found damaged computers, broken glass and splattered paint on the walls of the newly refurbished community center.
The brothers' first trial ended in a mistrial in December. Their attorney, Timothy Owens, said he had hoped his clients' sentencing would have focused more on rehabilitation than incarceration.

Las Vega$ Real E$tate!! There'$ $$ in That There De$ert!

If you’re thinking about moving to the Las Vegas area, join the crowd. Las Vegas ranks as the number one “Most Livable City” due to its pro-business attitude, low tax burden, employment opportunities and product growth. The hottest thing in this country right now is Las Vegas Real Estate. If we wanted to buy a home in the Bay Area, we’d have to come up with a huge chunk for a down payment and then our monthly mortgage payments would be enormous. In Las Vegas, you can buy real estate very reasonably.

A $25,000 Meal? A $3,750 Tip?

Anyone who would pay this kind of money for a meal should be ashamed, especially when people throughout the world are starving to death. Excess like this is deplorable and disgusts me. $25,000 can feed a lot of people for a long, long time. If I had $25,000 to spare, I'd give it to someone who really needs it, not for some overpriced, pretentious food. I hope they all get really bad indigestion!

BANGKOK, Thailand (Feb. 10) - It's been billed as the "meal of a lifetime," a 10-course dinner concocted by world-renowned chefs for the most discriminating palates and - at $25,000 a head - the fattest wallets.
Chefs gather to prepare a meal in Bangkok, ordering in $200,000 in wine alone.Few expenses were spared in putting together Saturday night's culinary extravaganza in Bangkok.But at this price, even the most talented chefs can find it challenging to give diners their money's worth.Antoine Westermann of Le Buerhiesel, the famous restaurant in Strasbourg, France, says he plans to shave 3 1/2 ounces of Perigord truffles - worth about $350 - onto each plate."For $25,000, what do you expect?" he said.
Westermann is one of six three-star Michelin chefs - four from France and one each from Italy and Germany - commissioned to fix dinner at the Lebua luxury hotel for 40 "Epicurean Masters of the World." That's the title for the event, organized by the hotel to promote Thai tourism.The menu features complicated creations like "tartare of Kobe beef with Imperial Beluga caviar and Belon oysters" and "mousseline of 'pattes rouges' crayfish with morel mushroom infusion."Guests jetted in from the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Deepak Ohri, the Lebua's managing director, declined to reveal their identities but said they include Fortune 500 executives, a casino owner from Macau and a Taiwanese hotel owner."It's surreal! The whole thing is surreal," said Alain Soliveres, the celebrated chef of the Taillevent restaurant in Paris.Soliveres was preparing two of his signature dishes, including the first course: a "'creme brulee' of foie gras" to be washed down with a 1990 Cristal champagne - a bubbly that sells for more than $500 a bottle, but still stands out as one of the cheapest wines on the menu."To have brought together all of these three-star Michelin chefs, and to serve these wines for so many people is just an incredible feat," Soliveres said ahead of the dinner. "It's fabulous!"Chefs submitted their grocery lists to organizers and the ingredients were flown in fresh: black truffles, foie gras, oysters and live Brittany lobsters from France; caviar from Switzerland; Jerusalem artichokes and white truffles from Rome.
Diners will sip their way through legendary vintages, like a 1985 Romanee Conti, a 1959 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, a 1967 Chateau d'Yquem and a 1961 Chateau Palmer, considered "one of the greatest single wines of the 20th century," said Alun Griffiths of Berry Bros. & Rudd, the British wine merchants that procured and shipped about six bottles of each wine for the dinner.The wine alone cost more than $200,000, Griffiths said."Just to have one of these would be a great treat," he said. "To have 10 of them in one evening is the sort of thing that people would kill for."Wine lovers regularly organize exorbitantly expensive tastings in New York, London and Japan but such events are not as common in Thailand, where it would take the average schoolteacher five years to earn $25,000."That is a waste of money," said Rungrat Ketpinyo, 44, who sells Phad Thai noodles for 75 cents a plate from a street cart outside the hotel. "I don't care how luxurious this meal is. It's ridiculous."Organizers said most of the profits will go to two charities - Medecins Sans Frontieres and the Chaipattana Foundation - a rural development charity set up by the king of Thailand.
What & What Not to Order
"Expensive is very relative," said Ohri, the Lebua director. "Some of the world's best chefs will be cooking their best dishes with the finest vintage wines.""It is an experience of a lifetime."Organizers scrambled to fill seats at the last minute after 10 Japanese people canceled their reservation, citing safety concerns after the New Year's Eve bombings in Bangkok that killed 3 people.To ensure discretion, diners will be escorted to a restaurant on the hotel's 65th floor in a private elevator, and all staff in possession of cell phones with cameras will have to check the devices at the door.The chefs confessed they were astonished by the $25,000 price tag. A meal at the own restaurants costs about $260."It's crazy," Westermann said. "The fact that one meal could be this expensive," he shrugged. "After this, nothing can shock me."

It's a Real Estate Paradise in Vegas, Baby! Yeah! It's All Good!

Everyone is saying that Las Vegas is THE place right now to buy real estate. It’s the fastest growing city in the country and people are investing in land, houses, commercial buildings and condos there like crazy. Las Vegas Luxury Condos are the really hot item, because it’s a situation where there are still great values out in the desert and deals are just waiting to be found. It’s a Boom Town baby – and it’s happening in Vegas!!

This Week's Restaurant Review: Wasabi & Ginger in SF

It would be interesting to find out how many sushi bars operate within the city of San Francisco. More fish have met their makers here than anywhere else on the planet, except with maybe the exception of Japan. If I were a tuna, shrimp or mackerel, SF would not be part of my travel itinerary. And the thing is, more and more sushi bars are opening up in this town all the time. You’d think people here would eventually tire of raw fish, but they just can’t seem to get enough of the stuff! There is one sushi place in town that we absolutely love, and it’s called Wasabi & Ginger. Wasabi & Ginger has it all – a fun atmosphere, the freshest fish, a great crew and a balanced and varied menu. And best of all – they will usually give you free stuff. Whether it’s a special sushi roll they’re working on or a nice, light dessert, the folks at Wasabi & Ginger give us 1-2 free items every time we go in there. How many restaurants do that? There are 2 things when it comes to sushi bars that are most important to me – freshness and variety. First, the fish has to be incredibly fresh. If I can’t feel a pulse, I’m not happy. Raw fish is a very delicate commodity, and if it’s been sitting around too long, it can be disastrous. That’s why buffet style sushi at these all-you-can-eat places is not high on my list. The finer sushi restaurants in the world have the best contacts and connections, and always seem to get the best fish. It’s like a great steakhouse being able to get a hold of the finest Grade AAA Prime beef. Those restaurants that can’t get the highest quality, freshest things aren’t going to stay on top for very long. On the other hand, the ones that can will consistently excel. Secondly, variety is the spice of life when it comes to sushi. If I see another Spider, Rainbow or 49er Roll, I’m going to slit my wrists. Too many sushi places fall into the same trap – they serve what the majority of their customers want and I really can’t blame them. But, people are creatures of habit and basically sheep when it comes to food. If you don’t believe me, take a look at all the boxes of macaroni & cheese and other comfort foods on the shelves next time you’re at the local grocery store. When I go out for sushi and spend $50-$80, I want to try items I’ve never had before. Wasabi & Ginger has been creating new exciting items for over five years. They do traditional and modern sushi, with over 150 menu selections, including appetizers like Dobin-Mushi (a traditional Japanese soup), a variety of grilled seafood dishes and over 15 vegetarian items. As far as rolls go, Wasabi & Ginger has their own unique creations, with names like Pink Dragon, (toasted salmon) Scallop Lovers (grilled scallops) and Super Yummy Roll. The Monster Rolls consist of eight big pieces and are all delicious. I especially recommend the Crazy Roll with Unagi, the Irish roll with snow crab and mango and the Fire Work with tempura smoked salmon. Everything I’ve had at Wasabi & Ginger is outstanding, so you can pretty much throw a dart at the menu and hit a winner! Wasabi & Ginger is at 2299 Van Ness Avenue (the corner of Van Ness and Vallejo Streets) in SF and their phone number is: (415) 345-1368.

Our Mayor Here in SF is a Dog!!

SF Mayor Gavin Newsom has had a tough year and it’s only February. First, he gets caught sleeping with his buddy’s wife and now he’s announced that he has a serious alcohol problem and is going into rehab. Wow. In 2006, Newsom was an up-and-coming politician with a promising future, and now his future looks about as bright as Scott Peterson’s. San Francisco is a very open-minded and permissive city. Drinking and getting drunk is part of the culture here. But, folks will not look past the fact that he slept with someone else’s wife. That is unforgivable. The guy could have had any brainless little hottie in town (we have a surplus here!) and instead he beds down with a friend’s wife. There are men out there who specialize in that type of behavior. They do it because: 1.) They know the woman is in a relationship, so it’s guaranteed to be a no strings attached affair and after it’s over they can move on and 2.) It’s a conquest – their way of proving to themselves that they can have this woman despite the fact that she’s in a relationship. This city is full of these deplorable male dogs. They love nothing more than messing up other guys’ relationships by screwing their wives and girlfriends. It’s part of the sexual landscape not just in SF but throughout the country. Young people don’t even date anymore – they “hook up.” What has our society turned into? What happened to faithfulness and loyalty and being honest? Gavin Newsom stepped over the line and now he has to pay. I’d be drinking too if I were him. I’d be down at the Bus Stop or at the Balboa Café getting hammered right now. His political life is over!

What Should You Do When You Screw Up at Work?

Work screw ups are bad all the way around. First, you feel bad and kind of stupid when you make them. Then, you get chewed out by your boss, which makes it even worse. What is the best way to handle it once you mess up on the job? I found this useful report on AOL.com:

You didn't seal the deal. You lost a big client. You made an accounting error that cost your company thousands of dollars. Whatever the case is, you blew it. And your boss and everyone you work with know it.
So, now what? Use these tips to get into and get over what you did wrong.
1. Own it.
While many of us would prefer to forget our mistakes, initially you need to acknowledge to your supervisor and everyone involved that you're accepting responsibility for what went wrong. If you do this right (that is, seriously and sincerely), you'll only have to do it once.
2. Take the heat.
You may get teased by from coworkers for a long time to come. Accept gentle ribbing with a wink and a smile. However, don't take blatant abuse from someone who can't get past what happened. If a colleague's teasing becomes taunting, speak with your supervisor and a human resources representative.
3. Don't beat yourself up.
It does no good to dwell on your mistakes, which can lead to doubting your competence. "This type of thinking is actually self-destructive and only serves to hamper future effectiveness," says Liz Bywater, president of Bywater Consulting Group, a Philadelphia-based firm focused on optimizing organizational performance. "Remember: Failure is not in the falling down but in the staying down."
4. Learn from the past.
Solicit advice from your boss and trusted associates to help you analyze what went wrong and how you might've avoided the error entirely. Go back in the process as long as is necessary; however, be careful to avoid blaming anyone else, despite what you may uncover. Just learn from your own mistakes.
5. Keep it in perspective.
Seek a broad view of your career and accomplishments. "Chances are, you've experienced at least as many successes as failures," Bywater says. "It's the successes that deserve your greatest attention. Learn from them and continue to build upon your strengths."
6. Move on.
You've apologized. You've taken your lumps. You've analyzed where you went wrong. Now, it's time to move on. Don't raise the topic of your mistake again. Your boss and coworkers want to move past this as much you do; continue to look to the future and don't allow your career or day-to-day performance to be marred by one error.

I'm Sick!!

Man, I hate being sick. The flu that's been going around finally got around to me, and I feel like an old lawn gnome with a fifteen pound bag on his shoulders. What a drag!