STRATEGY CENTRAL

Sunday afternoon.  2:30 p.m.  65 degrees here in Rocklin.  Not a cloud in the sky.  Listening to a little Christmas playlist that includes some new and old stuff.  Especially diggin a few of the Louis Armstrong tunes I've added. 

Sunday afternoon.  4:15 p.m. 63°F.  Not bad really for November 23rd in Rocklin.  Got a little Dire Straits playing.  Got the good word a few minutes ago that USC moved up to #5 keeping their dim national title hopes alive.

Later?  Leftover palooza here.  Some good selections though.  Sometimes a good low-key Sunday evening is a really good thing.  Wish you were here.

P.S. Got a fun email from my friend Kevin in Michigan last Tuesday.  Check it out:

"Tuesday morning – 9:28a EST – 23 degrees –
in my office by myself – great times – NutriGrain bar – really great times.  Listing to Lincoln Brewster in advance of
back to back to back meetings.  You know … it just doesn’t have the same “ring”
as your posting?!?!

Sunday afternoon.  3:30 p.m.  75 degrees.  On the patio with Debbie and Max.  Good times.  Steak and baked potato later.  Really good times.

Listening to a little David Cook in advance of his premier album due out on Tuesday, November 18th. 

Oh to be at Chavez tonight!  It makes my heart ache to be so far away.  Go Dodgers!  Started the evening off with the awesome Chicken Chile Rellenos with Cowcamp Creamed Corn from A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos.  The chaser?  Debbie’s unbelievable chocolate cream pie.  And the Dodgers win 7 to 2.  Good times.

Rocklin.  Not So Cal.  But not so bad.  Went up to Lake Tahoe yesterday to scout out an after Christmas get-away.  Places here you can’t see just anywhere.  Historic.  Breathtaking.  Cool.

Sunday evening.  Burgers.  The great onion rings from the A Cowboy in the Kitchen: Recipes from Reata and Texas West of the Pecos.  Good times.  Wish you were here.

Poolside.  4:25 p.m.  80°F  Listening to a little Long Road Out of Eden.  Good times in Rocklin.  Eric just fixed the small mosquito inhibitor…also known as the citronella distributor.  Necessary here…unless you’re down with West Nile. 

We found a great place to hang on a Friday afternoon…on Friday afternoon.  Zocalo was incredible.  No doubt we’ll be back many times.  Wish you’d been there!

Good times in Rocklin.  On Friday we took advantage of the American River and had our first rafting experience.  Relaxing…but not quite what we had in mind.  So on Saturday we headed back over to the American River to investigate a better rafting experience.  Checking out websites led us to All Outdoors California Whitewater Rafting.  Picking up a brochure at their base cinched it that they’ll be the next try.  While we were out we tripped across Lake Clementine…beautiful little lake just a few miles from our house.

Also had the chance to check out some new tunes from Fusse.  Knowing I’m a music junkie, my friend Melissa sent me In the Midst of It All, a new collection of songs by her son’s band.  You never know when you’re listening where things will go for young musicians.  Some cool stuff on here…particularly like The Hurt.  You can hear some of the songs on their myspace site right here.

After being roasted in Monopoly…I fired up the grill for burgers with the really good roasted poblano pepper. The pool makes it very So Cal even here in Rocklin.  Good times…

For a so cal boy this has been a good first week here in Rocklin. When we arrived on Wednesday the smoke from the fires was pretty heavy. I told everyone it smelled like the OC.
Tonight it’s spaghetti, prepared by that famous chef, Eric. Got to keep him honest though. Sometimes he cuts corners on the seasoning (read, “forgets to add salt”).
PS…Playing with news from the exile. Not sure about it, but it kind of works.

Sunday afternoon.  A little after 5:00 p.m.  62°F.  Listening to a little Long Road Out of Eden.  Digging the 5 and 0 playoff Lakers!  Kobe is the MVP!

Getting the coals ready for a little chicken with the jammin’ Asian Sesame Dressing from the Southern Living "Our Best Recipes."  Pair that with Debbie’s fabulous potato salad…you’ve got a great Sunday night dinner.  Follow it up with brownies…even better! Good times in So Cal!  Wish you were here!