Our explorer has been a fine auto for some time now. It is actually a great car for my job with the exception of fuel usage, which I’m sure could be worse; however, having driven 3 types of vehicles at 60 mph within the span of a day I can say that SUV’s are just too heavy. Compared to the vespa and the beetle, the explorer is like trying to run in a swimming pool. It accelerates to top speeds quickly, but I can suddenly feel it working really hard to keep up a constant speed.

By the way, I don’t mean to be writing about vehicles all the time now, I’m just really into the newness of the scooters. Poem and I dropped Chloe off with some friends today and went on a nice ride up through Birch Bay to the Semiahmoo resort and back. Truly a fantastic way to spend a Saturday afternoon. I think I can speak for the both of us when I say that this is really going to be an awesome summer. Just can’t wait to get the modifications made to Poem’s so that it will be easier to take Chloe longer distances. Maybe eventually get mine outfitted to do that too.

I realize that this is the 3rd entry within a day, but I can’t ignore this one. I shipped the first order to a new restaurant today called the loft. Actually the name and space are the same, but the restaurant is a completely different concept all together. The owners are a young Korean couple with a Japanese cousin who is in charge of the kitchen. They have built a sushi bar and have incorporated some beautiful decor into the existing restaurant. This is all fine and good except……that I am really excited for them. I have given them a lot of time and help without really being in a position to make very much money off of them. It is hard to make that decision as I work as a commisioned employee, therefore, time is money (a wrong decision can mean a lot in this instance). But some things are more important, and I have really come to admire what they are trying to build here, not to mention that they have some of the best food knowledge I’ve come across in some time.   It certainly takes a lot of guts to do something this bold in Lynden, but more so, they are probably the nicest, least jaded people I’ve ever met in this business. So hopeful, they have literally put themselves out for the world to step on. I am definitely giving them a lot of my time for free. If it works out, then we will have both won; if not, I’ll have met some wonderful people and will have learned some of their culture in the process.

Let me start this by saying that I have no real problem with waiters. Many of my closest friends are waiters, my wife was a waitress when we met, in fact...I was a waiter when we met!
But it has recently come to my attention that next Monday is not only the Canadian holiday celebrating queen Victoria, but in our fine country it is national wait staff day! I don’t mean to sound like an embittered chef but what the f$%k is up with that?! I do not understand how the highest paid and least committed faction of this industry can be celebrated like this! I feel that we should declare this “national illegal Mexican/ dishwasher/busboy/janitor/toilet cleaner/shit on your shoes after 17 hours and still smiling” day. This is a group of people that will actually appreciate (rather than expect) our praise. I may be wrong, but I don’t believe that the “until” jobbers would actually say thank you. So on Monday, if you get the chance, buy Felipe a shot and tell the server to bring him a dos equis back with an extra napkin….he’s definitely earned it.

Finally! Justin is doing what I told him to do for a living. “Get the HELL out of the kitchen. Follow your passion and fate will find you.” When I first met Justin, I thought “What a geek, all he can talk about is freakin’ scooters”. After buying a Vespa from him, I understand why. And thanks for babysitting Chloe while Poem and I broke them in.

Hi everybody! For all of you who don’t know how I think, that should sound like Doctor Nick from the Simpson’s. Look at that, a few seconds into this and I have to tell everyone how to think. I guess that I should admit an absolute truth right from the get go…I’m kind of a d@#k. Not that I don’t like people, I love them ( in fact I am one), but I spend a lot of time alone; driving from restaurant to restaurant looking at the scenery and calling people all over the country that I’ve never met. Consequently, I tend to get a little over zealous when there’s someone to talk to.

Just to set the record straight at the beginning, I do not apologize for anything that I will say on this blog for now and forever…..unless I’m really drunk and I say something undeserved, personal or both. I play by Irish rules dammit! for those not familiar, watch lassie.

Day after day, I run into more people than I care to count and the beauty of it is that they all work in restaurants, in other word’s “SCHIZO!” My dear friend, and brilliant chef, David Uygur said of the restaurant biz; “If you spend more than one year in this industry on purpose, there is definitely something wrong with you. It may just be a slight twist, but it’s there and I can see it.” Truer words have never been spoken. I hope that my day to day encounters in this environment will prove interesting to those that read this. If not, I’ll put some embarrassing things about my wife on here. If that’s not enough, go read something else you inappeasable a@@$ol#s!

Oh by the way, I tend to curse like a sailor so you may see a lot of #$%^ing symbols.

So, what else is there to say? I look forward to musing, bitching, wine, travel, food, sports, my favorite places to drink in Bellingham, Vancouver, or Seattle (I could lie and say that my interest in these cities is about diversity, history and culture, but you probably know better; look for Victoria, Portland, Monterrey, Anaheim, San Diego, and  possibly Washington D.C. within the next year or two), hiking, liberal ideals, SYSCO, my impending foray into the world of golf, growing up in Texas, sexual debauchery, random acts of kindness and meanness, Mt. Baker vs. Mt. Ranier (or clash of the glaciated volcanoes), monthly recipes, the beautiful Pacific Northwest (AKA why I love Washington; just look at the header picture taken at dusk from a boat in Bellingham bay, how freakin cool is that?), a forum and vote on my next car (I’m not going to lie, the Subaru outback seems to have the upper hand right now), the dubya administration, the constantly growing Chloe Marie, life in a hot tub, and of course: more bitching (the wine and travel never turns out as advertised.) In other words, prepare for an amazing human experience!
legal disclaimer: experience will be barely human and is not amazing at all.