Hey Lisa, congradulations on coming in third last week! You’re desparation reeks of talentlessness and sour attitude and you should never have made it this far. Go away.

I think a woman is in line to win this thing.  I’m happy to see either Richard or Stephanie take the cake.  Both are great chef’s and great personalities.  Here is hoping for another Bourdain apperance.

There is only so many ways you can prove you’re a geek but I have to admit, I’m pretty excited for the final four of Top Chef.

In my opinion, Lisa made it by the skin of her teeth.  It seems programmed that they’d have three women in the final four.  Spike did screw up using the frozen scallops, he lost his way by trying to compete rather than trying to produce the absolute best food possible.  His winning the quick challange and getting first pick from the walk in wasn’t much of a prize.  His competitors, I’m sure, could make something delicious out of next to nothing.  It would have been a better move to think about what you want to make, what message you want to convey, then choose appropriate ingredients.  Seems like he was, again, trying to take away options from his fellow chefs.

Onward though.

Lisa is still in my gun sites and I hope she goes down in a fiery blaze of bad tasting failure.  Richard, Stephanie and Antonia are all people I’d love to get to know.  Lisa is a person I hope never to be stuck in an elevator with.

Not sure what the format of the show will be.  Maybe they kick two off tonight, maybe its the whole enchalata in one show.  Either way, Lisa must loose and beyone that my favorites in order are Richard, Stephanie and Antonia.

PS - Hopeing for a Bourdain cameo tonight.

Having nothing interesting to write I thought I’d regurgitate some dribble I wrote while on our There and Back Trip of 2005.

I hate this place. I love this place. Thats what I wrote in my journal yesterday as I sat in one of the van bench seats scattered about the warehouse. By the fourth day you really felt invested in your fellow backpackers success but at the same time, wanted nothing more than to leave.

There was Ray, a friendly fellow from Vancover who was selling a 1984 Subaru with only 154,000 kms (low miles in the backpacker relm), after two days he made his sale for the sum of $350NZ or about $260US. And Martin, a tall blond haired Danish guy. He was soft spoken and relying on the sale of his 2 door Fiat to get him through the rest of his trip. I think he sold it for $1150, and will be on his way to Australia in a few days.

Then there was Patrice. When I met him and told him where I was from he said in his thick French accent “OHHH we are neighbors!”. I had a quizicle look on my face untill he said “I am from Quebec!” Well we really hit it off and we’re relieved to see this morning that he sold his Ford Lancer. He was asking $850 but I don’t know what he got for it. Mitch was yet another Canadain. Trust me, there were more than just Canadians, Americans and Danes. There were heaps of Isralies. Mitch is from Sascachuan, just outside Regina. He sold his Toyota wagon in one day to a Japanese girl and was all to excited about that. He is currently staying with his ultimate frisbee teamates who with his help won an all New Zealand Ultimate tournament, pretty cool.

We had Mitch and Ray over for beers and wine two nights ago. We lucked out and have an apartment all to ourselves, perfect for hanging out in.

As for the others in there trying to sell, they we’re French, Dutch, English, Canadian, German, Swedish, Israli (who even after they sold their cars or vans would stay, and come back the next day, and the next day, and…you get the point), some old, some young, some with kids, some who hadn’t showered in days, some fresh and clean, some who stayed at the car market after closing to camp there, others, like us, who had places to go back to. The vehicle selection ranged from vans, cars, minicars, station wagons, a sports car, diesel, petrol, 1 liter, 4 liter, old, not so old, and from $350 to $4000.

Music echoed off the concrete brick walls, sometimes it blasted. Eminem, Nelly, traditional Hebrew songs, reggae, rock, rap. People danced, usually after they sold their cars, sometimes days after they sold their cars. A watch wasn’t necessary since the gas cookers fired up around 11:30 to prepar lunch and beer cans snapped open signaling the approach of 5. What a wierd place.

After 3+ days in that hole we were all too happy to leave, especially considering that we sold the car for the exact price that we paid. The gamble paid off. All in all it was a very interesting time.

On Friday we leave for Australia. We’ll be flying into Brisbane and from there heading north to Fraser Island. After that, its up in the air. I’m excited to see Ward and Liz. In the meantime, we have laundry to catch up on, St Patrick’s Day, see a kiwi (couldn’t leave NZ without seeing a kiwi), and a little matter with an antiques dealer to square away.

Oh and one more thing, I hope to post some stuff on a couple of the places we’ve been in the last three weeks. If I actually follow through we’ll see but keep your eyes pealed.

Encountered some asbestos singles yesterday while looking at a new job.  I wasn’t sure until I called my Uncle who after I described them said “asbestos”.  Even though the state allows contractors and homeowners to remove the shingles, provided they are in good condition I just want to stay away from them.  The regulations for handling and disposing are fairly strict.  Couple that with the homeowner’s new born child its just too risky.

I wrote to the owner that I didn’t want to get involved with the shingles unless they test them and find there to be no asbestos.  I hope I’m not being too cautious.  As thrilling as mesothelioma and asbestosis sound I think I’ll avoid the possibility.
Its amazing how many products they used to put asbestos in.  Everything from microwaves and ovens, to curtains and insulation.  I believe it is still used in brake pads but I’m not sure.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the recent tell all book by former Press Secretary Scott McClellan. Am I the only one who’s dumbfounded at the assertion that this President lied to us during the run up to war? ‘Course there was that troublesome absence of WMD, but I’m sure they’ll turn up. After all, there was enough to annihilate the world, they must be hiding somewhere in all that sand.

Wrote this just prior to leaving the corporate world:

Now that the word of my departure is getting out there seems to be a flood of people coming to me saying they’re thinking about leaving too. I’m so confident in my decision to leave, I just get a little thinking that there might be a stampede towards the door come January 1st. People are feeling abused, not respected and poorly paid.

Nothing of the sort happened but when I get together with the old gang they still complain a lot about work.

Among the handful of shows I watch regularly, Top Chef at the moment ranks at the top. This season has been great but from the start it has been Richard’s to loose. He sets the bar for his fellow chefs. Despite strong competition I’d be surprised if he didn’t win.

Lisa was never a stand out in my mind but her performance at the judges table in episode 10 revealed her true colors calling Andrew out on his use of ingredients which were in conflict with the rules. It was a desperate act from someone who knows they’re chances are slim. Resorting to tactics instead of good food to win is not the sign of a Top Chef.

Andrew may be a weirdo but I liked him and I think he can cook. More importantly though, week after week he showed a passion and zeal for his craft that went unmatched. I’ll miss Andrew going forward and I’m eager to see Lisa hang.

Episode 11 saw Dale hang for being a poor leader and a bad team player. I think it could have easily been Lisa though. She is smug and seems flabbergasted at criticism from the judges. Bourdain hated her Laksa. Why she thought that was a good idea when Tony was judging shows her lack of thoughtfulness. I’m projecting her to be kicked off tonight.

Spike has to know he is also skating a fine line. If he can pull off something really special he’ll make it another week. If he’s out of tricks, he’s done. I’d be very surprised to see Stephanie, Richard or Antonia off tonight.

Update: Had a strange feeling earlier today that Antonia could be the one to go…

Since last I posted, October 2007, much of my life has completely changed. One of the original purposes of this blog was to track the progression from the cube to my new life. I’ve been remiss in the trackage but I can happily report, from the other side, that life beyond the cube is good.

I’m now running a small contracting company with 1 employee. My angle and inspiration is to use “green” products and techniques whenever possible. I’ve had good luck using bamboo flooring, low VOC paint and have enjoyed recycling old cabinets and doors. I’ve also endeavored to plan with extra vigilance on the front end which helps reduce waste on the cutting floor.

By some ridiculous stroke of good fortune I’ve been busy from day one back in January. Thus far I completed the following:

• Bathroom face-lift
• Full kitchen remodel
• Another bathroom face-lift
• Tile back-splash
• Painting the odd room here and there
• Banister
• Cedar screen inserts for a porch

In the pipeline I have decks, kitchens, siding galore, and possibly an addition. I’m hoping that the work continues to come in and am more confident every day that leaving my desk job was the best decision I’ve ever made.

Gets an RBI.  I’m pumped up doood!

Starts it off with a home run over the Green Monster. And its just one hit after another, Youk, Papi sac. fly, Manny, JD, and so on. Not to mention Becket’s 1, 2, 3. I’m feeling good.