Murder in the Old Courthouse

My first book is done and available! I chose Lulu, and independent publisher here in Raleigh, NC. If you are so inclined, I invite you to buy a copy via their website here:

http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/murder-in-the-old-courthouse/14925057?productTrackingContext=search_results/search_shelf/center/3

I hope you enjoy it (and if you don't, please fake it for my sake)! :)

Future King

So we did it. Yes, WE did it. Packer fans are that type of fan. I truly believe that my support for the Packers contributed to the success of the team. Best part? most Wisconsites would agree.

If Aaron Rodgers were to lean in for the kiss, chances are I would lift my back leg up Leslie Nielsen style.

Sell out Lambeau on a Tuesday, in -22 wind chill weather, for 1 hour, and during the work week. BEST FANS EVER.

Super Bowl Sunday started with the kids and I going to Vargas' house to stuff Porky Pig into the Caja China (Cuban cooking box). Aiden supervised, and was fascinated by the tongue, eyes and teeth. I threw up twice. Emma will never watch Olivia again. The pig needed to cook for 5hrs, so I took the kids home and returned to take over Aiden's supervision position. We ended up tailgating for 5hrs, using the Caja China as a very unnatural firepit. We plopped the beers in the snow (Spotted Cow, of course) and threw the football. We spray painted G's in the snow and just enjoyed the 15 degree day like it was summer.

The game started and we all headed inside. Pack looked good early, and outside of a few hiccups, controlled the game. Karma is a bitch Big Ben. Through this game, it became clear who is "next". Aaron "Super Bowl MVP" Rodgers. He is the real deal, and we have him for the next bazillion years. No one in the history of sports has replaced a legend quicker, and with more class, then Arod (perhaps Young in SF). Manning and Brady are still better, but only sorta. Manning actually has a pretty poor playoff record. He has one SB. So does Arod, and Arod is 27. Brady is married to Giselle. Game, set, match Brady. Here is the video of the waning moments:



Finally, the best part. I watched the game with my folks. I watched my mom and dad scream, jump, and genuinely enjoy every second of the game. Dad carved a pig and landed in the Packer Party HOF. "Sarge"

This will happen again. We will win in the next two years. Mark it down.

Oh no my cannoli!!

I hope everyone is getting excited for Virginia Beach. I interviewed a girl yesterday that was from Virginia Beach. As my last question I asked her, "If I were to go to Virginia Beach on vacation, what's the #1 thing you would recommend that I do?" Do you know what she answered? Go to the beach. Really? That's the best you can do? No shit you go to the beach. Anyway, no jobby job for that girl as I continue to explore more creative things to do with my time there. Anyway, I was thinking about the Sicilian meal with Gill the other day and we definitely want to bring some cannolis to the feast. The problem is, can you get a cannoli through security? I have no idea, but imagine Gill and I at the airport, ready to hit the BEACH, and the confiscate our box of cannolis? That would suck - big time. Therefore, M & D, expect a package in the mail about a week or two before the vacation. I'm having them shipped to you. I'm going to do some extensive research and ship the absolute best cannolis that NYC has to offer.

Besides the dessert, I wanted to see if the meal had any other planning so far? I love southern Italian cooking and would be sooo happy to contribute in any way. Baring any abuse from the mother, maybe we can sprinkle in one little tiny seafood dish? It's a huge part of southern Italian cooking, and especially Sicily. Just one dish, that's all. Outside of that, in true Italian fashion, we can all grease our hair back, hit the gym, then go tanning, then have a true feast of crazy proportions. Not my meal though, so I have to defer to our lovely suggester, Susan. I'm just curious about what else has been planned, what's up in the air, and maybe what may be available for suggestion.

Outside of that, what else are we doing besides hitting the beach?

Eating Adventures

Eric and I spent the weekend in Charlotte for a conference. We eschewed the rubber chicken banquet and struck out on our own last night for dinner. We have one rule when eating out in a new town--no chain restaurants. We try to find a local place and have lunch/dinner there.

We ate last night at a basic bar and grill, and they had fantastic home fries and a great French dip sandwich.

We have decided to throw a little notebook in the car and document when we eat at unique restaurants. What we had, how it tasted, the atmosphere, etc. Our travels are not as extensive as some in our family, but I expect to gather some interesting tales.

It is amazing that when we get together as a family, we always seem to talk about food. When we recount a vacation or a trip, it includes vast discussions about where we ate and what we ate. I still remember our waiter Wade in Escanaba, MI in 1984 on our way to Mackinac Island.

S of M

Hey, if you didn't see this on Facebook, I thought I would share on our blog.

http://video.yahoo.com/watch/4816051/12849087

Nothing but a flow of good emotions. Rents, we may give you crap occasionally about the Elton John upbringing, but it sure makes us appreciate a whole bunch.

Happy Earth Day all.

How High can you Fly????

I have flown for years. The first time I was on an airplane was just after I was invited to join the US Army in 1967. I flew from Milwaukee to Columbia, SC to go to Fort Jackson. Over the years I have racked up hundreds of thousands of miles in the air, but not until last week did I get a new first..........

Now I must start by saying that when I go to Estevan, SK I have to fly through Minot, ND. To return home there are 3 flights out of Minot. The earliest if at 5:00 am, and on that flight I get home about 5:30 pm. The second flight wouldn't get me home until midnight.

So, aside from doing some serious thinking about my career, at 4:00 am on a cold, windy, bleak morning in Minot friggin North Dakota, I got a pleasent suprise...I got upgraded to First Class on the 30 minute flight to Minneaplois.

As we took off it felt like we hit a pot hole on the runway..did I mention, Minot, friggin North Dakota, yes it is very possible they have pot holes.

We were in the air about 10 minutes when the pilot came on the radio to tell us that he felt we blew our main landing gear on take off, and he is asking the Flight Attendants to prepare for an emergency landing. I truely have t-shirts older than those two. Each FA took turns going to the restroom to empty their pants, and then they started to prepare us.

We had to remove our seatbelts, then re-belt, then remove and re-belt. They watched intently to make sure we could get out if we had to. We were trained in the "brace" position. We were given the secret code in case we were going to crash. I'm going to share that code with you....when the FA screams "brace, brace, brace" you should brace. Military, police, and firefighters were asked to ID themselves. We had plenty,because of the Air Force base in Minot. Four were taken to each of the front and rear doors and recieved written instructions on escape plans, and then they were reseated next to the doors. We flew for an additional 45 mins to burn fuel. As we circled the airport it was like Hollywood...Emergency vehicles lined the runway.

As we came in the pilot lowered some flap or something to help slow us, and the plane started to shake pretty bad. We went into the brace position...the right landing gear hit first, and the plane rocked to the left and .....................the landing gear was fine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We stopped and the Emergency vehicles surrounded us on the runway and people were running around the plane. We were in the middle of the runway, and deemed safe to be towed in. It took 15 minutes to get to the gate. When we stopped we cheered the pilots.

So that was my newest experience in the air.........First Class and I didn't even get a cup of coffee!!!

Courthouse Burning

Some of you may already know this, but the historic Chatham County courthouse in Pittsboro, NC burned last night. By day, I am the human resources director for the county, and by night and other special occasions, I get to be the public information officer.

I battled disbelief as I watched the flames erupt from the clock tower and top floor. I was sick when I saw flames on the second floor, in the superior courtroom, one of the most beautiful in the state. I was in disaster mode, corralling the media and getting position statements from key players. Later, as firefighters were getting a better handle on the blaze, I could process a little. It really struck me when I saw water running out the front door and pouring down the steps like a waterfall.

I am writing about this because this was one of the reasons I started writing at all. This courthouse was part of the inspiration for my novel, Murder in the Old Courthouse. This is the old courthouse described almost exactly in my book.

Sad day for our county.