golly...

...the person who puts the coffee on in the afternoons has decided that perhaps heart palpitations are good for the soul and therefore, in order for us to be saved, has settled on a calculation of one part coffee to one part water. Zangy. Zingity Zangy. Cripes.

So it's been a while. Yep. Tough.

I'm back now with a rivetting (?) if a little jittery, synopsis of our Christmas break. First off you were all, in your own way, missed during the our time in the Xmas zone. In particular Richard "let's-just-bloody-well-fry-it" Archbold, my partner in gluttony for a long, long, long, long* time now was sorely missed... (CAUTION: Links contain images of Deep Fried, Beer Battered Pie - waitingingodo accepts no responsibility for sudden drooling, daydreaming, jealousy, idolisation or weight gain)

...in particular when we pushed not only the envelope, but the entire Deluxe-"Fatty-McPatty"-Stationary-Letter-Writing-Set-with-Bonus-Ivory-Handled Letter-Opener with the one, the only, 2005 edition TURDUCKEN.

Say it with me people..."TUR-DUCK-EN".

For the uninitiated the TUR-DUCK-EN involves:

One (1) x boneless Chicken
One (1) x boneless Duck
One (1) x semi boneless Turkey (just the wings and legs are left on for that authentic "Viking Feast" feel)

So...The Chicken is stuffed with a Pork and Rice stuffing and placed ever so delicately INSIDE the Duck, which is placed, along with more stuffing INSIDE the Turkey...Thats right folks 3 boids in one, 16 pounds (over 7 boneless kilos) of juicy, juicy roasted heart attack. Cooked to perfection in just 5 short hours. YUMMO!!!

It was bloody good. And ordered off Amazon. As it turns out the internet rules.

In addition to out and out gluttony it was a swell time. The temperature got down to about -20 a few times, there were trips to Boston, some snowboarding, plenty of red wine consumed and much, much clutching of the bellies and moaning. Not a lot of snow this time, thankfully the ski-field had employed some idiots to run around at night in -30 degree temperatures and make the damn stuff and grateful we were to them. Catch ups were had with long separated family members and it was just plain bloody good fun.

Coming home was an epic plane-plane-train-train-train-stroll combo that saw us walk in the door 26 hours after leaving New Hampshire but we had the next day off so we lay around and pointed at people walking to work. All in all a grand time had by all.

Since then we have had a couple of snowfalls here in town and I have been on a work fun-weekend-trip-to-Kobe. We pay 5000 yen a month into a shindig fund and that pays for knees-up-hoolie-bashes a few times a year, a trip to a baseball game and a weekend away with everyone. Quite a unique experience I guess. A weekend away with all of your workmates, a chance to let down any social barriers and go nutso.

It was swell.

Off on Saturday morning on the Bullet train, check in to the hotel, off for a boozy lunch, a stroll around some of the sights, a cruise on the harbour (note to self - cruise THEN boozy lunch next time), a walloping great feed in Chinatown, a 3 hour all you can drink fiesta at a swanky hotel bar, an ill advised trip to a sake bar after that, then a stagger back to our not so swanky hotel at god knows what hour in the morning. Grand.

A word in your ear though old chums. When drinking sake in the wee hours you must remember that a trip to a sake brewery the next morning is NOT a good idea. In any way. At all. No matter how wonderful a plan it sounds, its really is full of holes. Just say No. Nancy Reagan did, and so can you.

So we are back at work. Which is fun. And things are looking good for the 2005. I hope they are for all and sundry also.

Tooroo.

berin.


* (You-Must-Be-This-High-To-Ride-The-Deep-Fried-Pie Pics courtesy of Annabel - if I have broken a web taboo by linking to these let me know and I will disappoint EVERYBODY and take them down).