Inside Simple Worldy Pleasures

Humor, interesting signs, reflections from around the world and occasional wine subjects.
There are 25 articles written on this subject. The most recent 10 are listed here:

What's in your cornucopia? A complex diversion...Pot Roast and Chateau Margaux Independence Day - 230 years later Exciting Real Estate Search Terms Signs in the United Kingdom...

2 for 2 - We're Done! One down, one to go! Life's Biggest Pleasures (not necessarily real estate) Champagne on the house! Now for something completely different

You will find a complete Index of Articles by Category and by Month in the Archives.

May 22, 2007

May 20, 2007

The second time in two weeks we witnessed a child emerge from college as an adult. Karen graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh this past Sunday. To say we were proud parents is an understatement.

Karen's graduates with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Degree. And, she was honored having her living art exhibit photo as the featured piece on the cover of the diploma ceremony agenda. The living art titled "The Temple of Science" depicted ancient scientific figures in an "art in context" project in her second year. The local news also covered the 2005 exhibit with a feature in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Here's the rendering on the cover of the ceremony agenda:

And finally, a soggy start but a fantastic finish. First, the main ceremony was outside. It rained for the 30 minutes or so before the start of the commencement ceremonies. The weather cleared and we all anticipated the arrival of, none other, Bill Cosby. He had the honor of giving the Keynote Address to the graduates, family and friends.
Or, I should say, we were honored to hear Cosby's message of "never underestimate who you are and never believe you are not good enough" through his entertaining personal experience as a young comedian.

And, we are done. We brought the twins into this world and we have done the best we could to prepare them for their own world. A world, we hope, that will be a better place than when they found it. Now, get a job! Save your money. Invest. Buy real estate (I'm looking forward to being their agent).

Note: all the above photos are clickable for a larger view.

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May 7, 2007

May 5, 2007
Four short years.
From teenager to young adult.
From high school to Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance.
From dependant to dependable.
From learning to starting a career.
From taking to giving.
From wondering if he can really do it to immensely proud parents that he did and, he did it with gusto!
Many transformations seemingly occurred on the same day.

If you would like to consider hiring this fine young man, here's his resume.

I apologize in advance for the advertisement.

PS: Karen graduates May 20th!

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May 2, 2007

I am the proudest Dad! I have twins graduating from college this month. My son, Chris, is a Finance major at Radford University in Southwest Virginia and my daughter, Karen, is an art major at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. They both did it in four (yes 4) years! Ahem!

What's really cool is that at 22 years of age they really are young adults and rethinking LAC (life after college). One of my biggest thrills is that Chris sent me a draft resume and actually asked for my advice. Of course I gave it to him and, I have to say so myself, he will have a killer resume. Heck, I'd hire the dude.

It's fun to watch these people mature. They actually like each other again after several years before college thinking the other was not very cool. Evidence? Karen has a final art presentation to do Friday, the day we will be motoring to Radford. Her brother's graduation was so important to her, she arranged to fly to the nearest airport from Pittsburgh so that she could attend the ceremonies. And, Chris has arranged to be in Pittsburgh for hers in a couple of weeks.

Twins are said to have special bonds. We observed it through about age 11. Lost it for several years and now it's back. I suspect they will be friends for life, always looking out for each other. AHHHHH...young adults....refreshing. By the way, another good thing about all this? We get a big raise! No more college fees...I think. Will there be? I hope not. It's time to get jobs, apartments, be responsible. From another perspective, we have two more future real estate clients. OK. It's payback time.

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December 30, 2006

Welcome to the Guide. Have a virtual glass of bubbly on us! It is only the very finest Dom Perignon from the cellars of Moet & Chandon, the 1996 vintage scoring a perfect 100 points. Enjoy

Pam and I had the good fortune to spend time in France this year and took the train from Paris to Epernay, a small french town in the Champagne region and home to Moet & Chandon. The Chateau was impressive, the tour of the famous caves fantastic and the champagne is fabulous! If you get to Paris, it is worth the day trip to Epernay to experience the Champagne.



Be fabulous!

Here's wishing all my friends, family and clients a Happy and prosperous New Year! (hold the virtual glass up for this toast... ... ... thank you)

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November 28, 2006

Again, thanks to sellsius: Ad Art. An amusing diversion. Enjoy.


Courtesy of www.worth1000.com. See them all at Worth1000.

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November 23, 2006

Seems appropriate to reflect...my cornucopia overflows with...

• Pam...my loving, beautiful wife
  
• Four incredible children...Randy in Carlsbad, CA; Robin in Clovis, CA; twins Chris and Karen about ready to graduate from college (done in just fours years...whew!)
• Two of the greatest grandchildren in the world...that I don't see often enough; Kevin and Brittany
• Being an American
• Our volunteer military...serving our nation
• All our clients...thanks for your loyalty!
• The Butterball in the oven
• My health...even though I routinely abuse my body with bad habits
• Living in Virginia...it IS for Lovers you know
• My wine cellar (supports uhhh...a good habit?)
• A roof over my head (it's raining today)...many in the world don't have one
• Being warm when it is cold outside...
• All of our friends we have the privilege of calling a friend...and there are many
• Readers of this thing called...a Blog
• Google's IE toolbar...with spellcheck

...and much more.

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October 11, 2006

When I started this Blog I warned people that I would comment occasionally on wine...one of my hobbies...and in this case, FOOD and WINE. Hence, indulge me. This is like the recipe card you get in the mail, only better because you get to interact with me if you want. If this bores you, go to the next Blog. If not, you might be in for a treat.

I had an appointment and stress free day. So, I did what I like to do most. Cook and sample fine wine. What you say? What does this have to do with real estate? Absolutely nothing. It is a way I find to relax after weeks of grueling pressure trying to sell homes in a fickle market.

So here goes. Food and Wine. If you like pot roast, here's my famous (or not) concoction:

• 2.5 to 3 lb chuck roast (preferably Angus or other nice cut). Look for marbling...this will ensure tenderness.
• 1/2 pound pearl onions (maybe a dozen or so)
• 1 package button mushrooms (again, a dozen or so)
• Baby carrots, about 1.5 dozen.
• 1/2 pound semi-lean bacon
• Garlic...how much do you like? I do 2 large cloves (sections)
• 8 to 10 baby red potatoes
• 3 to 4 cans beef broth
• Good (not great) dry red wine...quantity varies...maybe a cup and a half or more! The more you put in the roast, the less you drink while it is cooking.
• Seasonings: garlic, marjoram, basil, thyme, bay leaf (2), rosemary, tomato paste, salt and pepper

Here is the instruction manual (be vicarious):

Fry bacon to crisp in heavy skillet. Remove and save for later. Have a couple while you are doing the rest of this recipe. Really good. DON'T discard the bacon drippings!

Cut roast into 1 to 2 inch cubes more or less (remove excess fat). Season with whatever you like and dust with flour. I use a garlic/parsley based seasoning.

Brown roast cubes in bacon drippings left in the pan. About 2 minutes a side on medium heat.

Remove roast cubes and set aside. De-glaze pan with a little beef broth, water or wine (yum) over medium heat.

Add two (2) more cans of beef broth. Add roast cubes to pan (this is the same pan that had the bacon, I hope ... grease and all, trust me, you'll like it).

Coarsely chop two large cloves of garlic and add to pan. Salt and pepper to taste (not too much, not too little). I add a little sea salt, a few cloves (whole) of white and black pepper. Add the other seasonings mentioned above sparingly. Only add one (1) tablespoon of tomato paste! Any more and the result will taste like spaghetti sauce.

Add about a cup to 1 1/2 cups of the red wine. Don't over fill the roasting pan like I usually do and make a mess. Bring to a simmer over medium low heat.

Oh...I forgot: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Geeeez...sometimes I forget this too. Doesn't matter. We can wait for it.

Cover pan. Yes, you need a heavy pan that can be covered and placed into a hot oven! Set the temperature to about 325 degrees.

You never want the roast in all the wonderful liquids and seasonings to boil. Just simmer. Simmer for at least 2 1/2 hours. So, watch it for the first 15 minutes or so. When it starts to boil, turn the heat down. I usually can cook this at 250 to 275 degrees for about 2 to 3 hours or until the roast is tender. Slow cooking is good. Don't rush it.

Easy so far? Yep! OK. Next.

Saute the Pearl Onions and Baby Carrots. Maybe 10 minutes in a shallow pan with a little water. Set aside. Boil the red potatoes to ALMOST done. Set aside. Wash and cut mushrooms (not too small). Set aside. Now, everything is ready for the roast to appear!

When roast is done (per your own judgement), remove from oven and add cooked ready vegetables (don't forget the bacon...crumbled). If you need more liquid, add beef broth or better yet, more wine. Not too much though. Re-simmer if necessary. If you don't have enough room for everything in the pan, add everything but the potatoes. Those can be added to the serving plates. Don't forget to be generous with the liquids. We do bowls along with some great french bread for dipping.

Ooops...not quite done. I forgot the fine wine. For this dinner tonight, I selected a 1982 Chateau Margaux Bordeaux (obviously french) to accompany this home recipe. I wasn't disappointed. Smooth, dry, good fruit balance and acidity/tannin balance. Exquisite! Bonn Appetite! Did I get that right?

Gentlemen: Fix this for the one you love or want to love...it is really easy and will place you in a class a cut above the rest. Trust me on this. Call if you want help.

CAUTION: DO NOT USE FINE WINE IN THE ROAST. SAVE IT FOR DRINKING!

OK. Back to real estate issues!

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July 1, 2006

Our Independance Day is the most significant of all national holidays. 230 years ago we became responsible for our own destiny. We have matured as a nation of free people. We continue to be the envy of the free world and, at the same time, hated by those that do not embrace our values. We are free to choose our politics, where we stand on issues, our religion and our lifestyles.

We are curious about all things. We explore. We are innovators. We question all things and continuously search for truths.

We are family and free to have our disagreements but, like a family, we are close. Don't threaten us because we become one in an instant. Criticize us because we are not perfect. We don't like it but, we listen. Great civilizations rise and fall. Ours, based on freedom, will live on.

This is one blogger that says "God bless America."

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June 5, 2006

Here are a couple of "Google Images" search terms I found in my server stats:

Naked Realtors
Smoking Naked

I am sure the they were disappointed when clicking through to us. Go ahead. Try it.

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May 7, 2006

A change of pace from the usual real estate stuff. Here's a collection of signs from the UK from our journeys. These are just plain funky.

OK. Who's watching?	No what at any time?	That's a long walk to what lot?
I do this often while blogging (HTML).	I am one of those. Thanks for the sign.	I love all things naked. Hmmm...maybe not.

Watch the Google search terms for these! And, I have more.

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