I thought some of you might get a kick out of this.



I've got a wicked cold so I'm going to relax in the hotel today!

Hello from Seattle!



One of the apple producers we visited did something very unique - the place was run by a kid my age (not bad for a multimillion dollar business) and his mother is an artist. She wanted to do something for the workers to make their areas a little brighter and nicer, so she hung some paintings. I thought it was cute.






Here are some random scenic shots.

Hello again my friends.



We actually had some sunshine in Yakima today but just when I went to go take a picture the sun went away. It won't stop freaking raining here either.

We worked with one of the largest apple farms in the universe today - did you know that apples are given an acid bath in order to remove hard water buildup before they are rinsed? After that, depending on where you live and the store you buy from, a shellac wax layer is sprayed on... did I mention that shellac is produced by insects? Nummy. Still though, they have varieties of apples here that they simply don't sell in New York State due to lack of demand. I've been told to try Fuji, Pink Lady and Braeburn. You can read more here -

See you later!

Hello e-friends.

The flight into Portland was 4.5 hours from Chicago - Thats the same amount of time it takes to fly from L.A. to Washington, if your pilot is hauling major ass. It wasn't that bad of a flight... if you don't count Just Like Heaven. The best thing about that movie is Reese Witherspoon, of course. It is a terrible movie, however.

The weather here is in the mid to upper 40's, with more rain than I even could have imagined in a joke about how rainy this part of the country is. Its a gorgeous place though... the drive was very scenic.

Washington state is famous for its apples, and we are in the apple capital of the planet; Yakima, WA. Practically every single grocer in America sources its apples from here, and its interesting to learn how it is that they bring them to market from the tree to your grocer. There is far more involved than I originally thought. The worst part about seeing all of these perfect apples is that I'm bound by company policy and cannot try one. Go to the store and buy some of the Pink Lady variety, friends... they are one of the best apples for straight up eating.

As usual I'm learning more Spanish and am trying to dig up all of the Spanish I forgot. I think the best way to do this, besides watching Telemundo, is to listen to Spanish language songs, get the lyrics, and try to translate. I love the Spanish language... love songs in Spanish are absolutely beautiful. Somehow the Spanish language is able to say more than would be possible in English. My two favorites so far are an Argentinean band called Los Enanitos Verdes, and a Mexican group called Mana. Highly recommended. Here are the lyrics from a song called Luz de Dia, by Los Enanitos Verdes -

Destapa el champagne, apaga las luces
dejemos las velas encendidas
y afuera las heridas
ya no pienses más en nuestro pasado
hagamos que choquen nuestras copas
por habernos encontrado
y porque:
Puedo mirar el cielo, besar tus manos
sentir tu cuerpo, decir tu nombre
y las caricias serán la brisa
que aviva el fuego
de nuestro amor, de nuestro amor
puedo ser luz de noche, ser luz de día
frenar el mundo por un segundo
y las caricias serán la brisa
que aviva el fuego
de nuestro amor, de nuestro amor
El tiempo dejó su huella imborrable
y aunque nuestras vidas son distintas
esta noche todo vale
tu piel y mi piel, ves que se reconocen
es la memoria que hay en nuestros
corazones, y porque...
Puedo mirar el cielo, besar tus manos
sentir tu cuerpo, decir tu nombre
y las caricias serán la brisa
que aviva el fuego
de nuestro amor, de nuestro amor
puedo ser luz de noche, ser luz de día
frenar el mundo por un segundo
y que me digas cuanto querías
que esto pasara
una ves más, y otra ves más, y porque
Puedo mirar....
sin tu amor no se vivir
porque sin tu amor
yo me voy a morir de pena....

I can look at the sky, kiss your hands, feel your body, say your name, and the caresses will be the breeze that fans the flame of our love?!?!

I love those lyrics. And the song is killer too.

So I went to Sahara Grill today for lunch! Why the hell did I not make the time for this sooner.... I was very happy. I needed some humor so I brought the New York Times with me. I had the shrimp and falafel wrap, with a salad, some Pepsi and a pot of the Turkish coffee. DELICIOUS! The coffee impressed me the most - what a cool little serving pot they have. I'm making it back there first thing when I come back from Seattle.

I ran into (e:leetee) and (e:uncut) on my way - they were banking and so was I. Hmm... what else... no, thats about it. I enjoyed the day off. I don't remember the last unjustified midweek day off I had, so this was a nice diversion.

NYC Council elected its first openly gay speaker, and to be honest I'm a little surprised that it hasn't happened sooner. This lady has pledged to work with the Mayor on issues facing the city, but lets be honest... she's an uberliberal and he's not. Trust me, it ain't going to work out for NYC politics anytime soon. Thats like Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi saying they'd work with the President after the past election. Its only lip service.

I want to eat healthier on the road. Any suggestions?