Happy Birthday Michael

Michael George Curley
Born: February 20, 1983
Happy birthday little brother.

Tuttle Ski Chalet Getaway

I had not been to the Tuttle family ski house in nine years. We made up for it this weekend with two nights and a day of great times. We played some Balderdash, Monopoly, and made some turns at Stratton on Saturday. There was, of course, a Dead sing-a-long late night. And some Bloody Mary's were necessary on Saturday and Sunday mornings. We certainly cannot party like we used to, but that did not stop us from trying.

random snowday thoughts

Today, we were blessed with another day of snow and wintry mixes (that's snow, sleet, and freezing rain to those unfamiliar with the weather of the Northeast). Anyway, I used the weather as an excuse to take the day off. I have to admit, I am a little tired of all this winter weather, particularly now that I have been introduced to the world of shoveling driveways, walkways, and even roofs, sometimes more than once in the same day. I guess I can't complain too much, as I spent both Saturday and Sunday mornings having a blast on my snowboard, and plan to do more of the same this weekend. I might even get paid to snowboard of Friday, which is a perk of my job that I have yet to take advantage of. Of course, I'll have to hang out with thirteen-year-old girls, but I suppose it's worth it. Here's a photo of Jay shoveling off the roof this weekend...I was so nervous, but not nervous enough to let the moment go un-photographed. He almost broke our mailbox(also pictured below) by chucking snow and ice chunks at it. I'm hoping he succeeds at that next time. Who would buy such a hideous thing? We're hoping someone will...as soon as we can dig it out of the snow, it will be up for sale. Let us know if you are interested.

before/after

before:














after:

Captin Higgins

I'm not sure if the this is the funniest clip I've seen this year because it's so rad, or if it's because Darren is a friend, co-worker, Tokyo-go-go, and GIS member. Either way I think it's hilarious. Make sure you watch all the way through, you'll learn something and the outtakes at the end are the best part. Nice work Darren, Ross, and John.

House update: Whalers shrine

We loaded all the books onto the book shelf on Sunday. We have space for a Whalers shrine, this is what home ownership is all about. The pic below is for my bro and Julie out in PDX, enjoy.

Sled Doggin

We went dog sledding this weekend. It was actually a very short ride, but fun. Doug and Elizabeth were up for the weekend so we headed to Shelburne farms for winterfest. Some cheese and bread samples, sugar on snow, and an owl. Below is a shot of "O" bakery at Shelburne farms. They make the best bread in the world, I felt like I was visiting Mecca.

Floors

The upstairs floors came out great. Scroll down to see the before shots. We have officially left Main St. and spent two nights at our new house. Once there are not boxes everywhere I'll post up some more pictures of the inside. It's been exciting, exhausting, overwhelming, and fun. And this is just the beginning.

Progress

The wallpaper has been defeated, no more red and green walls, and the hardwood upstairs is getting the final coat of lacquer tomorrow. Thanks to Jackie, Bob, and Kate for all the help (and Lowe's, we've been there six times in 72 hours). This is not as easy as it looks on HGTV.

Day 1

We closed this morning at 9am. By 10:30 we were ripping up carpet, and in the afternoon we moved onto stripping wallpaper. Below are some action shots of Maegen ripping out the "for sale" sign and some carpet, as well as some "before" shots of the floors and walls. Stay tuned for the "after" shots... hopefully we'll have them up by Tuesday.

cows and cemeteries

Yesterday I learned a piece of Vermont culture that I never knew about. So, I was driving in my car with a very hyper ten year old boy who was looking for a way to help calm down. After ignoring my idea, he suggested we play "cows and cemeteries." I was supposed to look on my side of the road and count the number of cows I saw and he was going to do the same on his side. If we passed a cemetery, then one of us would lose all our points depending on which side of the road the cemetery was on. We played for a little bit, and I lost. I saw no cows or cemeteries. As we were playing, I realized that there are few places in the world where this game could be played with any sort of success. Vermont really is a special place!!

20 hours in NY

In-and-out of the city in a day for work. Lucky I got to have dinner with some of my favorite people.

It has begun

An evening of cultural experiences

Last night, we went to a dim sum potluck at our friend Miya's house. It turned into quite the culinary experience where we sampled some really special concoctions. The highlight of the evening was definitely the Chelada... apparently the folks at Anheuser-Busch thought it was a good idea to recreate a Latino favorite in a 24 oz. can. A Chelada is a tasty mix of either Bud or Bud Light (we had the light version) with Clamato Juice (yup... clam and tomato) seasoned with a delightful mix of salt and lime all premixed for you. Apparently this combination is a big hit in some circles, but it did not go over well with our crew. It was disgusting.... think carbonated tomato juice that starts off with a nice bud light flavor and ends with a hint of clam. I can't imagine it is going to sell well. Another highlight in the beverage category was the imported tomato vodka from Japan. It tasted like a liquid tomato with sugar dumped on top...also gross, thought not nearly as bad as the chelada. At least the label was cool. We also sampled Absolut New Orleans which is vodka flavored with black pepper and mango. Sounds strange, but it actually got good reviews from the crowd. Luckily the food was slightly less adventurous and much more tasty. Miya cooked up some homemade chicken dumplings, and some hibachi style steak, tofu, and veggies. It was awesome.

The I.D. 40

According to International Design Magazine's Jan/Feb 2008 issue, I work at one of the 40 most creative workspaces in the world. JDK even made the cover. (click the images for a larger view)

A PK production

The latest video from Pat Simone. Pat's really having fun being sober, cheers to that.

TBM play the Dead

Benny and Adam gathered a group of musicians Friday night at Metronome for a night of Dead tunes. It was fun, we saw all sorts of friends we have not seen in a while from the TBM/Valencia days. It reminds me that we're not the only ones up here beside Vin. It was a late night though and we're not in college anymore. Check out a tired Maegen in the elevator on the way home.

Burger Kings

These are my friends and co-workers...

Saturday Shred

Greg and Beth rolled up to VT last weekend. We headed out to Stowe for an amazing day, 30 degree temperatures, sun, and packed powder. We managed to keep a big crew together and get a good table at the Shed after.

Welcome 2008!

We rang in the new year with a celebration at Vin's house complete with a gasoline induced bonfire, dom perignon, hats, noise-makers, sing-alongs, and a fabulous display of hacking the tops off of champagne bottles with a machete. Apparently we left before things really got crazy, but fortunately I got to witness Vin's fireside rendition of the snickers song..."prancing nougat in the meadow," with some harmonizing by Jay and Michael. Incredible! I'm pretty sure I laughed for about a half hour straight. It was a great start to the new year. I think 2008 is going to be a good time!