Apply Some Pressure

Hey kids! I hope you all had a grand holiday filled with too much alcohol, too much food and too much togetherness. The wife and I visited with my brother-in-law, Mark, his wife, Lisa, her parents, my in-laws, and assorted others including their too cute nieces, Megan and Devyn before we shot over to my parents for their 25-guest-strong, 3-table, gobble fest. The strategic separation of the wife and me in the seating didn't dampen our spirits, though I pitied her in the family sandwich between my mom's cousin and my uncle. My dad's bird was fantastic-- moist, tender, flavorful. I think it was the best he ever cooked and, except for a smoked bird I had once (can't remember who cooked it....), it might be the best I've ever eaten. Kudos to him for that and the lovely pumpkin soup.
Saturday, Hiroshi and I took the train out to be with Wubby and cook some 'que for a shindig coming up at our place this Saturday-- I'd invite you all, but we're already beyond seating capacity. We've got ribs, chicken, brisket, pulled pork, ham, sausage, kielbasa, and more. We're expecting 15 or so, but just to be safe, I'll have food for 40 knowing me. It was a goofy cook and we spent more time splitting wood than doing anything else. It's fun to swing the lighter axe instead of the maul. We learned a bit about Wubby's wood eating habits and how she likes to be adjusted, if you know what I mean. I'm talking about getting air to the fire here, people. Get your minds out of the gutter. We set her up in a hodge podge of tarps which you'll see below.

The new job is humming along nicely. Still very quiet, sort of off on my own, but I work at my own pace, listen to the radio and get it done. The people seem just fine so far and the neighborhood (Midtown, East) has turned out to be a little more cool than I thought.