Pasties, Part II

I decided to have another go at the meat pastries today, but thought I'd try a different cuisine as inspiration. I used ground turkey, with cinnamon, cumin and paprika, plus golden raisins and almonds, for a North African feel. Added some ginger preserves, sealed it up in puff pastry, and baked the popover-like items for about 25 minutes. The result was pretty good - could have used a bit more of the spices I added, though.

Crossing the Line?

The partner who supervises me at my office is very outspoken in his politics. He has a bumper sticker on his car, proclaiming his position on abortion and the right to choose. He regularly states his opinion of the current administration and the parties that dominate the federal political scene.

Yesterday, he came to me with a request that I sign a petition. As he did, he made a comment about being my employer.

I found this pretty disturbing.

I read over the petition, and decided that I could not, in good conscience, support it. If the petition gathered enough signatures to make it onto the ballot, and were passed, it would change the method of redistricting in California, and would restrict who may participate in the process. While Gerrymandering is a problem, codifying into law a prohibition against certain people being able to participate is wrong in my view.

The attorneys at my firm are all politically active, at least to some degree. The attorney in one office next to mine asked if I wanted an Obama bumper sticker for my car. Another attorney regularly makes statements of disgust with liberal politicians, and praise for conservatives. But asking me to sign a petition, coupled with a reference to being my boss, I think was inappropriate. I don't think he would take adverse action against me for declining to sign, but I am very uncomfortable with the position I've been put in.

Am I overreacting? Or am I right to think that he should not have done this?

Joy

My life doesn't suck right now.

Work is busy. But when isn't it? And what I'm doing right now is pretty awesome. I have a client who's selling his business. Another who's merging his company with another. Friends of mine are referring business to me. As are clients. And professional colleagues.

My kids seem not to hate me *quite* as much as I thought they did.

Things with QIR are going well. She came down to visit earlier this week, spending two very nice nights here before she headed back up to the Bayeria to meet her obligations.

I went to a party at the home of a friend over the weekend. Later, I heard that the other guests were happy to have met me and enjoyed my music. Earlier in the weekend, while my power was out, I had a lovely dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, and was told at the end of the meal that it was on the house.

Does this mean that I'm gonna get walloped with something uber-sucky? Or is this my time to have good and happy things happen to me?

It's a Not-So-Small World

The children arrived last Wednesday evening. Spent a night, a day, another night, and a morning in Santa Cruz. Then we got on the road and headed south, Anaheim-bound.

The kids have been to Disneyland only once before, six years ago. That time, days after the last attack on the World Trade Center, the parks were largely empty. We had no trouble whatsoever running around the Magic Kingdom and California Adventure, riding on whatever rides suited our fancy.

That was not our experience the past three days. Everyone and his brother, aunt, nephew's girlfriend, third cousin twice removed on his mother's side, and pool boy was there. The lines ran more than an hour long. The fast-passes, which Disney came up with years ago as a means of crowd control, ran out. The result was chaos.

On the plus side, they had a good time. Child the Elder didn't get all snide and full of attitude until last night. She did finally deal it out, like she was storing it up just to dish it out all at once. But at least I was spared the crap until the end of their visit.