Almost Christmas

Christmas mode on as the tree and other decorations go up. 

Today at Breakfast Club

The elevated egg sandwich with millionaire’s bacon. Philip partakes in solid food for the first time. 

New MacBook Air

It’s occurred to me that I have not mentioned anything about my latest Apple  product: the late 2018 13” MacBook Air.  Space gray and distinctly faster than the one it replaced (an early 2015 12” MacBook). 

Early Christmas Get-Together

Brad hosts an early Christmas Party.  

A Moscow Mule Kind of Night

Watershed Distillery vodka, Goslings ginger beer, lime juice, and lots of ice in a lovely copper mug make for a chill evening. 

Holiday Care Train

My two Care Train adoptees this year. It’ll be interesting shopping for these.

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Puppy Eyes

I see you eyeing those crispy pork belly bites!

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Old Boy Network

Former co-worker reunion and dinner.

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Glass Door Departure

Poor robin flew headlong onto one of my double-pane glass front doors and sadly, met its untimely demise.

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Cinnamon Sugar/Red Bean Paste (Azuki) Palmiers

Puff pastry magic!

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Before.

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After.

Zero Turn Mower

After years of paying a service to mow my 2.5+ acres, I finally decided to get my own riding mower this year - a Kubota Kommander Pro zero turn mower with a 54” deck. Trying it out today, I discovered that driving it straight is quite a finesse skill. I’m going to need more than a few practice sessions before I can actually cut grass. 

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12-Hour Smoke

This Sunday’s project.

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6-lb Beef Brisket

Fall Colors

Been taking photos of the changing leaves around the house, as well as the dramatic mid-autumn moods of late.

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Matcha Ice Cream

The first time I had matcha ice cream was in Japan many years ago. It was made by Haagen Dazs, surprisingly, and it quickly became my favorite flavor of that brand. I made matcha ice cream this past weekend using ceremonial grade matcha powder. First time doing so. Haagen Dazs has nothing on it. 

 Watch Infograph Face

I think I’ve settled on this watch face with these 8 complications as my favorite.  

How I Roll

I oven-roasted a pork belly roll this weekend, following a 3-phase low-, medium-, and high-heat cooking style. Best results so far. Crispy skin and tender juicy meat. Sticking to this approach from here on. 

Dramatic Paint Colors and a Surreal Sunset

A feature wall in the hallway and a small alcove near the house’s side entrance were painted dramatic colors today.  Then, a surreal sunset showed up to remind that nature still paints the best colors. 

 Watch Series 4

New Apple Watch Series 4 (Nike Edition) arrived today.  Bigger, faster, all-around better. 

Brunch

In lieu of breakfast club, we had brunch at Bonifacio yesterday. Food was on point as usual. 

Best of Ireland

Quick snapshots from my recent Ireland trip (9/26-10/1/2018).