Monday, December 30, 2013

The outlook for 2014

There's no better way to prepare for the new year than by doing something totally crazy.

And here it is, the post that blows past the 100-post-self-imposed blog limit.

What's new?  2014 is showing signs of being an awesome year in the life of your host.  Some things that are on the horizon, the things that will be truly life-altering, can't be uttered out loud.

I think I'll just stick to some of the minor awesome things.  Like the recent past, for instance.

The Christmas holidays have been a blessing.  Jonathan, Lauren and Andrew shared our roof, as did Vicky, Jonathan's girlfriend.  We celebrated Susan's birthday with a gourmet dinner at one of the city's very best restaurants, Club Chasse et PĂȘche, in Old Montreal.  Bob, do you remember where we parked our bikes in the old city, right on a corner, and then went for a stroll?  Well, two or three doors up that street is where the restaurant is.  A slice of heaven on earth, truly.
Photo to jog Bob's memory
See how Bob got here
Before that, we celebrated Christmas, but on the 27th, not the 25th.  Vicky couldn't get away from Toronto until the 26th at the end of the day, so we held our gift giving and receiving desires in check until she was able to join us.

And what did Santa have in store for me?  I'm glad I asked.

Among many other things too numerous to mention, I got a state of the art Cuisinart Grind and Brew coffee maker.  The new model with the bur grinder.  Our old Grind and Brew quit on us a few days before Christmas, after more than ten years of loyal service.  A doohickey on the grinder bit that is vital to the operation of the whole machine broke off, rendering the entire thing utterly useless.  For those who are coffee lovers, the Grind and Brew is, in my not-so-humble opinion,  the very best drip coffee maker in the world.

Did I get anything that made my rider's heart skip a beat?  You betcha!

Lauren drew me in the family-only secret Santa draw and gave me Oxford Heaterz heated grips, and a Warm-N-Safe Heat Troller.  There will be much fiddling to install them on the GTS, including the obligatory self-imposed project report.  Some dremelling has already been done, and there is more to do before the deed is done.  Thank you, thank you, thank you Lauren!!!

And there you have it folks.  The 101st blog post.  So much for arbitrary limits and self-imposed constraints.  I am a rebel at heart anyway.  It suits me better than the alternative.  I guess this means that there is no way of telling how many blog posts will happen in 2014 now is there?

12 comments:

Unknown said...

David:

I'm not sure I could have afforded that piece of heaven, perhaps that's why we walked the other way. I still remember that warm day, touring the city behind the Tourmeister.

You are such a rebel. Now you've set the bar for +101 posts.

Hmmm, Grind & Brew, can't wait to test it out. With Eggs Bennys again, of course.

glad you had quality family time during the Christmas season. Happy new year to you and Susan

bob
Riding the Wet Coast

RichardM said...

The sky hasn't fallen yet even by tempting fate with post 101. Is 2014 the year for 365 posts?

SonjaM said...

A true rebel! scoot101 sounds smarter anyway, like you are going to introduce us to the higher levels of scooting ;-)
Good luck with whatever your goals and plans are for 2014.

Trobairitz said...

I am glad you had such a wonderful holiday season.

I am also amazed your Cuisinart coffee maker lasted 10 years. Our last one didn't make it a year before it hit the trash heap. The timer went out on it and that was that.

Enjoy those heated grips. I think that is what Brad has on his Tiger.

Happy New Year to you and the misses.

VStar Lady said...

I knew you could do it ... 365 is a bit of self imposed pressure for 2014, but if you want to I'm sure you can do! Sounds like you had a wonderful holiday and have lots of good stuff coming in the future. All the best for 2104, may your dreams and plans come true. (I expect we'll see you out scooting soon with all the heat you got for Christmas!)

Canajun said...

Sounds like a fabulous Christmas enjoyed with family and good stuff under the tree.

101 posts is a lot! I usually get about one a week out (on average) and even that seems a lot some times.

All the best for 2014; I'm curious to find out what your un-utterable news will be.

David Masse said...

Bob, it turned out to be less expensive than I feared. The kids picked up their own tabs and Susan and I picked up the wine. In the end, about $100 per person. And the food was really, really, really good.

David Masse said...

Richard, the 101st post was painless, and it managed to banish the mental block with the number of posts. I find that the metrics of blogging sometimes get in my way. Turning a blind eye to them is the way to go.

I think that if ever there is a year with 365 posts it will be because it will be one heck of a good year with lots of joy to share.

David Masse said...

Sonja, it looks like we're going to the Italian riviera in May, just not sure where exactly, or when exactly. There will be eight of us in the immediate family sharing a villa, hopefully with a pool.

It will be a miracle if I can wedge in a scooter ride, but I will do my best.

We are looking around Portofino and vicinity because we want to tour as far south as Florence, and as far north as Milan.

I might be able to rent a scooter and take a little road trip to Pontedera to visit the Piaggio museum. Now that would be sweet.

David Masse said...

Brandy, when our last drip coffee maker died (a Phillips model I believe - It was a wedding gift if you can believe it, so it lasted from 1976 to 2003), we went shopping. I believe that you should never buy an appliance that does more than one thing, so I was steering clear from the Gind-N-Brew.

The sales person mentioned that it was their best-selling model and that the customers were full of praise for it. So we bought it.

By far it is the best coffee maker we have owned. There is something about the freshly ground beans being immediately used to make the coffee. The aroma is amazing and so is the flavor of the coffee.

So far the new model is amazing, and looks like it should last a long time too. It is pricier though.

You can tell we love coffee, we have a Nespresso machine, a french press, a jar of Nescafé in the pantry, and the Grind-N-Brew, and we use them all regularly.

David Masse said...

Thanks Karen, from your lips to God's ears.

Right now there is so much snow and ice riding seems a millions miles away.

It's going to take a while to get the grips installed. I'm toying with the idea of buying Tucano Urbano grip muffs. I already have the Termoscud apron. With all those bells and whistles on board, all I'd need would be a side car to to ride year round.

David Masse said...

Dave, rest assured that if some of the things that are on the horizon come through, you'll read about it here.

All the best to you during hibernation.

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