I have been virtually enjoying it via Twitter, Facebook, and text messages.  Still, the best forecast I have seen, summing up how I feel about our rash of weekend snowstorms, comes from Jim Kosek at Accuweather.com.

"And the snow beast continueth."

We partook in the Chef’s Tasting Journey, essentially a multiple-course meal prepared by the chef.  Some of us in the group partook in the wine pairings courtesy of the somelier.  The rest of us opted for what was before us.

The menu is below.

I will admit to enjoying good food, but I have to admit that everything on this menu was pretty tasty.  The desert was also quite good.  According to my friends who enjoyed the wine pairings, they were also quite good.  The entire meal took well over 3 hours, and I will merely say that it was quite expensive.  It was well worth it, though.

• The Henry Ford
  • My friend and I went to the Ford Rouge Factory tour during the afternoon at The Henry Ford.  Surprisingly, some of the movies during the tour really make you think about how far manufacturing has come in the more than 100 years since Ford introduced the assembly line method of production.
• Red Wings Hockey
  • I took in my first Detroit Red Wings hockey game on Friday night, watching the Red Wings defeat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-3.  I had a fun time at the Joe Louis Arena, and taking in a hockey game on Friday night reminded me of college hockey games at BU.  It helps that the Red Wings wear the same color jerseys as my alma mater.
• Michigan-Michigan State Football
  • While we did not go to the game in Ann Arbor, we met up with some friends to watch the game.  Admittedly, seeing the rivalry close-up was pretty fun.  Folks around here are pretty into their Michigan or Michigan State football.  Personally, I like seeing Michigan lose, so being around for that was enjoyable.
• Detroit Lions Football
  • While the product on the field is not what the fans would like, the facility at Ford Field is an excellent one.  We started by tailgating at Nemo’s, near the old Tigers Stadium.  We then hopped on a shuttle bus to take us near the field to head to the game.  The field is right next to Comerica Park, where the TIgers play.  Watching a game in a domed stadium is a different experience.  I am a little partial to M&T, but I ascribe that to my homerism.  Unfortunately, the Redskins won.

Tomorrow, I will be working remotely while I get ready to fly back to Baltimore.  It has been a fun trip, and the break was a welcome one, especially catching up with two good friends.

For a good baseball trip, St. Louis has to be included.  They have some great fans, and the new ballpark is a great place to watch a baseball game.  My lone complaint: Beer, in the city that is (currently) the capital of American brewing, is insanely pricey.  Admittedly, beer was more expensive than it is at Camden Yards.

Again, though, a great time was had.  Nothing like catching up with a good friend to put things into perspective and act as a nice respite from the usual monotony.

He enjoyed the house, paying compliments that it nor the host did not deserve.  Nonetheless, I promised to make a visit to NYC to see his new place in Brooklyn–and to see if it lives up to the views I have seen in photographs. 

This summer, the onus is on my to pay a visit.  Just get some good plans lined up when I am in town, George.   

I am happy to report that my grandfather is doing quite well.  He had an appointment with his doctor to get an update last Tuesday.  According to his doctor, everything looks good, and the growths in his lungs, liver, and chest have been reduced greatly.  He no longer needs chemotherapy, but he is going to have a final batch of radiation treatments as a preventive measure to ensure that what cancer is left in his body does not become brain cancer.

My grandfather even states that he is doing well, which is something of an achievement considering how hard it has been to get details out of him during his treatment.  He is no longer as short of breath as he was with the tumor that he had, and his voice has returned to normal.  Hell, in a completely unexpected turn of events, my grandfather–the same one who loathes going over to the beach–asked me if I wanted to take a trip over to Ocean City yesterday afternoon.  I obliged him, of course, after picking myself up from the floor after hearing the rarest of all suggestions from my grandfather.

We spent about an hour on the boardwalk, which was pretty crowded for late April.  We even ran into a quasi-relative of sorts while there, and we spent most of that hour talking and catching up.  After our boardwalk visit, we grabbed a late lunch and early dinner at Crab Alley.  I then spent the evening at my aunt and uncle’s, catching up on various things and playing my usual role of family help desk consultant.

This morning, I picked up my grandfather after he attended Sunday Mass, and we went to breakfast.  I treated for breakfast, but I saw yet another sign of my grandfather’s recovery: his appetite has returned.  After breakfast, I took him back to his house and packed up my car for the trip home.

I expect there to be a routine checkup for my grandfather from now on to make sure that he has no further recurrences.  It is good to see him getting around better, sounding better, and being more of his usual self.

As usual, the holidays are upon me much too quickly.  I still have to pick up some things for some family, but fortunately the amount of shopping I have to do is pretty minimal.  Although I had purchased my Christmas cards in advance, they were still mailed out late.  Apologies if for some reason I overlooked you in my usual list of Christmas cards. 

Add to this usual feverish pace for the holidays the amount of late night work I have had to get done, and that has compounded my ability to get things done.  Every night for the last two weeks I have worked late.  I am certainly not complaining, as I am really happy to be busy at work.  Still, working all day in the cube farm and then coming home to work again is pretty draining.  With the coming holiday, most folks will be away from the office.  Something tells me the feverish pace may let up slightly for the coming week. 

With all of this in mind, I need to do the following things tomorrow:

• Call my grandfather and let him know when I will be down on Saturday;
• Call my nephew and his foster parent to take care of the plans for Christmas Day;
• Rebuild the laptop for the nephew;
• Go through all of the rest of my mail and Christmas cards;
• Take care of my last minute shopping. 

All will get done, and this weekend should be somewhat relaxing since I will be at my grandfather’s.  That should be some welcome rest. 

I have never been to Michigan, so it will be good to take in a nice weekend trip.  Even better will be seeing some good friends and college hockey.