Life events

Good Sunday morning all. Just thought that I would say hello and see how everyone else's Thanksgiving was. Mine went wonderfully. It felt like it was such a long day and when it's my day off and it feels like that then it is all good. Both days off actually felt really long. Wonderful news that is. Nothing else new going on at the bakery. Enjoying still, although the deadline is coming up really fast for when we have to have all the bread ready to be baked and approved by the head honchos. Also of note, Brian said that he was going to be bringing the newborn into work on Monday, so we all get to see it. He also said that he would bring it down to the bakery for me to see it. Hopefully Jen will be back then so that she can see it. I know she would love to see it again. Seeing as she had so much fun with her little one that was at that stage just a year ago. Well, nothing else is new here. Gotta get into gear and make sure I know what everyone wants before I go Christmas shopping, even though I have two weeks yet before that happens. I am going to buy the two turtles we have a bigger tank in three weeks or so. Just before Christmas. That will be a present for Katie and me a little bit. We jsut fouind out the other day that we have a male and a female, and the male is trying to get the female to mate. Very amusing way they do it too. The male sits in front of the female and wiggles it's two front claws at her. So far Michele (formerly Mike) has rejected Ike totally. Poor guy, maybe the new tank will let him have a chance. Nothing else so I will talk to you later Joe Listening to: Corruption, Front Line Assembly FYI: The Library of Congress has 600 miles of shelves.

Construction and Expansion Update

Atunyote Golf Club closed at the end of October, but workers have been on site every day finishing up the luxurious new clubhouse. The temporary clubhouse used during the course's inaugrural season has been removed, and the ground is being graded and prepared for landscaping. Inside, carpet and lighting fixtures have been installed in the restaurant, and crews have begun installing banquettes. Last week, heavy machinery could be seen digging at the corner of Snyder and Patrick Roads, preparing for construction of the foundation for the new golf dome. The facility will allow golfers to hone their skills all year long and also can be configured or other indoor activities like tennis. Work continues in hte Winter Garden, particularly in the two restaurants. Up on the mezzanine level, crews have installed a polished granite top on the bar just inside the entrance of the new Brazillian steakhouse. Workers also are busy installing kitchen fixtures and appliances and various accents for the dining areas. The restaurant will seat about 175 people. Downstairs, work also is progressing on the new, expanded buffet. Light fixtures have benn installed in the spacious entry area underneath the stairway to the second floor, and floor tile has been laid in the entryway and in the food service areas. The 420-seat buffet will feature half a dozen stations where guests can order freshly made entrees in a variety of cuisines. The massive revolving door for the Winter Garden's main entrance has arrived, and crews were working on its installation last week. The glass floor tiles for the "river" lading from the main entrance to a small rotunda between the two-story water falls have been installed, as has a waist-high glass wall around the fountain feature in the rotunda. Glass water walls also have benn installed on either side of the fountain, and behind them new retail shops have been framed. Plans call for one shop to feature high-quality jewelry and the other to offer seasonal gifts. The new Opal's coffee shop also has been framed at the far end of the Winter Garden, complete with an indoor canopy. Thanks in part to the unseasonably dry November weather, outside work around the resort has made substantial progress this fall. Grading has been done for new parking near the hotel loading dock; the site used to be a pond but was filled in earlier this year in anticipation of increased parking needs. Medians and islands for the new lot also have been framed. Crews also have been erecting a plethora of holiday decorations around the property. Talk to you later Joe FYI: Americans spend more than $630 million a year on golf balls.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Hope your day was full of food and fun with the family. Tomorrow some of us have to go back to work, others get to have the weekend off. You bastards. Talk to you later Joe I'm listening to Forever and Always, Shania Twain FYI: Honeybees navigate by using the sun as a compass.

A little bit more bakery

11/22/2004 Today was another day of learning. All be it just one thing. Today I made the starter dough for the bread. It's the dough that we make the day before so that the dough we make the next day will be able to work. Gives it a boost per se. I also found out that I am going to be the guy that does most if not all of the mixing. This I can not wait for. I have always wanted to learn this part of the bakery. I pretty much had the bench part of baking down, now all I needed was to learn how to mix the dough properly. The only thing left is going to be the cooking of the bread and the proofing of it. The proofing I will learn as I go seeing as we will be doing this everyday. Another thing that I learned last night was that one of the other bakers that I work with knows the Marshals of Star Bakery. Where I got my start in the baking business. Such a small world, it is. Tonight I also got to see the view from the Tower at night. Another spectacle. Looks a little better at night with all the headlights going down all the highways that we have at the intersection of the thruway, 31 and 365. Definetly one of the best views in CNY. Nothing else is new, so... Talk to you later Joe Listening to: Party All Night, Jeff Foxworthy, Little Texas, Scott Rouse FYI: Butterflies were formerly known by the name "flutterby."

More Bakery

Sorry for the long delay, getting used to a new schedule has had me changing my routine till I could find something that would work. Still changing it and fine tuning it, but I dont really wnat to get to fine tuned seeing as it will all change when I go onto nights. But anyways, I digress. The bakery is very enjoyable. I am learning new stuff almost daily. We really haven' t gotten around to making too much bread as of yet. But Rich, my new boss, says that we will be getting to that starting this week. Jen wants all the bread figured out by the 5th, I believe it was. So we are going to be making lots of bread. Should be fun and a lot of new lessons. I have never mixed bread before so it is going to be all new. Today I got to roll dough for the first time in 2 and a half years. I found out just how much I missed doing this. I just cant wait till we get into actually making the bread on a regular basis. And all the recipes I will be gathering while I do this is going to be just as fun. Seeing as we can't make bread yet we have been kept occupied making all the other things that are in the bakery and other restaurants. This has also been very enjoyable. On a daily basis I have had to make chocolate chip cookie dough, oatmeal cookie dough, chocolate cake, white cake, yellow cake, and macaroons. I have also made crumbly topping for little cheesecake like things. Sorry really can't remember what they were called. I cant wait till tomorrow to see what we will make. I haven't liked my job and looked forward to going there in quite some time, but it definately is back. I am very greatful of this. The only things that I hve to learn myself is my conversions. I'm getting pretty darn good with them. Kinda helps that I use them on a daily basis. I have started to write down the recipes that we have used the most, but I need to get another notebook to put them in. That is one of my next purchses. Well, nothing else is going on so... Talk to you later Joe Listening to right now: Imagine, John Lennon FYI: There is a town in Alaska called Chicken

New baby

I found out tonight that Brian had his baby. This is one of the guys I used to work with at the Forrest Grill. He had a girl named Sydney that was 9# 7oz. He said that she was holding onto his hand and wouldnt let it go. I think I was just as excited about this as he was. Now I really cant wait for my little one to make an appearence. Nothing else new, I will write more later. Sorry. The bakery is going good. Talk to you later Joe

Construction and Expansion Update

Work is progressing quickly on the new SavOn at Verona Beach. Underground tanks have been installed, and the infrastructure for the pumps also is in. Crews have cut two driveways fro easier traffic flow on and off Route 13; another driveway will empty onto Miller Road. The new store will replace the existing location and is scheduled to open next spring, offering both gas and diesel fuel, a wider range fo food options, and safer, more convenient access. Most of the roads and parking lots around the resort have been resurfaced in the last couple of weeks, although some areas remain to be done. Landscaping also has continued, especially in front of the new stone monument wall at the main entrance off Route 365. Another stone wall at the corner of the main boulevard and the access road leading to Shenendoah and the Lodge is being built. Eventually, both walls will feature new signage for the resort with the new Turning Stone logo. In the Wintergarden, workers last week were installing the metal braces and glass tiles that will cover the unfer-floor river. The river leads from the entrance to a small rotunda, which will feature a glass sculpture. On either side of the rotunda, glass walls have been installed, and behind those walls will be high-end retail shops. Work continues in the two new restaurant in the Wintergarden. Crews have installed the hostess starion at the entrance to the new buffet, as well as wooden partitions around the interior seating areas. Wall tile is up behind the action stations, where guests will be able to order entress and watch them being prepared. Workers also were installing banquettes last week. Up on the mezzanine level, work in Rodiziio Churrascaria, the new Brazillian steakhouse, is generating lots of interest from guests. The 175-seat restuarant will feature a football-shaped wood bar and views of the Wintergarden. Workers have installed marble floor tiles and were concentrating on wall finishing last week. Plans call for the restaurant to open shortly after Thanksgiving. Finishing work continues in the VIP areas of the Event Center, as well as some other amenities. The main doors facing the access road are lrge enough to allow semis to enter the event floor to load and unload equipment. THe seats have built-in cup holders, and there are two VIP suites with seperate reception and viewing rooms. The coat check space near the box office (at the parking garage entrance) has an automatic hanger system that rises above the box office, efficiently utilizing space that otherwise would be wasted. Joe

The bakery experience

Well, I have now finished two days in the bakery, and I am enjoying it very much. The last two days have been me making cakes and cookie dough and muffin dough. Tomorrow I and the other two bread bakers should start working out the recipes for the breads that we will be making. Hopefully we will do this. That is what Jen said anyways. So maybe tomorrow I will have a little more to share with all of you. As of right now nothing is good enough to share. Nothing new is going on either. Talk to you later. Joe FYI: Colors like red, yellow and orange make you hungry.

Time for the Bakery

The time to go to the bakery is almost here. I start tomorrow morning at 11 in the morning and work until 7. I believe this will be my new schedule for the next two weeks at the least. After that I was told it would be 10-6 on the weekdays and 11-7 on the weekends. I will tell you all about my fun either tomorrow when I get home or Tuesday morning before I go to work. I was talking to Heather yesterday, one of the other bakers, and I am getting really excited. Should be a fun and interesting learning experience. Cant wait. My anniversary date was yesterday, I have officially been with the company for 3 years. the longest, other than the Enchanted Forest, that I have been with one company. The Forest was for 9-10 years. But that was only in the summer and during high school. I have had just as much fun at the casino as I had at the Park, so its all good. Nothing else is new so I will let you all go. Talk to you later Joe

Watchout for domain hijackers

Your website could be hijacked without you knowing it, following a new rule from ICANN. The people that take care of the internet.

Firefox is out.

Firefox makes its appearence as a full release and challenges IE. Read the article, and maybe you will be inspired to switch. I'm going to switch over my parents this week, I hope.

iPod's

Help me get a free $250 gift certificate for Apple's iTunes. All you have to do is pick one of these offers. And you could also win one, be a very good Christmas present for someone. Thanks Joe

Idea for a website

Quick post. A website that has the history of the US from day one, day by day. If you know of one let me know. Or take it one step further, a personal website for families, so that they can record what happens to their famliy on a daily basis. Talk to you later Joe

Construction and Expansion Update

Now that the Event Center has successfully hosted two major gatherings-- the Maines Paper and Food Service show and the annual fall meeting of the United South and Eastern Tribes-- crews are preparing the facility for several large entertainment events, including Tim McGraw's Dec. 2 concert and the "Night of Knights" jousting show on New Year's Eve. Workers are finishing the two VIP booths that overlook the main floor; each two-room suite will feature a staffed reception area with a bar and a viewing room. Loge boxes around the perimeter also offer private staff for serving refreshments. Last week, crews began assembling staging for upcoming events. The stage area can be configured in a variety of ways and at heights ranging from about three-and-a-half feet to five feet. Most of the pre-function area of the Event Center is close to being finished as well. Carpet and wall coverings have been installed, and some furniture is in place to form lounge areas in the spacious hallways. The Cypress room, the new multi-purpose room overlooking The Lodge, adds about 6,000 square feet of meeting and event space. About the size of the Mohawk Room, it also can be split into five smaller rooms. A second set of escalators leading from the mezzanine level of the Event Center to the Seneca Room of the Conference Center was operational last week, offering easy access to the gaming floor, Showroom and other areas of the resort. The seven board-style meeting rooms on the second floor of the Tower were opened at the end of October for USET's fall meeting. Each of the rooms has windows facing either the Winter Garden or the grounds of the resort. A dedicated pantry area on the second floor allows for aesy food and beverage service to the rooms. With the exception of the seven VIP luxury suites, all guest rooms in the Tower are now open. Work conitnues on Two-One, the paid membership restaurant on the Twoer's top floor, and on the VIP suite floor. Outside, crews have been paving or repaving the roads and parking lots at the resort and working to finish landscaping before winter sets in. The access road from the main boulevard to the Bingo Hall entrance, the Event Center and the parking garage is now open, and crews are reconfiguring the parking lots near the Team Member entrance." Talk to you later Joe

All the info is in...and what a view

I am going to be working from 11-7 on the weekends and probably 10-6 during the week and will have Wed and Thurs as my days off. I move over there on Monday of this week, the 15th. I will also recieve a raise at some point in the very near future, seeing as the date I go over to the bakery coincides with my year review, again yeah me. Mike took all of us that were working the other day up to the top of the Tower and got to see the view. I have to say its the best view around by far. You could see Onieda Lake, almost to the other end. Im sure if I had binoculars, I would be able to pick out where Kate's parents live. We could also see from the balcony facing towards the intersection of 365 and 31, the water tower at the prison outside of Rome. Im sure if I had my glasses on I would have been able to see the tops of the churches in Rome. the view was jsut incredible. If we had seen it during the fall foliage season it would have been even more spectacular. I would love to be able to go up and see it during the summer months, with all that green around. You could look down and see what they were doing on the ground and how all the projects they have going fit together. Puts all that construction into perspective. Just gorgeous. I am envious for the people that can afford that view, lucky bastards. Nothing else is new, Katie is good, I am fine, the family is fine on both sides. Talk to you later Joe

Work news has finally arrived

i have finally been given my release date to go to the bakery. That date is the 15th of November. Which interestingly enough is my anniversary date for when i started at the casino 3 years ago. I am going to talk to Jen hopefully, today and see what my schedule is going to be like and just to make sure that this really is going ot be my release date. there will be final confirmation tomorrow. Brian, the other guy in the Forrest that is having a baby, has finally been given a date for when they are going to have the baby. Again, interestingly enough it is supposed to be the 15th of November. how eerie. We will be getting another sonogram in January so that we can definitely, hopefully confirm that the baby is a girl. and if its not then i think we will be very disappointed, we are all looking forward to a girl. but either way it does not matter to me. Well, i guess that is all. Talk to you later. Joe

Construction and Expansion Update

"The drape concealing the half of the Winter Garden from the twin waterfalls back to the Smokin' wing of the resort have been removed, allowing employees and guests to get a peek at the progress of work on that protion of the expansion. Workers are waiting for the massive revolving door for the Winter Garden's main entrance and for the tempered glass flooring that will cover a small 'river' leading to a sculpture and water feature between the waterfalls, in a small rotunda area. There will be glass water walls and retail shops on either side of the rotunda. One side will feature a high-end jewelry shop, and the other will offer seasonal gifts. A new Opals pastry and coffee shop will be located at the Smokin' end of the Winter Garden, with sidewalk-café-style seating under one of the massive pyramid-shaped skylights. Near Opals will be a new elevator bank leading to the existing hotel wing and to a new VIP players lounge, with an indoor patio overlooking the Winter Garden. Workers are converting five hotel rooms to create the lounge, which will offer concierge, massage, entertainment and other luxury services. WOrk is progressing ont he new Brazilian steakhouse on the mezzanine level of the Winter Garden. A football shaped bar has been installed near the entrance, and crews have been laying floor tiles in the bar and kitchen areas. The steakhouse will have gold-toned walls , wood-clad columns matching those on the Witner Garden's main floor, and views of the palm trees and tropical plants throughout the Winter Garden. The restaurant is scheduled to open in the next few weeks. The new expanded buffet area alos is coming together. Hoods have been installed for the 'action stations,' where guests will be able to select a variety of entrees and watch them being prepared. There are three large seating areas in the buffet, including a garden-like terrace area near the main Winter Garden entrance. The hostess station has been installed, and floor tile has been laid on the terrace and in the massive entry area. Like the Brazilian steakhouse, the new buffet is slated to open around the end of November. When the buffet opens, the Team Member cafeteria will move into part of the current Garden Buffet while crews work to expand the existing cafeteria. Eventually, the Garden Buffet space will be split; part of it will be taken up with the enlarged Team Member cafeteria, and part will become the location of a new quick-food service area for guests. All guest rooms in the Tower are now ipen except for the suites. The luxury suites are being fiotted with marble-clad Jacuzzi tubs and steamrooms, among other amenitites. Those suites also will have access to a marble staricase leading to Two-One, the private paid-membership restaurant on the Tower's top floor. Elsewhere around the resort proper, crews are landscaping and resurfacing the parkinglots and roads around Turning Stone. Site work also has begun on the new golf dome, an indoor facility newar the co-generation plant designed to help golfers stay on top of their games year-round. Atunyote Golf Club was scheduled to finish its inagural season Sunday, but work continues on the sumptuous clubhouse at the course. Hardwood floors have been laid in the foyer and lounges, and crews were painting trim and interior doors last week. Trim work has been finished in the restaurant, and light fixtures have been installed. Kitchen fixtures and appliances also are largely in place." Brought to you by: "The Insider Employee News and Information." This is a weekly newsletter for the employees so that they can keep up on all the new things, that are going on and what is being offered by the Resort.

Voting day

Only one thing today. Go VOTE. Enjoy the fun talk to you later Joe