Today, I ended my subscription to Netflix. Yes, I suck at Netflix. As my father's day gift from my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) was nearing an end, I decided to cancel my membership altogether.
It was probably a good thing that I canceled Netflix. Truth be told, I did waste a lot of time watching movies, whereas I could have better spent the time being more productive. (Heck, I probably could have finished renovating the first floor bathroom with all the hours I spent watching movies... Yeah, right.)
So, it appears that the last movies that I will have watched via Netflix are: The Haunting in Connecticut, The Incredible Hulk, and The Wrestler. Of the three, I have only watched The Haunting in Connecticut thus far. I have a week to return the other two.
(The video below is a trailer for The Haunting in Connecticut.)
The Haunting in Connecticut, by the way, was a little lame... and really not that scary at all. Sure, it had the dramatic music and the split second shots of ghosts, but on a whole it was not that good. But, it did have Beaver from Veronica Mars fame in the movie (and the movie had Virginia Madsen too).
Not to be confused with "A" Haunting in Connecticut, which is the documentary about the family and its experience with the haunted house, this movie took a few creative liberties. Either way, I'm sure my friend (Garv) would be absolutely scared. Garv is afraid of ghosts. It's almost comical as to how afraid he is in regards to the supernatural.
Interestingly enough, it turns out that my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) is also not a big fan of scary movies. In the words of my favorite niece (Kaleigh), he screamed like a girl when she snuck up on him after he had watched the movie with my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her BFF (Gretchen).
Anyway, having canceled Netflix, Karen and I planned to celebrate with a dinner at Strawberry Fair located in Norwell. Okay, perhaps we weren't celebrating the end of my Netflix subscription. We had talked about going out for dinner after work. It just so happens that the last time we went to Strawberry Fair, we received a coupon for a free strawberry shortcake dessert that would expire today.
Needless to say, we figured we'd give Strawberry Fair a shot and try its strawberry shortcake dessert. The only problem: Strawberry Fair was unexpectedly closed. So, we ended up going to Not Your Average Joe's, which was right down the street.
As usual, Not Your Average Joe's was delicious. I tried their calzone for the first time today. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) It was very good. All in all, I had a good time today with Karen.
Monday, August 31, 2009
I Suck At Going To Lowell
On Sunday, I found out that there is a lot to like about Lowell. For anyone curious, "There is a lot to like about Lowell" was once the slogan used by the "All-America City" of Lowell. To me, I find it strange that a city needs to promote itself. It almost makes it seem like the city needs to repair its shady self-image or something.
I don't know if Lowell has a shady past or anything, but if someone said, "you know, there is a lot to like about Mike... He's an all-american guy..." What would you think? You'd think something is wrong with Mike, right? (Or that he's ugly. Or possibly both.) My thoughts exactly.
Needless to say, I suck at going to Lowell. Karen's aunt (Denise) was having people over for a cookout. And it so happens that Denise lives in Lowell. It is Denise's daughter, Karlene (and her husband Tommy) whom Karen and I generally see during the New Year... along with some other family traditions.
Anyway, as usual the food was delicious. It seems like it has been a long while since my in-laws got together. Granted, we got together last week to celebrate Karen's grandmother's (Nana) birthday. Last week, however, was very brief.
Whether true or not, it seemed like in the past, Karen and I went to a lot of family gatherings. That was, of course, back when Nana was not in the nursing home. Since Nana entered the nursing home, the family get-togethers have been few and far between. (I'm obviously not complaining.) Of course, that's just my opinion.
Regardless, it was nice to attend a family gathering again yesterday. And as it's my nature, I may have instigated a little. Nana's sister (Mary) actually came for the cookout as well.
As long as I have known Mary, she has never had a great memory. At one time, she used to refer to people as "Whosywhatsit". It's like seeing someone who you think you should know, but can't remember their name... and when they say "hi"... you point to them and say "hey... you..." I sometimes fear that I will become Mary because my memory is equally terrible. Unfortunately, her memory has gotten worse with age.
So naturally, I had a little fun with Mary yesterday. Mental note: don't anger the elderly. Mary, after forgetting who I was after telling her minutes before, asked if I were in high school. As much as I enjoyed having a youthful look, I told her that I was in kindergarten. She didn't like that I was teasing her. I was relatively sure that she would forget everything I said in a matter of minutes anyway. In fact, I was banking on the fact that she would not even remember who I was after a few minutes. But when I was teasing her, she sure did give me a nasty look.
All right, so maybe I'm no boy scout. But for the record, I did already tell her that I had graduated college moments before she asked me if I were in high school. I was just having fun.
Anyway, it was a good time at Denise's... even if she does live in Lowell. I found out, by the way, that Lowell has a "Plan E" form of government in which the city's councilors elect a mayor amongst themselves (and not by the city's residents). I found that quite peculiar.
The topic of government came up because Karen thought Tommy would make a great mayor of Lowell, much in the same way that I think my friend (Cass) would make a great mayor of Quincy. By the way, vote Cass in the next election for Quincy's mayor! And for those of you who do not live in Quincy, it's okay to still vote for Cass.
After all, it turns out that the current Mayor (Koch) received votes from non-Quincy residents. Shady? Most definitely. Of course, I still have to convince Cass to run for mayor... which could be problematic. But I can dream... (And for the record, I think Tommy would make a great mayor of Lowell as well.)
I don't know if Lowell has a shady past or anything, but if someone said, "you know, there is a lot to like about Mike... He's an all-american guy..." What would you think? You'd think something is wrong with Mike, right? (Or that he's ugly. Or possibly both.) My thoughts exactly.
Needless to say, I suck at going to Lowell. Karen's aunt (Denise) was having people over for a cookout. And it so happens that Denise lives in Lowell. It is Denise's daughter, Karlene (and her husband Tommy) whom Karen and I generally see during the New Year... along with some other family traditions.
Anyway, as usual the food was delicious. It seems like it has been a long while since my in-laws got together. Granted, we got together last week to celebrate Karen's grandmother's (Nana) birthday. Last week, however, was very brief.
Whether true or not, it seemed like in the past, Karen and I went to a lot of family gatherings. That was, of course, back when Nana was not in the nursing home. Since Nana entered the nursing home, the family get-togethers have been few and far between. (I'm obviously not complaining.) Of course, that's just my opinion.
Regardless, it was nice to attend a family gathering again yesterday. And as it's my nature, I may have instigated a little. Nana's sister (Mary) actually came for the cookout as well.
As long as I have known Mary, she has never had a great memory. At one time, she used to refer to people as "Whosywhatsit". It's like seeing someone who you think you should know, but can't remember their name... and when they say "hi"... you point to them and say "hey... you..." I sometimes fear that I will become Mary because my memory is equally terrible. Unfortunately, her memory has gotten worse with age.
So naturally, I had a little fun with Mary yesterday. Mental note: don't anger the elderly. Mary, after forgetting who I was after telling her minutes before, asked if I were in high school. As much as I enjoyed having a youthful look, I told her that I was in kindergarten. She didn't like that I was teasing her. I was relatively sure that she would forget everything I said in a matter of minutes anyway. In fact, I was banking on the fact that she would not even remember who I was after a few minutes. But when I was teasing her, she sure did give me a nasty look.
All right, so maybe I'm no boy scout. But for the record, I did already tell her that I had graduated college moments before she asked me if I were in high school. I was just having fun.
Anyway, it was a good time at Denise's... even if she does live in Lowell. I found out, by the way, that Lowell has a "Plan E" form of government in which the city's councilors elect a mayor amongst themselves (and not by the city's residents). I found that quite peculiar.
The topic of government came up because Karen thought Tommy would make a great mayor of Lowell, much in the same way that I think my friend (Cass) would make a great mayor of Quincy. By the way, vote Cass in the next election for Quincy's mayor! And for those of you who do not live in Quincy, it's okay to still vote for Cass.
After all, it turns out that the current Mayor (Koch) received votes from non-Quincy residents. Shady? Most definitely. Of course, I still have to convince Cass to run for mayor... which could be problematic. But I can dream... (And for the record, I think Tommy would make a great mayor of Lowell as well.)
I Suck At Finishing The Garage
With the non-stop rain, Saturday was the perfect day to organize things and put them neatly back into garage. After all, the heavy downpour pretty much made going outside not exactly the most favorable option. The only problem: The garage was not finished. Now I suck at finishing the garage. It just so happens that I was not finishing the garage. The contractors were.
Saturday became day 4 of the garage renovation. The original estimate provided by the company hired by Home Depot was two days. In two days, Karen and I were supposed to have a new wall panel system installed in our garage with a new floating rubber floor. Instead, in two days we had a partially completed wall panel system and no floor.
Having finished the wall panel system on Friday, all that was left for the contractors was the floor. So while the contractors worked on installing the floor on Saturday, Karen and I wasted time around the house. We were itching to do something productive during the bad weather. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen.
One of the things we were hoping to do was laundry. Our washer and dryer are currently located in our garage. With the contractors working on the garage (and particularly the floor), our washer and dryer had to be temporarily disconnected... for four days. Four days may not seem a lot, but it did make having clean clothes seem like a long time.
Eventually, the contractors finished installing the floor. Truth be told, the garage looks great. I'm ecstatic with the way the garage came out. Sure, I think the company could have done a better job of estimating the time it would take to finish the garage. If I had to take days off from work, I would be extremely perturbed. Luckily, I work from home most of the days.
Needless to say, I'm happy with the garage even if there are some slight imperfections. Like my friend (Cass) sometimes says... "It's not how I would do it..." I'm particularly happy that I didn't have to renovate the garage myself. The garage would never have gotten completed had I renovated the garage myself because I would always put the project off. (Heck, our first floor bathroom is proof of that.)
Regardless, it is nice to have a finished garage now. The problem, of course, is keeping the garage nice and tidy. With any luck, I'll have the garage door opener working and we can actually park the car in the garage. (Baby steps...)
Anyway, to celebrate the new garage, my friends (Marc and Kelley) came over. Marc and Kelley were coming back from their vacation on Saturday. They were quite excited about their vacation. It sounded like they had a great time, which is cool.
I actually felt bad for asking them to come over. They had been driving around all week, so I'm sure driving down to Norwell was probably a pain. At the time, the contractors were still installing the floor, and I couldn't leave the contractors alone to finish their work because they needed my signature and stuff for when they completed the job. As it was, Marc and Kelley arrived while the contractors were finishing up.
Needless to say, the four of us had a great time. Marc and Kelley had some cheese that they had gotten on their trip... as well as some wine. So we hung out and tried the food. The cheese was good. The cheese had bacon in it... how delicious is that?
All in all, the day turned out to be pretty good despite the heavy rain and the lack of being productive during the day. (It really was agonizing during the day. Karen played some Bejeweled... We watched Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral service. I twiddled my thumbs. Yes, very boring.) So needless to say, hanging out with friends is always a good thing. Karen and I are lucky to have good friends.
Saturday became day 4 of the garage renovation. The original estimate provided by the company hired by Home Depot was two days. In two days, Karen and I were supposed to have a new wall panel system installed in our garage with a new floating rubber floor. Instead, in two days we had a partially completed wall panel system and no floor.
Having finished the wall panel system on Friday, all that was left for the contractors was the floor. So while the contractors worked on installing the floor on Saturday, Karen and I wasted time around the house. We were itching to do something productive during the bad weather. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen.
One of the things we were hoping to do was laundry. Our washer and dryer are currently located in our garage. With the contractors working on the garage (and particularly the floor), our washer and dryer had to be temporarily disconnected... for four days. Four days may not seem a lot, but it did make having clean clothes seem like a long time.
Eventually, the contractors finished installing the floor. Truth be told, the garage looks great. I'm ecstatic with the way the garage came out. Sure, I think the company could have done a better job of estimating the time it would take to finish the garage. If I had to take days off from work, I would be extremely perturbed. Luckily, I work from home most of the days.
Needless to say, I'm happy with the garage even if there are some slight imperfections. Like my friend (Cass) sometimes says... "It's not how I would do it..." I'm particularly happy that I didn't have to renovate the garage myself. The garage would never have gotten completed had I renovated the garage myself because I would always put the project off. (Heck, our first floor bathroom is proof of that.)
Regardless, it is nice to have a finished garage now. The problem, of course, is keeping the garage nice and tidy. With any luck, I'll have the garage door opener working and we can actually park the car in the garage. (Baby steps...)
Anyway, to celebrate the new garage, my friends (Marc and Kelley) came over. Marc and Kelley were coming back from their vacation on Saturday. They were quite excited about their vacation. It sounded like they had a great time, which is cool.
I actually felt bad for asking them to come over. They had been driving around all week, so I'm sure driving down to Norwell was probably a pain. At the time, the contractors were still installing the floor, and I couldn't leave the contractors alone to finish their work because they needed my signature and stuff for when they completed the job. As it was, Marc and Kelley arrived while the contractors were finishing up.
Needless to say, the four of us had a great time. Marc and Kelley had some cheese that they had gotten on their trip... as well as some wine. So we hung out and tried the food. The cheese was good. The cheese had bacon in it... how delicious is that?
All in all, the day turned out to be pretty good despite the heavy rain and the lack of being productive during the day. (It really was agonizing during the day. Karen played some Bejeweled... We watched Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral service. I twiddled my thumbs. Yes, very boring.) So needless to say, hanging out with friends is always a good thing. Karen and I are lucky to have good friends.
Friday, August 28, 2009
I Suck At Electrical Work
Yesterday was day 2 of the garage renovation. So far, everything looks great. I think Karen is pretty excited about the new garage as well. I am hoping that after today, my man cave will be complete.
Anyway, yesterday was a little bit more labor intensive on my part. In addition to the odd three way switch wiring, there is conduit running along the ceiling of the garage. Technically, there are two conduits: one that is used to power the ever popular septic system; the other used to power... absolutely nothing.
Needless to say, one of the conduits has to stay. The other conduit had to go. Now, you may be thinking why the conduit had to go at that moment. After all, couldn't I just remove it at a later time?
Well, I could. The problem was that if I were to leave the conduit and remove it at a later time, there would be a big gaping hole in the garage paneling system. And if people have not figured it out yet, I am somewhat peculiar about things. Karen sometimes makes fun of me because I can stare at walls for a long time.
The reason as to why there would be a hole in the paneling system is because the installers would have to cut around the conduit. That is not a problem for the conduit being used to power the septic system. It does, however, seem a little silly to cut around conduit that does absolutely nothing.
Naturally, the conduit that does absolutely nothing has wires going through the wall and into the garage's electrical panel. So, I would have to do some electrical work to not only remove the conduit from the ceiling, but take out the wires that lead from the electrical panel, through the wall, and into the conduit. Unfortunately, I suck at electrical work.
Luckily for me, I did not get electrocuted. (Look ma, no shocks!) I removed the cover to the electrical panel... did a little snip snip here... a little snip snip there. I capped the wires. I yanked out the rest... and voila! Conduit removed.
It's amazing what one can do when there is a time frame placed on a project. I should probably give myself a time frame for the other home improvement projects that I have to do. The projects would actually probably get done that way.
Anyway, yesterday was a little bit more labor intensive on my part. In addition to the odd three way switch wiring, there is conduit running along the ceiling of the garage. Technically, there are two conduits: one that is used to power the ever popular septic system; the other used to power... absolutely nothing.
Needless to say, one of the conduits has to stay. The other conduit had to go. Now, you may be thinking why the conduit had to go at that moment. After all, couldn't I just remove it at a later time?
Well, I could. The problem was that if I were to leave the conduit and remove it at a later time, there would be a big gaping hole in the garage paneling system. And if people have not figured it out yet, I am somewhat peculiar about things. Karen sometimes makes fun of me because I can stare at walls for a long time.
The reason as to why there would be a hole in the paneling system is because the installers would have to cut around the conduit. That is not a problem for the conduit being used to power the septic system. It does, however, seem a little silly to cut around conduit that does absolutely nothing.
Naturally, the conduit that does absolutely nothing has wires going through the wall and into the garage's electrical panel. So, I would have to do some electrical work to not only remove the conduit from the ceiling, but take out the wires that lead from the electrical panel, through the wall, and into the conduit. Unfortunately, I suck at electrical work.
Luckily for me, I did not get electrocuted. (Look ma, no shocks!) I removed the cover to the electrical panel... did a little snip snip here... a little snip snip there. I capped the wires. I yanked out the rest... and voila! Conduit removed.
It's amazing what one can do when there is a time frame placed on a project. I should probably give myself a time frame for the other home improvement projects that I have to do. The projects would actually probably get done that way.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
I Suck At Changing Outlets And Switches
Yesterday, Karen and I went out for a little celebration. We ended up celebrating at our local hot spot, Not Your Average Joe's in Norwell. Needless to say, the food (and the bread) was delicious. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.)
One of the reasons for our celebration: our garage. Woo hoo garage! Who doesn't celebrate their garage? Anyway, contractors began renovating our garage yesterday. The project will definitely take longer than expected. The main installer (Keith), when he saw the size of the garage was surprised that only two days were scheduled to complete the job. (Keith seems to think the project will be finished in three days.)
Keith seems like a nice guy. He used to be in the Marine Corps (Semper Fi!). His dad used to be a carpenter and he was in business for himself for quite awhile. Unfortunately, he could never make money... not that his work was awful or anything, but apparently health insurance took a big chunk of change out of his pockets. Hence, he became a contractor for Home Depot as their corporation provided benefits. (It's amazing what you can learn in a couple of hours as he unpacks all of his tools and materials.)
Oh, and Keith is proud of his first and only video creation: a documentary he did on a fire that left his friend homeless for some time. Other than that, he is not too savvy with the computer. (Yes, I have too much time on my hands to get all this information.)
Anyway, for a while I have been organizing the garage... trying to clean things and get them... well, out of the garage. The purpose of all the organization was for this garage install project. The project would have started sooner, but Karen and I were away on vacation in Onset when the installers originally wanted to begin.
The entire garage project basically started on a whim. Some time ago, Karen and I were in Home Depot and one of the sales associates approached us. Always one to be polite, I listened to his sales pitch. The next thing you know, Home Depot scheduled a designer to stop by the house and look into the possibility of renovating the garage. Heck, the design was free, so why not?
After speaking with the designer, Karen and I started to think about the real possibility of letting Home Depot renovate the garage. Apparently, Home Depot purchased this company that has what is called a Viking system. (I think the company used to be called Viking... or Blue Viking... or something Nordic like that.) Basically, the Viking system is a bunch of panels that attach to the wall. Hooks, baskets, cabinets, etc. can then be attached to these panels at any location. And from there, organizing the garage will be easier to maintain.
The whole thing sounded great. Plus, I was really in no mood to tackle a huge project like the garage. After all, I still have the bathroom on the first floor that has been patiently waiting for my attention. So my resources are stretched a little thin. Having someone else come in and renovate the garage sounded like a good thing.
And so Karen and I signed on the dotted line and promised them an arm and a leg. (I don't really need my arm or leg anyway.) If yesterday is any indication of how things are going to be with the garage, then I am happy we decided to have professionals do the work. I have had no complaints thus far. Of course, it has only been one day.
The only thing that I had to do, however, was change the outlets and switches. Unfortunately, I suck at changing outlets and switches. Keith had put up the Viking panels on one side of the room. The panels look great. The only problem was that the old outlet in the garage was... well... awful. The outlet was painted over and rusted. Yes, very aesthetically pleasing.
Hence, the dinner at Not Your Average Joe's in Norwell. Not Your Average Joe's is located near the Home Depot. So after dinner, Karen and I went to pick up some outlets and switches to match the garage. (The outlets and switches... and the wall plates for them... are black, like the trim in our garage.)
Needless to say, I spent much of the night installing the outlets and switches. The outlets were easy to switch because they were on a separate circuit than the garage lights. Changing the light switch in the dark, however, was a little more complicated. I actually had to bring in a work light to install the switches.
And interestingly enough, the wiring for some of the switches: bad. As my friend (Cass) would say... "it's not how I would do it, but..." I would actually ground the grounding wire. That's just me. And I would actually make the three way switch work like a three way switch.
The three way switch in the garage does not properly work. Whichever end you are on, that side controls the light. I can't switch on the light from one side, then go to the other side. Sure, it's annoying. The three way switch in our front area of the house is similarly annoying. That switch does not function properly either and that was installed by an electrician. Damn three way switches.
Anyway, I did not have time to actually look into the matter of the three way switch in the garage. By the time I had discovered its peculiar behavior, it was pretty late into the night. In fact, I may have discovered the weird wiring during the airing of my friend's (Hot Amy) guest appearance on Quncy Access Television. Yeah, Hot Amy is famous now. I haven't seen the episode. I can't wait to watch it though.
Needless to say, I decided to leave the wiring as is. After all, it is just the garage. I suppose I could look into fixing the problem at a later date. But for now, the switch will continue doing its thing: being weird.
Hopefully the rest of the project will still go smoothly.
One of the reasons for our celebration: our garage. Woo hoo garage! Who doesn't celebrate their garage? Anyway, contractors began renovating our garage yesterday. The project will definitely take longer than expected. The main installer (Keith), when he saw the size of the garage was surprised that only two days were scheduled to complete the job. (Keith seems to think the project will be finished in three days.)
Keith seems like a nice guy. He used to be in the Marine Corps (Semper Fi!). His dad used to be a carpenter and he was in business for himself for quite awhile. Unfortunately, he could never make money... not that his work was awful or anything, but apparently health insurance took a big chunk of change out of his pockets. Hence, he became a contractor for Home Depot as their corporation provided benefits. (It's amazing what you can learn in a couple of hours as he unpacks all of his tools and materials.)
Oh, and Keith is proud of his first and only video creation: a documentary he did on a fire that left his friend homeless for some time. Other than that, he is not too savvy with the computer. (Yes, I have too much time on my hands to get all this information.)
Anyway, for a while I have been organizing the garage... trying to clean things and get them... well, out of the garage. The purpose of all the organization was for this garage install project. The project would have started sooner, but Karen and I were away on vacation in Onset when the installers originally wanted to begin.
The entire garage project basically started on a whim. Some time ago, Karen and I were in Home Depot and one of the sales associates approached us. Always one to be polite, I listened to his sales pitch. The next thing you know, Home Depot scheduled a designer to stop by the house and look into the possibility of renovating the garage. Heck, the design was free, so why not?
After speaking with the designer, Karen and I started to think about the real possibility of letting Home Depot renovate the garage. Apparently, Home Depot purchased this company that has what is called a Viking system. (I think the company used to be called Viking... or Blue Viking... or something Nordic like that.) Basically, the Viking system is a bunch of panels that attach to the wall. Hooks, baskets, cabinets, etc. can then be attached to these panels at any location. And from there, organizing the garage will be easier to maintain.
The whole thing sounded great. Plus, I was really in no mood to tackle a huge project like the garage. After all, I still have the bathroom on the first floor that has been patiently waiting for my attention. So my resources are stretched a little thin. Having someone else come in and renovate the garage sounded like a good thing.
And so Karen and I signed on the dotted line and promised them an arm and a leg. (I don't really need my arm or leg anyway.) If yesterday is any indication of how things are going to be with the garage, then I am happy we decided to have professionals do the work. I have had no complaints thus far. Of course, it has only been one day.
The only thing that I had to do, however, was change the outlets and switches. Unfortunately, I suck at changing outlets and switches. Keith had put up the Viking panels on one side of the room. The panels look great. The only problem was that the old outlet in the garage was... well... awful. The outlet was painted over and rusted. Yes, very aesthetically pleasing.
Hence, the dinner at Not Your Average Joe's in Norwell. Not Your Average Joe's is located near the Home Depot. So after dinner, Karen and I went to pick up some outlets and switches to match the garage. (The outlets and switches... and the wall plates for them... are black, like the trim in our garage.)
Needless to say, I spent much of the night installing the outlets and switches. The outlets were easy to switch because they were on a separate circuit than the garage lights. Changing the light switch in the dark, however, was a little more complicated. I actually had to bring in a work light to install the switches.
And interestingly enough, the wiring for some of the switches: bad. As my friend (Cass) would say... "it's not how I would do it, but..." I would actually ground the grounding wire. That's just me. And I would actually make the three way switch work like a three way switch.
The three way switch in the garage does not properly work. Whichever end you are on, that side controls the light. I can't switch on the light from one side, then go to the other side. Sure, it's annoying. The three way switch in our front area of the house is similarly annoying. That switch does not function properly either and that was installed by an electrician. Damn three way switches.
Anyway, I did not have time to actually look into the matter of the three way switch in the garage. By the time I had discovered its peculiar behavior, it was pretty late into the night. In fact, I may have discovered the weird wiring during the airing of my friend's (Hot Amy) guest appearance on Quncy Access Television. Yeah, Hot Amy is famous now. I haven't seen the episode. I can't wait to watch it though.
Needless to say, I decided to leave the wiring as is. After all, it is just the garage. I suppose I could look into fixing the problem at a later date. But for now, the switch will continue doing its thing: being weird.
Hopefully the rest of the project will still go smoothly.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
I Suck At Celebrating Nana's Birthday
My BFF (Kerry) spent the night after our John Hughes movie night. Truth be told, I enjoy it when Kerry spends the night. After all, whenever she spends the night it generally means that Karen and I can continue with our Veronica Mars season. (It's a good show, trust me.)
Plus, I'm sure Batista enjoys it whenever Kerry spends the night too. Batista gets lonely in the room. So sharing the bed with Kerry is probably a plus for him. It's probably the only action he'll get. (For anyone curious, Batista is an action figure of the WWE wrestler: Batista. Marc and Kelley got it for Karen because Karen is a big fan of Batista's exotic look.)
On Sunday, however, there would no Veronica Mars to watch. Karen and I actually had family plans. Luckily, we got to hang out with Kerry beforehand. Well... technically, Karen got to hang out with Kerry because the two of them went shopping while I worked on the garage. It's good though. I think Karen needs quality girl bonding time every now and then.
Anyway when Kerry left, Karen and I went to the nursing home to visit Karen's grandmother. Karen's grandmother (Nana) recently had a birthday and the family celebration happened to be on Sunday. Happy birthday Nana! Unfortunately, I suck at celebrating Nana's birthday.
It was actually nursing home day because Karen and I also visited Karen's other grandmother who was in a transitional nursing home rehabbing from a cracked bone in her leg. So we pretty much made the nursing home rounds on Sunday.
Regardless, Nana's birthday celebration was interesting. Karen and I carpooled with my favorite sister-in-law (Janine), my favorite brother-in-law (PJ), my niece (Kaleigh) and my nephew (PJ). Starving, all of us headed to Salsa's for a quick bite to eat. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) The appetizers at Salsa's was delicious. It's too bad we had to cut the visit short.
The party for Nana actually seemed rather quick. There was the usual cake and presents. And then shortly thereafter, everyone left. I think Nana had a good time. She seemed thrilled that a lot of us where there. Anyway, I hope Nana enjoyed her day.
Plus, I'm sure Batista enjoys it whenever Kerry spends the night too. Batista gets lonely in the room. So sharing the bed with Kerry is probably a plus for him. It's probably the only action he'll get. (For anyone curious, Batista is an action figure of the WWE wrestler: Batista. Marc and Kelley got it for Karen because Karen is a big fan of Batista's exotic look.)
On Sunday, however, there would no Veronica Mars to watch. Karen and I actually had family plans. Luckily, we got to hang out with Kerry beforehand. Well... technically, Karen got to hang out with Kerry because the two of them went shopping while I worked on the garage. It's good though. I think Karen needs quality girl bonding time every now and then.
Anyway when Kerry left, Karen and I went to the nursing home to visit Karen's grandmother. Karen's grandmother (Nana) recently had a birthday and the family celebration happened to be on Sunday. Happy birthday Nana! Unfortunately, I suck at celebrating Nana's birthday.
It was actually nursing home day because Karen and I also visited Karen's other grandmother who was in a transitional nursing home rehabbing from a cracked bone in her leg. So we pretty much made the nursing home rounds on Sunday.
Regardless, Nana's birthday celebration was interesting. Karen and I carpooled with my favorite sister-in-law (Janine), my favorite brother-in-law (PJ), my niece (Kaleigh) and my nephew (PJ). Starving, all of us headed to Salsa's for a quick bite to eat. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) The appetizers at Salsa's was delicious. It's too bad we had to cut the visit short.
The party for Nana actually seemed rather quick. There was the usual cake and presents. And then shortly thereafter, everyone left. I think Nana had a good time. She seemed thrilled that a lot of us where there. Anyway, I hope Nana enjoyed her day.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
I Suck At John Hughes Movies
Yesterday, my friends (Marc and Kelley) organized a little movie marathon. The theme for the movie marathon: John Hughes, the person responsible for many great memorable movies during our childhood. For anyone curious, John Hughes died of a heart attack on August 6th. So, the movie marathon was a tribute to late great writer/director/producer.
Unfortunately, I suck at John Hughes movies. On the agenda for the night: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty In Pink. All of those movies... classic!
(The video below is from Ferris Bueller.)
(The video below is a trailer for Sixteen Candles.)
(The video below is from Pretty In Pink.)
Joining in on the movie fun were my BFF (Kerry) and my friends (Andrea, Cass, and Ellen) My friend (Aimee) was also able to make a little brief pit stop with her children (Rio and Amaya).
The night started off with a blast. And by blast, I mean pink martinis! Kelley made pink martinis for the occasion which were absolutely delicious. As it was a celebration of sorts, I naturally imbibed. Needless to say, the pink martini was good.
Not to be outdone, Andrea also brought a special treat for the night. Andrea generally brings something good to a party. It just so happens that on Saturday Andrea brought pudding shots. Pudding shots are like Jell-o shots, just with pudding. The pudding shots were quite delicious. I could have eaten the entire tray if given enough time. There is, after all, always room for... pudding.
Anyway, it was a fun night to enjoy the movies with a bunch of friends. I always like watching movies to see actors and actresses before they were stars. Case in point: Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Kristy Swanson appeared in Ferris Bueller as Simone, the girl who explained to Ben Stein why Ferris was out sick. As well, she also appeared in Pretty In Pink as the girl who ended up with the one and only Duckie.
In addition to seeing actors and actresses of years past, I like to see how well movies stand the test of time. Sixteen Candles was interesting because there were scenes of sexual harrassment that were supposed to be comedic. Oh those silly kids. Pretty In Pink was pretty funny too, just for the awful kissing scenes between Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy. (Their kissing scenes made Jake Lloyd's acting look good. Well, okay I won't go that far.)
Needless to say, I think everyone else had a good time because there is talk now of a regular 80's movie night. I'll admit... I'm pretty excited about it. Of course, I do tend to like all things 80's... even the big hair.
Unfortunately, I suck at John Hughes movies. On the agenda for the night: Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty In Pink. All of those movies... classic!
(The video below is from Ferris Bueller.)
(The video below is a trailer for Sixteen Candles.)
(The video below is from Pretty In Pink.)
Joining in on the movie fun were my BFF (Kerry) and my friends (Andrea, Cass, and Ellen) My friend (Aimee) was also able to make a little brief pit stop with her children (Rio and Amaya).
The night started off with a blast. And by blast, I mean pink martinis! Kelley made pink martinis for the occasion which were absolutely delicious. As it was a celebration of sorts, I naturally imbibed. Needless to say, the pink martini was good.
Not to be outdone, Andrea also brought a special treat for the night. Andrea generally brings something good to a party. It just so happens that on Saturday Andrea brought pudding shots. Pudding shots are like Jell-o shots, just with pudding. The pudding shots were quite delicious. I could have eaten the entire tray if given enough time. There is, after all, always room for... pudding.
Anyway, it was a fun night to enjoy the movies with a bunch of friends. I always like watching movies to see actors and actresses before they were stars. Case in point: Kristy Swanson, the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Kristy Swanson appeared in Ferris Bueller as Simone, the girl who explained to Ben Stein why Ferris was out sick. As well, she also appeared in Pretty In Pink as the girl who ended up with the one and only Duckie.
In addition to seeing actors and actresses of years past, I like to see how well movies stand the test of time. Sixteen Candles was interesting because there were scenes of sexual harrassment that were supposed to be comedic. Oh those silly kids. Pretty In Pink was pretty funny too, just for the awful kissing scenes between Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy. (Their kissing scenes made Jake Lloyd's acting look good. Well, okay I won't go that far.)
Needless to say, I think everyone else had a good time because there is talk now of a regular 80's movie night. I'll admit... I'm pretty excited about it. Of course, I do tend to like all things 80's... even the big hair.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
I Suck At Country Night
On Friday, the Sports Depot in Allston was holding an event known as Country Night. Unfortunately, I suck at Country Night.
Nevertheless, I attended Country Night as my friend (Hot Amy) wanted to celebrate her birthday at the Sports Depot. It seems lately that country music has been rather trendy among some of my friends. Karen has always been a fan of country music. But in the past couple of years, my BFF (Kerry), and my friends (Jen and Pam) have started listening to country music on a regular basis. Even my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her BFF (Gretchen) listen to country music.
As for Hot Amy, I'm not too sure if she is truly a fan of country music. Like the New Kids concert that a few of us attended last year, Hot Amy did not seem to know many of the country songs, which is somewhat odd considering it was her birthday celebration. Heck, I probably knew more songs at Country Night than she did and that's just because I happen to listen to country music whenever Karen is in the car.
Anyway, Country Night was interesting. I have never been to the Sports Depot. Truth be told, Country Night was not what I was expecting at all. From all the hype that I heard, I was expecting country bumpkins dancing up a line dancing storm in their tight jeans, t-shirts, boots, and cowboy hats.
I was sadly disappointed. It's a good thing that I did not decide to get all gussied up. The way I had figured it, if I had to subject myself to Country Night, then I was going to go all out and dress like a country bumpkin: buckle and all.
Unfortunately, I don't own a big belt buckle, or cowboy boots, or a cowboy hat for that matter. So the best that I could do was wear the tight jeans with the tight t-shirt... which I'm sure must be every woman's dream... seeing my body in tight clothes. I also attempted to tuck my t-shirt into my jeans, like the typical country bumpkin, but Karen ixnayed that idea.
Anyway, Karen, Janine, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ), Gretchen, and I carpooled together to the Sports Depot in Allston. Meeting us there were Kerry, her friend (Steve), my friends (Carlos and Dolores), Dolores's boyfriend (Tom also known as Loser Tom), Jen, Jen's brother (Bill), and the birthday girl herself along with her boyfriend (Mark). PJ's friends (Chris and Chelsea) were also meeting us at the Sport Depot. So yeah, there were a lot of us there to celebrate Hot Amy's birthday... or Amypalooza, or Amy Fair, or Amygeddon... or whatever it is you want to call her Country Night celebration.
Due to the number of people in our group, the Sports Depot had to split us up into a few tables. The table I was sitting at was a complete hoot. (I'm trying to use the country lingo.) I think Kerry set the stage up for fun when she seductively displayed her mosquito bite. She really wasn't seductively displaying her mosquito bite, which happened to be on her bosom. But since I like to instigate things, the location of her mosquito bite made me chuckle.
From there, the table started talking about random things like the Wahlbergs (Feel it! Feel it!), $1.50 PBR, and the Death tattoo coming out of Steve's armpit. With the slightest move, Death's finger beckons people closer to the armpit. For anyone curious, Steve does not really have that tattoo.
Anyway, I had such a fun time at my table that I unfortunately did not get to socialize much with the people at the other tables. As the night went on, I did end up socializing a little more... although not much more. Heck, there may have even been some dancing to country music. (Someone had to dance because no one was dancing on the dance floor.)
Amidst the country music, there was also a raffle for Rascal Flatts concert tickets and a chance to win Sarah Evans tickets. Unfortunately, no one I knew won any of the tickets. Oh well.
All in all, it was an interesting night of country music. It was definitely good to see some friends and hang out. Perhaps next time (if there is a next time), there will be country bumpkins line dancing. I would have been curious to see that.
Nevertheless, I attended Country Night as my friend (Hot Amy) wanted to celebrate her birthday at the Sports Depot. It seems lately that country music has been rather trendy among some of my friends. Karen has always been a fan of country music. But in the past couple of years, my BFF (Kerry), and my friends (Jen and Pam) have started listening to country music on a regular basis. Even my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her BFF (Gretchen) listen to country music.
As for Hot Amy, I'm not too sure if she is truly a fan of country music. Like the New Kids concert that a few of us attended last year, Hot Amy did not seem to know many of the country songs, which is somewhat odd considering it was her birthday celebration. Heck, I probably knew more songs at Country Night than she did and that's just because I happen to listen to country music whenever Karen is in the car.
Anyway, Country Night was interesting. I have never been to the Sports Depot. Truth be told, Country Night was not what I was expecting at all. From all the hype that I heard, I was expecting country bumpkins dancing up a line dancing storm in their tight jeans, t-shirts, boots, and cowboy hats.
I was sadly disappointed. It's a good thing that I did not decide to get all gussied up. The way I had figured it, if I had to subject myself to Country Night, then I was going to go all out and dress like a country bumpkin: buckle and all.
Unfortunately, I don't own a big belt buckle, or cowboy boots, or a cowboy hat for that matter. So the best that I could do was wear the tight jeans with the tight t-shirt... which I'm sure must be every woman's dream... seeing my body in tight clothes. I also attempted to tuck my t-shirt into my jeans, like the typical country bumpkin, but Karen ixnayed that idea.
Anyway, Karen, Janine, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ), Gretchen, and I carpooled together to the Sports Depot in Allston. Meeting us there were Kerry, her friend (Steve), my friends (Carlos and Dolores), Dolores's boyfriend (Tom also known as Loser Tom), Jen, Jen's brother (Bill), and the birthday girl herself along with her boyfriend (Mark). PJ's friends (Chris and Chelsea) were also meeting us at the Sport Depot. So yeah, there were a lot of us there to celebrate Hot Amy's birthday... or Amypalooza, or Amy Fair, or Amygeddon... or whatever it is you want to call her Country Night celebration.
Due to the number of people in our group, the Sports Depot had to split us up into a few tables. The table I was sitting at was a complete hoot. (I'm trying to use the country lingo.) I think Kerry set the stage up for fun when she seductively displayed her mosquito bite. She really wasn't seductively displaying her mosquito bite, which happened to be on her bosom. But since I like to instigate things, the location of her mosquito bite made me chuckle.
From there, the table started talking about random things like the Wahlbergs (Feel it! Feel it!), $1.50 PBR, and the Death tattoo coming out of Steve's armpit. With the slightest move, Death's finger beckons people closer to the armpit. For anyone curious, Steve does not really have that tattoo.
Anyway, I had such a fun time at my table that I unfortunately did not get to socialize much with the people at the other tables. As the night went on, I did end up socializing a little more... although not much more. Heck, there may have even been some dancing to country music. (Someone had to dance because no one was dancing on the dance floor.)
Amidst the country music, there was also a raffle for Rascal Flatts concert tickets and a chance to win Sarah Evans tickets. Unfortunately, no one I knew won any of the tickets. Oh well.
All in all, it was an interesting night of country music. It was definitely good to see some friends and hang out. Perhaps next time (if there is a next time), there will be country bumpkins line dancing. I would have been curious to see that.
Friday, August 21, 2009
I Suck At Celebrating My Friend's Birthday
Yesterday was a great day. It so happens that yesterday was my friend's (Hot Amy) birthday. Happy birthday your hotness! I hope you enjoyed your day. Naturally, I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. I generally give Hot Amy a big bag of nothing for her birthday. After all, it goes well with her jewelry. Yesterday was no exception.
But what made yesterday truly great was the fact that I got to hang out with some friends in Foxboro, home of the New England Patriots. The New England Patriots were scheduled to play the Cincinnati Bengals in a preseason football game.
I actually have my friend (Ron) to thank for the football tickets. Ron is a season ticket holder. Unfortunately, he could not go to the game with his family. So, he offered the tickets to me.
Needless to say, even though it was preseason, I was pretty happy to go to the game. The game was something different from my normal routine. And lately, I have been thinking that Karen and I needed to get out and do something different to take our minds off of things. So as luck would have it, we went to the football game. Thank you again, Ron! I really can't thank him enough.
Joining Karen and I on our Patriots excursion were my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her BFF (Gretchen). For Gretchen, it was her first time going to a football game in Foxboro. I guess you could say she was a Patriots virgin.
Needless to say, the four of us headed to Foxboro for some light tailgating. As the weather was hot, humid, and muggy, grilling was not an option. Luckily, we made sandwiches beforehand. Technically, I should say Gretchen and Janine made sandwiches beforehand. Gretchen made this huge container of chicken salad, complete with cranberries and almonds. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I probably could have eaten the entire container.
When we were done tailgating, we headed into the stadium for the game. We actually had to make a brief pit stop in one of the sections of the stadium so that Gretchen could see one of her friends. Apparently, she has not seen him in 17 years. And like any giddy school girl, she was quite excited to see him again. (Oh, I forgot to mention... she had a crush on him way back when.)
Of course, I thought it would have been funny if the guy were fat and bald. I'm mean that way. I'm amazed I still have friends. Truth be told, the guy was cute.
Anyway, it turns out that it was a good thing that we got to see Gretchen's old crush. While Gretchen was all giddy with excitement, I did some reconnaissance. By reconnaissance, I mean I went looking for some sweet seats... not that there was anything wrong with the tickets that we had. I just wanted better seats.
(Pictured below are Gretchen, Janine, and Karen at the game.)
It being preseason, I figured there would be a bunch of empty seats. Lo and behold, I was correct. I was able to score the four of us some pretty nice seats that were not too far from the field. Like I tell most people, it's all about presentation. If you act like you belong or know what you are doing, you can probably get away with it. It's all part of my rules for delinquency... not that I actually have a written list of rules or anything.
For anyone curious, I did have a delinquent incident during my childhood... so breaking the rules is nothing new to me. Truth be told, I was actually quite proud of Karen for following suit. Karen is definitely a rule follower. She was all nervous at first, but she settled into it.
Anyway, it's not like I was doing anything that was awful. The rightful owners of the seats were not attending the game. So the seats were going to be claimed by other people who were in attendance anyway. I just happened to beat them to it.
Needless to say, I think the four of us had a great time despite the fact that the Patriots lost to the Bengals 7-6. It was great to just hang out and enjoy the game. I know I had fun.
Thanks again Ron! It was a much needed break.
But what made yesterday truly great was the fact that I got to hang out with some friends in Foxboro, home of the New England Patriots. The New England Patriots were scheduled to play the Cincinnati Bengals in a preseason football game.
I actually have my friend (Ron) to thank for the football tickets. Ron is a season ticket holder. Unfortunately, he could not go to the game with his family. So, he offered the tickets to me.
Needless to say, even though it was preseason, I was pretty happy to go to the game. The game was something different from my normal routine. And lately, I have been thinking that Karen and I needed to get out and do something different to take our minds off of things. So as luck would have it, we went to the football game. Thank you again, Ron! I really can't thank him enough.
Joining Karen and I on our Patriots excursion were my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her BFF (Gretchen). For Gretchen, it was her first time going to a football game in Foxboro. I guess you could say she was a Patriots virgin.
Needless to say, the four of us headed to Foxboro for some light tailgating. As the weather was hot, humid, and muggy, grilling was not an option. Luckily, we made sandwiches beforehand. Technically, I should say Gretchen and Janine made sandwiches beforehand. Gretchen made this huge container of chicken salad, complete with cranberries and almonds. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I probably could have eaten the entire container.
When we were done tailgating, we headed into the stadium for the game. We actually had to make a brief pit stop in one of the sections of the stadium so that Gretchen could see one of her friends. Apparently, she has not seen him in 17 years. And like any giddy school girl, she was quite excited to see him again. (Oh, I forgot to mention... she had a crush on him way back when.)
Of course, I thought it would have been funny if the guy were fat and bald. I'm mean that way. I'm amazed I still have friends. Truth be told, the guy was cute.
Anyway, it turns out that it was a good thing that we got to see Gretchen's old crush. While Gretchen was all giddy with excitement, I did some reconnaissance. By reconnaissance, I mean I went looking for some sweet seats... not that there was anything wrong with the tickets that we had. I just wanted better seats.
(Pictured below are Gretchen, Janine, and Karen at the game.)
It being preseason, I figured there would be a bunch of empty seats. Lo and behold, I was correct. I was able to score the four of us some pretty nice seats that were not too far from the field. Like I tell most people, it's all about presentation. If you act like you belong or know what you are doing, you can probably get away with it. It's all part of my rules for delinquency... not that I actually have a written list of rules or anything.
For anyone curious, I did have a delinquent incident during my childhood... so breaking the rules is nothing new to me. Truth be told, I was actually quite proud of Karen for following suit. Karen is definitely a rule follower. She was all nervous at first, but she settled into it.
Anyway, it's not like I was doing anything that was awful. The rightful owners of the seats were not attending the game. So the seats were going to be claimed by other people who were in attendance anyway. I just happened to beat them to it.
Needless to say, I think the four of us had a great time despite the fact that the Patriots lost to the Bengals 7-6. It was great to just hang out and enjoy the game. I know I had fun.
Thanks again Ron! It was a much needed break.
I Suck At Buffy The Vampire Slayer
On Wednesday, Karen and I hung out with my friends (Marc and Kelley). It was our usual get together involving food, television, and laughs.
Marc was gracious enough to make dinner for us. The dinner, consisting of Sloppy Joe's (not to be confused with sloppy seconds), tater tots, and corn was very good. The meal brought back memories of school lunches.
Truth be told, the tater tots reminded me of school lunches. Sloppy Joe's reminded me of the my mother's excitement over making Sloppy Joe's when I was growing up. It was all part of her desire for our family to be All-American. Needless to say, we did not have it too often. As for corn... well, there's not much I can say about corn except that I love corn. My digestive track would probably not find it too appealing, but I could probably good eat tons of corn. Yay, yellow gold!
Anyway, on the agenda for the night was the third disc of the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now, I suck at Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episodes we watched were: "Listening to Fear" about a demon that attacks crazy people... one of whom happened to be Buffy's mother; "Into the Woods" about Riley's departure; and "Triangle" about Willow and Anya accidentally summoning a troll.
Of the episodes, I enjoyed "Triangle" the most. Sure, "Into the Woods" marked the departure of Riley (who I always thought was a tool), but "Triangle" focused on Willow and Anya. And what is not to like about either of them? Plus, the episode featured Abraham Benrubi, who I will always remember as Larry Kubiak, also known as "The Kube", from Parker Lewis Can't Lose.
All in all, it was fun. Oh yes, I forgot. We also tried some more of the dessert sauces that Marc and Kelley got at the farmer's market. The sauce over the ice cream was delicious. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) Of course, I think all ice cream is pretty delicious, so I may be biased.
Marc was gracious enough to make dinner for us. The dinner, consisting of Sloppy Joe's (not to be confused with sloppy seconds), tater tots, and corn was very good. The meal brought back memories of school lunches.
Truth be told, the tater tots reminded me of school lunches. Sloppy Joe's reminded me of the my mother's excitement over making Sloppy Joe's when I was growing up. It was all part of her desire for our family to be All-American. Needless to say, we did not have it too often. As for corn... well, there's not much I can say about corn except that I love corn. My digestive track would probably not find it too appealing, but I could probably good eat tons of corn. Yay, yellow gold!
Anyway, on the agenda for the night was the third disc of the fifth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now, I suck at Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episodes we watched were: "Listening to Fear" about a demon that attacks crazy people... one of whom happened to be Buffy's mother; "Into the Woods" about Riley's departure; and "Triangle" about Willow and Anya accidentally summoning a troll.
Of the episodes, I enjoyed "Triangle" the most. Sure, "Into the Woods" marked the departure of Riley (who I always thought was a tool), but "Triangle" focused on Willow and Anya. And what is not to like about either of them? Plus, the episode featured Abraham Benrubi, who I will always remember as Larry Kubiak, also known as "The Kube", from Parker Lewis Can't Lose.
All in all, it was fun. Oh yes, I forgot. We also tried some more of the dessert sauces that Marc and Kelley got at the farmer's market. The sauce over the ice cream was delicious. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) Of course, I think all ice cream is pretty delicious, so I may be biased.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
I Suck At Freecycle
Yesterday, Karen and I rushed home after work. The reason for our haste: we were meeting people to unload our crap onto. Perhaps crap is the wrong word. After all, the whole visual of Karen and I unloading feces is not exactly what happened.
The night before, Karen and I decided to put some items that have been collecting dust in our garage onto Freecycle. Now, I suck at Freecycle. I have not used Freecycle in quite some time.
The last time Karen and I posted something on Freecycle was over five years ago when we were trying to get rid of our old dishwasher. (Yes, someone took the dishwasher.) The old dishwasher actually came from Karen's cousin (Karlene) of "There's a lot to like about Lowell" fame.
For anyone curious, Freecycle is a recycling program. The gist of the program is that people can donate items for reuse to a general group. Interested parties then come to pick up the free items. So rather than dispose of the item and crowd our already full landfills, the item can be put to good use.
Needless to say, Karen and I thought Freecycle would be a great way to get rid of some items from our garage. After all, we are both into recycling and doing what we can to save the planet before it is too late. My BFF (Kerry) would probably say that we have become surprisingly green. I like to think it's the power of Ed Begley, Jr. Much like the "What would Jesus do?" question, I usually joke around with Karen and ask "What would Ed Begley, Jr. do?"
Anyway, as a whole Freecycle is a great program for recycling and reusing. Sure, there are the occasional nuts who post that they want a 52" flat panel television and give some sob story about how their child really needs it. But I would recommend it to people.
The things that Karen and I were getting rid of yesterday were a couple of metal shelving units and some boxes of tiles. One of the metal shelves came from Karen's parents. The other metal shelving unit came from a friend (Steve) who had no use for it. As for the tiles, all of the tiles came from my favorite sister-in-law (Janine). There were 4x4" tiles and sheets of 2x2" tiles. Needless to say, we never used the tiles and they unfortunately sat in our garage for... ever.
It turns out, the metal shelves were a popular item on Freecycle. I received numerous requests about them within minutes of posting the item. It was quite a fun experience to post the items on Freecycle. Not that I would know because I do not gamble, but I imagine that the experience would be like the thrill you get at a slot machine: you donate, you pull the lever, and you hope you get a jackpot and someone claims your item.
Karen and I awarded both shelves to a school teacher (Matt). Similarly, we awarded the 4x4 tiles to a single mother (Michelle) and the 2x2 tiles to a woman (Sue) who makes craft out of them with people who have special needs. All three of them were the first to respond to each of the items. So it was only fair. Truth be told, it was a nice feeling to know that our donated items would be helpful to other people.
Anyway, we had made arrangements with all three of them to pick up their items after Karen and I returned home from work yesterday. I had staggered the pickup times at half hour intervals, figuring that would be enough time. So Michelle would arrive at 6pm, Matt at 6:30pm and Sue at 7pm.
Needless to say, it was like the perfect storm of Freecycling yesterday. Michelle ran late due to traffic on Route 3, Matt was punctual, and Sue was early. Basically, all three of them happened to be at our house at the same time. It was rather comical.
When all was said and done, Karen and I were quite excited to have successfully donated our items via Freecycle. Sadly, there are still more items in our garage that need to go. But at least we are making progress.
The night before, Karen and I decided to put some items that have been collecting dust in our garage onto Freecycle. Now, I suck at Freecycle. I have not used Freecycle in quite some time.
The last time Karen and I posted something on Freecycle was over five years ago when we were trying to get rid of our old dishwasher. (Yes, someone took the dishwasher.) The old dishwasher actually came from Karen's cousin (Karlene) of "There's a lot to like about Lowell" fame.
For anyone curious, Freecycle is a recycling program. The gist of the program is that people can donate items for reuse to a general group. Interested parties then come to pick up the free items. So rather than dispose of the item and crowd our already full landfills, the item can be put to good use.
Needless to say, Karen and I thought Freecycle would be a great way to get rid of some items from our garage. After all, we are both into recycling and doing what we can to save the planet before it is too late. My BFF (Kerry) would probably say that we have become surprisingly green. I like to think it's the power of Ed Begley, Jr. Much like the "What would Jesus do?" question, I usually joke around with Karen and ask "What would Ed Begley, Jr. do?"
Anyway, as a whole Freecycle is a great program for recycling and reusing. Sure, there are the occasional nuts who post that they want a 52" flat panel television and give some sob story about how their child really needs it. But I would recommend it to people.
The things that Karen and I were getting rid of yesterday were a couple of metal shelving units and some boxes of tiles. One of the metal shelves came from Karen's parents. The other metal shelving unit came from a friend (Steve) who had no use for it. As for the tiles, all of the tiles came from my favorite sister-in-law (Janine). There were 4x4" tiles and sheets of 2x2" tiles. Needless to say, we never used the tiles and they unfortunately sat in our garage for... ever.
It turns out, the metal shelves were a popular item on Freecycle. I received numerous requests about them within minutes of posting the item. It was quite a fun experience to post the items on Freecycle. Not that I would know because I do not gamble, but I imagine that the experience would be like the thrill you get at a slot machine: you donate, you pull the lever, and you hope you get a jackpot and someone claims your item.
Karen and I awarded both shelves to a school teacher (Matt). Similarly, we awarded the 4x4 tiles to a single mother (Michelle) and the 2x2 tiles to a woman (Sue) who makes craft out of them with people who have special needs. All three of them were the first to respond to each of the items. So it was only fair. Truth be told, it was a nice feeling to know that our donated items would be helpful to other people.
Anyway, we had made arrangements with all three of them to pick up their items after Karen and I returned home from work yesterday. I had staggered the pickup times at half hour intervals, figuring that would be enough time. So Michelle would arrive at 6pm, Matt at 6:30pm and Sue at 7pm.
Needless to say, it was like the perfect storm of Freecycling yesterday. Michelle ran late due to traffic on Route 3, Matt was punctual, and Sue was early. Basically, all three of them happened to be at our house at the same time. It was rather comical.
When all was said and done, Karen and I were quite excited to have successfully donated our items via Freecycle. Sadly, there are still more items in our garage that need to go. But at least we are making progress.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
I Suck At Fantasy Football
Today, in between my break of working/organizing the garage, I took part in this year's fantasy football draft with my friends. Unfortunately, I suck at fantasy football.
My friends have an annual fantasy football league. It's been several years now that the league has been going on. Having joined last year, I was a relative newcomer to the league. For anyone curious, prior to last year I had been afraid of joining their league. I had heard nothing but complaints and whatnot amongst the league participants. From what I am told, things seem better now.
Anyway, last year my team did not do so well. Of course, it did not help that I was preoccupied and could not attend the fantasy football draft last year. I even tried changing the name of my team after my friend (Anna) in hopes that she would bring my team some luck. Anna was born on Christmas. Sadly... no luck. (Proof that Anna is not our savior.)
This year's draft went okay. Sure, I may have goofed up a couple of times by clicking the wrong thing and drafting a player that I did not want (which is a lesson in multi-tasking: watch what you click) but it was fun. Karen was even around to see me draft her favorite football player: Matt Cassel. She seemed pretty excited that I drafted him. Unfortunately, my team will live and die by Matt Cassel because I currently do not have another quarterback. So he better do well in Kansas City.
And if anyone is curious, this year my team is named after the most electrifying man in sports entertainment (wrestling): Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Sure, he may have been in my head... having recently watched "Race to Witch Mountain". Technically, my team is named after one of his wrestling moves... no, not the "People's Elbow"... "Rock Bottom". I figured it was an appropriate name for my team.
All in all, the fantasy football draft was a fun way to avoid organizing the garage. My latest project within the garage is the removal of a drain pipe. There is a plastic drain pipe which sticks out of the garage floor. Normally, a drain pipe leads to... a drain. For some reason, this drain pipe simply leads to the crawlspace. I have no idea why it was done that way. The drain design just came with the house. So I'm just going to cut the drain pipe so that it no longer sticks out above the cement floor. (We'll be laying a floor over the drain pipe soon.)
My friends have an annual fantasy football league. It's been several years now that the league has been going on. Having joined last year, I was a relative newcomer to the league. For anyone curious, prior to last year I had been afraid of joining their league. I had heard nothing but complaints and whatnot amongst the league participants. From what I am told, things seem better now.
Anyway, last year my team did not do so well. Of course, it did not help that I was preoccupied and could not attend the fantasy football draft last year. I even tried changing the name of my team after my friend (Anna) in hopes that she would bring my team some luck. Anna was born on Christmas. Sadly... no luck. (Proof that Anna is not our savior.)
This year's draft went okay. Sure, I may have goofed up a couple of times by clicking the wrong thing and drafting a player that I did not want (which is a lesson in multi-tasking: watch what you click) but it was fun. Karen was even around to see me draft her favorite football player: Matt Cassel. She seemed pretty excited that I drafted him. Unfortunately, my team will live and die by Matt Cassel because I currently do not have another quarterback. So he better do well in Kansas City.
And if anyone is curious, this year my team is named after the most electrifying man in sports entertainment (wrestling): Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Sure, he may have been in my head... having recently watched "Race to Witch Mountain". Technically, my team is named after one of his wrestling moves... no, not the "People's Elbow"... "Rock Bottom". I figured it was an appropriate name for my team.
All in all, the fantasy football draft was a fun way to avoid organizing the garage. My latest project within the garage is the removal of a drain pipe. There is a plastic drain pipe which sticks out of the garage floor. Normally, a drain pipe leads to... a drain. For some reason, this drain pipe simply leads to the crawlspace. I have no idea why it was done that way. The drain design just came with the house. So I'm just going to cut the drain pipe so that it no longer sticks out above the cement floor. (We'll be laying a floor over the drain pipe soon.)
I Still Suck At Organizing The Garage
On Saturday, Karen attended a concert with my BFF (Kerry) and my friend (Jen). The concert was the country fest concert. I have no idea if that is what the actual concert was called, but it had numerous country artists playing. Among them were Miranda Lambert, Lady Antebellum, Montgomery Gentry, Sugarland, and the headliner: Kenny Chesney.
Needless to say, Karen was quite excited about the concert. For a long time, Karen has been a big fan of country music. It was not until recently that country music seemed to have gotten rather popular... popular enough that Jen and Kerry would want to even attend a country music concert.
Truth be told, growing up I never liked country music because the music was too twangy. Now, it seems like country music is more pop than twangy. So, it's a lot more enjoyable in my opinion... not that I am saying I am a fan of country music or anything. I'm just saying that it is my opinion that country music is a lot more better now than in the past.
Anyway, I don't think I have seen Karen quite as excited for something in a long time. So it was a nice change. Since our son (Braden) passed away last year, I know things have been a little difficult for Karen. Prior to Braden's passing in September, she seemed to be excited about the New Kids concert (in September). Unfortunately, when the concert came... she was okay. I mean, she still had a good time, but she was not all giddy with anticipation (like she was with this country concert) which is understandable given the situation.
Regardless, I was happy to see Karen enjoying something again. It was nice for a change. And thank you Jen for wanting to bring Karen. For anyone curious, Jen won tickets to the concert from her work. Jen is lucky that way. She seems to always win things. It's her uncanny ability.
So while Karen, Jen and Kerry were enjoying the concert, I worked on organizing the garage. Too bad I still suck at organizing the garage. The garage has become the bane of my existence. Of course, part of that is my fault for letting the garage become so unmanageable. The two car garage has become so unmanageable that zero cars can actually fit in the garage... that is... until now. (Sure, only one car can now fit in the garage, but it's a start.)
Anyway, one of the reasons why the organization of the garage has taken me so long is because there are actually some home improvement projects within the garage that subsequently need to be done. The main project is the replacement of drywall in certain areas. A long time ago, when the house was still a one story house, there was water damage.
Unfortunately, water is a house's worst offender. When the second story was added to the house, the problem was corrected so that there would be no more future water damage to that area of the garage. Within the inside of the garage, however, there were still remnants from the existing water damage that needed to be replaced. That drywall did not get replaced until... well... Saturday.
Basically, I spent most of the day ripping out the dirty old drywall and replacing it. I even had time to add tape and compound to the joints. Needless to say, it was not fun. But it needed to be done.
Anyway, from there I started organizing some parts of the garage again. And by organize, I mean temporarily move items out of the garage and elsewhere in the house (or shed). And with all the moving, I was able to fit a car in one of the garage bays (I checked it by driving the car into the garage).
Unfortunately, there is still a lot more work to do on organizing the garage. If anyone wants a round digital thermostat, or a square digital thermostat, or a black hook, let me know. Heck, if anyone is interested in a Beastie Boys tape or a Blondie tape, let me know. (Yes, I realize that even after giving away a thermostat to Kerry that I still have two thermostats in need of a home.)
All in all, I'm making progress.
Needless to say, Karen was quite excited about the concert. For a long time, Karen has been a big fan of country music. It was not until recently that country music seemed to have gotten rather popular... popular enough that Jen and Kerry would want to even attend a country music concert.
Truth be told, growing up I never liked country music because the music was too twangy. Now, it seems like country music is more pop than twangy. So, it's a lot more enjoyable in my opinion... not that I am saying I am a fan of country music or anything. I'm just saying that it is my opinion that country music is a lot more better now than in the past.
Anyway, I don't think I have seen Karen quite as excited for something in a long time. So it was a nice change. Since our son (Braden) passed away last year, I know things have been a little difficult for Karen. Prior to Braden's passing in September, she seemed to be excited about the New Kids concert (in September). Unfortunately, when the concert came... she was okay. I mean, she still had a good time, but she was not all giddy with anticipation (like she was with this country concert) which is understandable given the situation.
Regardless, I was happy to see Karen enjoying something again. It was nice for a change. And thank you Jen for wanting to bring Karen. For anyone curious, Jen won tickets to the concert from her work. Jen is lucky that way. She seems to always win things. It's her uncanny ability.
So while Karen, Jen and Kerry were enjoying the concert, I worked on organizing the garage. Too bad I still suck at organizing the garage. The garage has become the bane of my existence. Of course, part of that is my fault for letting the garage become so unmanageable. The two car garage has become so unmanageable that zero cars can actually fit in the garage... that is... until now. (Sure, only one car can now fit in the garage, but it's a start.)
Anyway, one of the reasons why the organization of the garage has taken me so long is because there are actually some home improvement projects within the garage that subsequently need to be done. The main project is the replacement of drywall in certain areas. A long time ago, when the house was still a one story house, there was water damage.
Unfortunately, water is a house's worst offender. When the second story was added to the house, the problem was corrected so that there would be no more future water damage to that area of the garage. Within the inside of the garage, however, there were still remnants from the existing water damage that needed to be replaced. That drywall did not get replaced until... well... Saturday.
Basically, I spent most of the day ripping out the dirty old drywall and replacing it. I even had time to add tape and compound to the joints. Needless to say, it was not fun. But it needed to be done.
Anyway, from there I started organizing some parts of the garage again. And by organize, I mean temporarily move items out of the garage and elsewhere in the house (or shed). And with all the moving, I was able to fit a car in one of the garage bays (I checked it by driving the car into the garage).
Unfortunately, there is still a lot more work to do on organizing the garage. If anyone wants a round digital thermostat, or a square digital thermostat, or a black hook, let me know. Heck, if anyone is interested in a Beastie Boys tape or a Blondie tape, let me know. (Yes, I realize that even after giving away a thermostat to Kerry that I still have two thermostats in need of a home.)
All in all, I'm making progress.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
I Suck At Race To Witch Mountain
Karen and I had a very low key Friday. In fact, we pretty much did things in preparation for Karen's partying at the big Kenny Chesney concert at Foxboro.
We started off at the local CVS where Karen had to pick up some snacks. Interestingly enough, Karen was all smiles because CVS was giving away three 2 liter bottles of Coke with any store purchase. I guess it was a promotion of some sort held by that CVS. Free is good... unless it's a free virus or something like that. No one wants free herpes... at least, I don't think they do. Regardless, Karen and I are now proud owners of three 2 liter bottles.
After CVS, Karen and I prepared meals for her to bring for the concert. Her meal included pasta salad and fruit salad. Not to be forgotten is the fact that we also made dinner for ourselves too. In an effort to use up the zucchini that has been growing in Karen's garden, we ended up making zucchini pie. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I must say... the zucchini pie was delicious. (And yay to growing vegetables in the garden! Low carbon footprint!)
When everything was done, Karen and I decided to unwind with a movie. That move: Race to Witch Mountain starring Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was once the most electrifying man in sports entertainment (also known as wrestling). Anyway, I suck at Race to Witch Mountain.
(The video below is the trailer for the movie.)
The movie is basically a remake of the old Disney classic: Escape to Witch Mountain. All in all, the movie was good. Most Disney movies are. Disney has a general formula that seems to work. Truth be told, the movie was no "Sugar & Spice", which I happened to see a few days before.
(The video below is the trailer for "Sugar & Spice".)
I have a thing for cheerleader movies. My BFF (Kerry) would probably be quick to point out that I own the collector's edition of "Bring It On", which was a good movie. I don't know what it is about cheerleader movies. The sub-genre of cheerleader movies just crack me up. Perhaps it's my attraction to shiny objects.
Of course, it could also be the fact that I felt robbed of my cheerleader experience growing up. In high school, the cheerleaders were definitely not what you would imagine as the stereotypical cheerleader.
When I think cheerleader, I think hot skinny blondes with attitude. Sadly the only characteristic that my high school cheerleaders had was attitude. (Be aggressive! B-E aggressive!) The cheerleaders I knew were definitely not hot. They were definitely not skinny. And they were definitely not blonde. I heard the rival high school cheerleaders did not fare any better. Perhaps there is something in the drinking water for cheerleaders.
Needless to say, the movies make cheerleaders look so much better... them and their acrobatic flips and their spirit fingers. Sure, they may get a bad reputation for being mean, but they are definitely fun to watch. "Sugar & Spice" was no exception.
The premise of the movie is that a group of cheerleaders plan to rob a bank to help one of their teammates. In order to rob the bank, they watch and learn from the movies. Among the movies they watched were "Point Break", which immediately cracked me up because I had to endure watching that movie so many times one fateful vacation because my friend (Aimee) enjoyed Keanu Reeves so much. So naturally, I thought about Aimee during the movie.
I think at one time, Aimee may have been a cheerleader. I don't remember for certain, but for some reason that thought is in my head as I type this. For that matter, Karen was one too... as was my friend (Hot Amy). Heck, my friend (Meredith) became a cheerleader in college. Interesting.
Needless to say, I got a kick out of "Sugar & Spice". I enjoyed it more that "Race to Witch Mountain"... not that "Race to Witch Mountain" was bad. It was just that "Sugar & Spice" was that much better. Then again, I have a thing for cheerleader movies. Again, it's the shiny object thing.
And truth be told, both movies were far better than "War", which I watched when Karen went to bed.
(The video below is the trailer for "War".)
You would think that a movie about killing Triads and Yakuza would be somewhat entertaining, especially since it stars Jet Li and Jason Statham. Well, don't bother watching the movie. The movie was bad. It was actually the first movie that I rated unsatisfactory in my Netflix queue. That was very disappointing.
Anyway, it was a low key Friday. But it was good to spend some quality time with Karen.
We started off at the local CVS where Karen had to pick up some snacks. Interestingly enough, Karen was all smiles because CVS was giving away three 2 liter bottles of Coke with any store purchase. I guess it was a promotion of some sort held by that CVS. Free is good... unless it's a free virus or something like that. No one wants free herpes... at least, I don't think they do. Regardless, Karen and I are now proud owners of three 2 liter bottles.
After CVS, Karen and I prepared meals for her to bring for the concert. Her meal included pasta salad and fruit salad. Not to be forgotten is the fact that we also made dinner for ourselves too. In an effort to use up the zucchini that has been growing in Karen's garden, we ended up making zucchini pie. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I must say... the zucchini pie was delicious. (And yay to growing vegetables in the garden! Low carbon footprint!)
When everything was done, Karen and I decided to unwind with a movie. That move: Race to Witch Mountain starring Dwayne Johnson. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was once the most electrifying man in sports entertainment (also known as wrestling). Anyway, I suck at Race to Witch Mountain.
(The video below is the trailer for the movie.)
The movie is basically a remake of the old Disney classic: Escape to Witch Mountain. All in all, the movie was good. Most Disney movies are. Disney has a general formula that seems to work. Truth be told, the movie was no "Sugar & Spice", which I happened to see a few days before.
(The video below is the trailer for "Sugar & Spice".)
I have a thing for cheerleader movies. My BFF (Kerry) would probably be quick to point out that I own the collector's edition of "Bring It On", which was a good movie. I don't know what it is about cheerleader movies. The sub-genre of cheerleader movies just crack me up. Perhaps it's my attraction to shiny objects.
Of course, it could also be the fact that I felt robbed of my cheerleader experience growing up. In high school, the cheerleaders were definitely not what you would imagine as the stereotypical cheerleader.
When I think cheerleader, I think hot skinny blondes with attitude. Sadly the only characteristic that my high school cheerleaders had was attitude. (Be aggressive! B-E aggressive!) The cheerleaders I knew were definitely not hot. They were definitely not skinny. And they were definitely not blonde. I heard the rival high school cheerleaders did not fare any better. Perhaps there is something in the drinking water for cheerleaders.
Needless to say, the movies make cheerleaders look so much better... them and their acrobatic flips and their spirit fingers. Sure, they may get a bad reputation for being mean, but they are definitely fun to watch. "Sugar & Spice" was no exception.
The premise of the movie is that a group of cheerleaders plan to rob a bank to help one of their teammates. In order to rob the bank, they watch and learn from the movies. Among the movies they watched were "Point Break", which immediately cracked me up because I had to endure watching that movie so many times one fateful vacation because my friend (Aimee) enjoyed Keanu Reeves so much. So naturally, I thought about Aimee during the movie.
I think at one time, Aimee may have been a cheerleader. I don't remember for certain, but for some reason that thought is in my head as I type this. For that matter, Karen was one too... as was my friend (Hot Amy). Heck, my friend (Meredith) became a cheerleader in college. Interesting.
Needless to say, I got a kick out of "Sugar & Spice". I enjoyed it more that "Race to Witch Mountain"... not that "Race to Witch Mountain" was bad. It was just that "Sugar & Spice" was that much better. Then again, I have a thing for cheerleader movies. Again, it's the shiny object thing.
And truth be told, both movies were far better than "War", which I watched when Karen went to bed.
(The video below is the trailer for "War".)
You would think that a movie about killing Triads and Yakuza would be somewhat entertaining, especially since it stars Jet Li and Jason Statham. Well, don't bother watching the movie. The movie was bad. It was actually the first movie that I rated unsatisfactory in my Netflix queue. That was very disappointing.
Anyway, it was a low key Friday. But it was good to spend some quality time with Karen.
I Suck At Celebrating My Brother's Birthday
Thursday happened to my brother's birthday. He turned a big whopping 4-0. Unfortunately, I suck at celebrating my brother's birthday. My brother and I are not that close. In fact, I hardly ever speak with him. The last time I spoke with my brother was probably in September of last year when I told him that he was an uncle with the birth of my son (Braden)... and then I told him the unfortunate news that Braden passed away.
I sometimes look at Karen's relationship with her sister and wonder what things would have been like if my brother and I were that close. Oh well. Anyway, I sent my brother a little happy birthday message on Thursday. He simply responded with a "Thanks". As much as I suck at celebrating my brother's birthday, at least I remembered the day. My parents actually forgot the day until I reminded them.
Anyway, to celebrate my brother's birthday, Karen and I hung out with my friends (Marc and Kelley). All right, so maybe we weren't celebrating my brother's 40th birthday. We actually met up to catch a couple of episodes of Angel.
Having gone out for trivia night on our usual Wednesday get-together, we would have had to waited until next week to catch up on Angel. So rather than wait, we decided to try another night of the week. That night: Thursday.
The episodes of Angel that we watched were: "Darla", about... Darla; and "The Shroud of Rahmon", about a shroud that makes people crazy. It's probably a no-brainer that I liked the Darla episode the best. After all, I am attracted to shiny objects... and Darla does happen to be one. So it works out.
After Angel, the four of us were able to watch the latest episode of Wipeout, which was always good for a laugh. All in all, it was a great time. Marc made pizza for dinner, which was delicious as usual. And for dessert, we had cookies and cream ice cream with special sauce. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) The special sauce was a dessert sauce that Marc and Kelley picked up at the local farmers market. It was very good.
Anyway, I had a fun time. I hope my brother also had a good time celebrating his day. Happy birthday big brother.
I sometimes look at Karen's relationship with her sister and wonder what things would have been like if my brother and I were that close. Oh well. Anyway, I sent my brother a little happy birthday message on Thursday. He simply responded with a "Thanks". As much as I suck at celebrating my brother's birthday, at least I remembered the day. My parents actually forgot the day until I reminded them.
Anyway, to celebrate my brother's birthday, Karen and I hung out with my friends (Marc and Kelley). All right, so maybe we weren't celebrating my brother's 40th birthday. We actually met up to catch a couple of episodes of Angel.
Having gone out for trivia night on our usual Wednesday get-together, we would have had to waited until next week to catch up on Angel. So rather than wait, we decided to try another night of the week. That night: Thursday.
The episodes of Angel that we watched were: "Darla", about... Darla; and "The Shroud of Rahmon", about a shroud that makes people crazy. It's probably a no-brainer that I liked the Darla episode the best. After all, I am attracted to shiny objects... and Darla does happen to be one. So it works out.
After Angel, the four of us were able to watch the latest episode of Wipeout, which was always good for a laugh. All in all, it was a great time. Marc made pizza for dinner, which was delicious as usual. And for dessert, we had cookies and cream ice cream with special sauce. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) The special sauce was a dessert sauce that Marc and Kelley picked up at the local farmers market. It was very good.
Anyway, I had a fun time. I hope my brother also had a good time celebrating his day. Happy birthday big brother.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
I Suck At Trivia Night
Last night, my friend (Marc) organized another trivia night gathering at Blue 22 in Quincy. Too bad I suck at trivia night. Suffice to say, I was not really in the mood for trivia. Of course, I have not been in the mood for many things lately.
Regardless, it was good to see everyone on the trivia team again. The team comprised of Karen, my BFF (Kerry), Marc, and my friends (Kelley, Cass, and Andrea). I was technically on the team, but I did not contribute anything to the team yesterday. In fact, I feel that way a lot with trivia. I am certain the team would do just fine without me.
Anyway, it was good to see everyone. Andrea was gracious enough to provide some brain food for all of us... and by brain food, I mean chocolate peanut butter balls. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) In addition to the chocolate peanut butter balls, it was definitely good to hang out with Cass. I don't hang out with Cass as much as I would like to. He provided some comic relief for the night.
As for the trivia itself, our team performed well. The last time we played trivia, we ended up taking first place and added to our growing collection of glasses. So for us, last night was our chance to defend our title... and perhaps score more glasses.
Kerry actually had a good first round. Truth be told, the team did pretty well. We ended up taking first place again last night. So we did score more glasses. For anyone curious, the glasses were for Killian's. I am guessing we would have scored the glasses regardless because most other teams would probably take the cash discount. Lucky for us, we know one of the owners (Garv).
Speaking of Garv, it was good to also see him last night. He had his country music moment. His eyes lit up as he told us about the concert he went to that featured Taylor Swift... and Keith Urban. But I think it was mainly because of Taylor Swift.
Anyway, another picture was taken of our team for winning trivia last night. So the next time you visit Blue 22 in Quincy, make sure you look for both of our group pictures now.
All in all, last night was okay. It was great to see everyone. It was great that we won again, despite the awful trivia announcer. The trivia announcer apparently was in a bad mood and took forever to read the questions because she was too busy chitchatting about personal stuff with some of the other patrons. And even when she did read the questions, she did not even read them clearly. (It was a longer than usual night of trivia.)
But all was good. We got our glasses.
Regardless, it was good to see everyone on the trivia team again. The team comprised of Karen, my BFF (Kerry), Marc, and my friends (Kelley, Cass, and Andrea). I was technically on the team, but I did not contribute anything to the team yesterday. In fact, I feel that way a lot with trivia. I am certain the team would do just fine without me.
Anyway, it was good to see everyone. Andrea was gracious enough to provide some brain food for all of us... and by brain food, I mean chocolate peanut butter balls. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) In addition to the chocolate peanut butter balls, it was definitely good to hang out with Cass. I don't hang out with Cass as much as I would like to. He provided some comic relief for the night.
As for the trivia itself, our team performed well. The last time we played trivia, we ended up taking first place and added to our growing collection of glasses. So for us, last night was our chance to defend our title... and perhaps score more glasses.
Kerry actually had a good first round. Truth be told, the team did pretty well. We ended up taking first place again last night. So we did score more glasses. For anyone curious, the glasses were for Killian's. I am guessing we would have scored the glasses regardless because most other teams would probably take the cash discount. Lucky for us, we know one of the owners (Garv).
Speaking of Garv, it was good to also see him last night. He had his country music moment. His eyes lit up as he told us about the concert he went to that featured Taylor Swift... and Keith Urban. But I think it was mainly because of Taylor Swift.
Anyway, another picture was taken of our team for winning trivia last night. So the next time you visit Blue 22 in Quincy, make sure you look for both of our group pictures now.
All in all, last night was okay. It was great to see everyone. It was great that we won again, despite the awful trivia announcer. The trivia announcer apparently was in a bad mood and took forever to read the questions because she was too busy chitchatting about personal stuff with some of the other patrons. And even when she did read the questions, she did not even read them clearly. (It was a longer than usual night of trivia.)
But all was good. We got our glasses.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I Suck At Firefighting
Today, I would have to agree with my BFF (Kerry) that firefighters are unreliable. It's too bad because at one time, I actually thought about being a firefighter.
Back when I was floundering in college, with no idea and no clue as to what to do with my life after college, I took the ever popular Myers-Brigg personality test. Among the chosen professions that had suited my personality was... a firefighter. (For anyone curious, an actor/writer was another one of the suggested professions.)
Needless to say, I did ponder what it would be like to be a firefighter after college. Thanks to movies and a society that had glorified the profession, I may have had at one time or another, aspirations of doing heroic deeds, saving people (or cats), and possibly dying in a blaze of glory.
I was always big on the dying in a blaze of glory thing, in part because I did not want to grow old, have my body break down, have my mental acumen diminish which I'm sure it will with my awful memory, and all of that. Unfortunately, I ended up doing computer stuff as opposed to firefighting. I guess you could say that I suck at firefighting.
Anyway, what does all of this have to do with today? Well, Karen had a meeting tonight with her Friends of the Library. They are planning ways to raise money to support the library, which is an altruistic endeavor. One thing about Karen: she is definitely more altruistic than I am. Hence, that is why I was not attending the meeting.
Needless to say, as she was leaving for her meeting, she ran into our neighbors. Our neighbors were going for a walk around the neighborhood and smelled smoke. In fact, they could actually see smoke coming from the woods near Jacob's Pond. And it just so happens that our house is next to these woods.
To be safe, Karen immediately called for the firefighters. After all, there are a lot of dead trees in the woods behind our house... and dead wood makes very good fodder for fire. Of course, when all of this was happening, I was busy making corn in the kitchen.
Anyway, when I went outside to join Karen and my other neighbors, we took a little walk down to the pond. It turns out, the fire was caused by a bunch of teenagers. The pond by my house is notorious for teenage drinking. I equate the pond with what was known as "the rock" when I was growing up. Basically, it's a place where kids go to hang out, drink, and party... not necessarily in that order. Of course, when I was growing up, I never went there.
As soon as the fire trucks came down our street, the teenagers fled. In fact, some of them ran into the house right next door to me. How is that for awkward? Another one of my neighbors soon came out to talk with us to see what was going on. So, we walked up to our neighbor's house and filled her in on the details about how we could smell smoke and how the smoke was coming from the woods. All the while, the firefighters went to investigate the cause of the fire.
The next thing we know, the firefighters drove away. Not even a thumbs up to signal that we were okay or anything... or that the fire was smothered and under control. It was a little annoying to be standing there without any answers. I guess the call will make the local paper though... which I'm sure Karen is thrilled about. Karen likes reading our local newspaper, especially the police log.
Anyway, as a sign that I am getting old, I would shake my fist at those young whipper snappers if I saw them again (or if they left the house next door to me). Of course, now after this incident, I'm sure my house has been marked for Halloween. Kids these days.
It's not that I am against teenagers partying and drinking in the woods. They can party to their heart's content. It's when their actions affect others that annoy me... say something like smashing all of the neighbors mailboxes (which is federal offense)... or setting the woods on fire (woods by my house that could potentially set my house on fire). I have been told from my neighbors, some of whom are lifelong residents in the neighborhood, that the teenagers build a fire within this particular tree to keep the mosquitos away. Now call me crazy, but why would anyone think that building a fire within an old tree is a good idea?
It's silly things like which make me think that the youth of today are... well... stupid. It's like the episode of 90210 where Donna runs into the burning woods by herself to save a deer... only to tumble down the hill and sprain her ankle in the process. Stupid idea!
I assumed it was only television. I had no idea that teenagers out there really are stupid. I almost wish that something awful would happen to these teenagers just so that they would understand the consequences of some of things that they do. And with that, I obviously sound like an old fogey.
Needless to say, I'm not liking teenagers right now. Luckily for me, I have been in a bad mood for some time. So there may be some hope for them yet should I ever get out of my funk.
Back when I was floundering in college, with no idea and no clue as to what to do with my life after college, I took the ever popular Myers-Brigg personality test. Among the chosen professions that had suited my personality was... a firefighter. (For anyone curious, an actor/writer was another one of the suggested professions.)
Needless to say, I did ponder what it would be like to be a firefighter after college. Thanks to movies and a society that had glorified the profession, I may have had at one time or another, aspirations of doing heroic deeds, saving people (or cats), and possibly dying in a blaze of glory.
I was always big on the dying in a blaze of glory thing, in part because I did not want to grow old, have my body break down, have my mental acumen diminish which I'm sure it will with my awful memory, and all of that. Unfortunately, I ended up doing computer stuff as opposed to firefighting. I guess you could say that I suck at firefighting.
Anyway, what does all of this have to do with today? Well, Karen had a meeting tonight with her Friends of the Library. They are planning ways to raise money to support the library, which is an altruistic endeavor. One thing about Karen: she is definitely more altruistic than I am. Hence, that is why I was not attending the meeting.
Needless to say, as she was leaving for her meeting, she ran into our neighbors. Our neighbors were going for a walk around the neighborhood and smelled smoke. In fact, they could actually see smoke coming from the woods near Jacob's Pond. And it just so happens that our house is next to these woods.
To be safe, Karen immediately called for the firefighters. After all, there are a lot of dead trees in the woods behind our house... and dead wood makes very good fodder for fire. Of course, when all of this was happening, I was busy making corn in the kitchen.
Anyway, when I went outside to join Karen and my other neighbors, we took a little walk down to the pond. It turns out, the fire was caused by a bunch of teenagers. The pond by my house is notorious for teenage drinking. I equate the pond with what was known as "the rock" when I was growing up. Basically, it's a place where kids go to hang out, drink, and party... not necessarily in that order. Of course, when I was growing up, I never went there.
As soon as the fire trucks came down our street, the teenagers fled. In fact, some of them ran into the house right next door to me. How is that for awkward? Another one of my neighbors soon came out to talk with us to see what was going on. So, we walked up to our neighbor's house and filled her in on the details about how we could smell smoke and how the smoke was coming from the woods. All the while, the firefighters went to investigate the cause of the fire.
The next thing we know, the firefighters drove away. Not even a thumbs up to signal that we were okay or anything... or that the fire was smothered and under control. It was a little annoying to be standing there without any answers. I guess the call will make the local paper though... which I'm sure Karen is thrilled about. Karen likes reading our local newspaper, especially the police log.
Anyway, as a sign that I am getting old, I would shake my fist at those young whipper snappers if I saw them again (or if they left the house next door to me). Of course, now after this incident, I'm sure my house has been marked for Halloween. Kids these days.
It's not that I am against teenagers partying and drinking in the woods. They can party to their heart's content. It's when their actions affect others that annoy me... say something like smashing all of the neighbors mailboxes (which is federal offense)... or setting the woods on fire (woods by my house that could potentially set my house on fire). I have been told from my neighbors, some of whom are lifelong residents in the neighborhood, that the teenagers build a fire within this particular tree to keep the mosquitos away. Now call me crazy, but why would anyone think that building a fire within an old tree is a good idea?
It's silly things like which make me think that the youth of today are... well... stupid. It's like the episode of 90210 where Donna runs into the burning woods by herself to save a deer... only to tumble down the hill and sprain her ankle in the process. Stupid idea!
I assumed it was only television. I had no idea that teenagers out there really are stupid. I almost wish that something awful would happen to these teenagers just so that they would understand the consequences of some of things that they do. And with that, I obviously sound like an old fogey.
Needless to say, I'm not liking teenagers right now. Luckily for me, I have been in a bad mood for some time. So there may be some hope for them yet should I ever get out of my funk.
I Suck At Obsessed
In the past month, I have watched about 18 movies. Needless to say, 18 movies in one month is an insane amount... and an insane waste of hours from my life.
Luckily, I have no life. And probably for my sanity's sake, my Netflix subscription will expire this month, to which I can return to the normal drudgery of my every day life. I guess you could say that I am obsessed with watching movies since joining Netflix.
Speaking of which, I watched "Obsessed" the other day. Now I suck at Obsessed.
(The video below is a trailer for "Obsessed".)
For anyone curious, "Obsessed" is about an obsessed Ali Larter, a temp worker who stalks her boss. Basically, the movie is a watered-down version of "The Temp". Truth be told, having Ali Larter stalking you probably is not be all that bad. In fact, having Ali Larter as a co-worker would not be that bad either. (I know I would definitely work with her. Just kidding.)
Anyway, the movie was okay. I should probably mention that Beyonce was actually okay in the movie as well. Following "Obsessed", I turned to an old indulgence of mine: movies based on comic books. That comic book movie: "Ghost Rider".
(The video below is a trailer for "Ghost Rider".)
"Ghost Rider" is based on the Marvel comic book character Johnny Blaze, who makes a pact with the devil to save his father's life from cancer. As most deals with the devil go, things never work out according to the agreement (because his father dies from a motorcycle accident instead). Nevertheless, Johnny Blaze is doomed to ride around as the Ghost Rider.
Anyway, most movies based on comic books are never that good. "Ghost Rider" was actually not that bad. The movie was not that good, but it was not awful. In fact, I enjoyed the movie much better before Nicholas Cage and Eva Mendes appeared in the movie. (The movie had younger versions of their respective characters earlier in the movie.)
All in all, it was a decent way to pass the time... and that's all I was really looking forward to.
Luckily, I have no life. And probably for my sanity's sake, my Netflix subscription will expire this month, to which I can return to the normal drudgery of my every day life. I guess you could say that I am obsessed with watching movies since joining Netflix.
Speaking of which, I watched "Obsessed" the other day. Now I suck at Obsessed.
(The video below is a trailer for "Obsessed".)
For anyone curious, "Obsessed" is about an obsessed Ali Larter, a temp worker who stalks her boss. Basically, the movie is a watered-down version of "The Temp". Truth be told, having Ali Larter stalking you probably is not be all that bad. In fact, having Ali Larter as a co-worker would not be that bad either. (I know I would definitely work with her. Just kidding.)
Anyway, the movie was okay. I should probably mention that Beyonce was actually okay in the movie as well. Following "Obsessed", I turned to an old indulgence of mine: movies based on comic books. That comic book movie: "Ghost Rider".
(The video below is a trailer for "Ghost Rider".)
"Ghost Rider" is based on the Marvel comic book character Johnny Blaze, who makes a pact with the devil to save his father's life from cancer. As most deals with the devil go, things never work out according to the agreement (because his father dies from a motorcycle accident instead). Nevertheless, Johnny Blaze is doomed to ride around as the Ghost Rider.
Anyway, most movies based on comic books are never that good. "Ghost Rider" was actually not that bad. The movie was not that good, but it was not awful. In fact, I enjoyed the movie much better before Nicholas Cage and Eva Mendes appeared in the movie. (The movie had younger versions of their respective characters earlier in the movie.)
All in all, it was a decent way to pass the time... and that's all I was really looking forward to.
I Suck At Extreme Pita
Last night, Karen and I went out for dinner. Ever so often, Karen will crave fast food. In particular, she will have a craving for Wendy's. Unfortunately, there is no Wendy's location near us. I think the closest one may be in Abington, which is really not that close.
So instead of Wendy's, we decided to try our hand at Extreme Pita. Now I suck at Extreme Pita. Extreme Pita is located literally across the street in Norwell. In fact, the place used to be a Subway. (I guess there is one less location for Jared Fogel to eat at now.)
Anyway, I have never been to Extreme Pita. I have, however, had a pita from Extreme Pita thanks to my BFF (Kerry). One day, Kerry had ordered a tuna pita from Extreme Pita before coming over. And like I am apt to do with food, I had a taste of her pita. The pita was good.
Regardless, Karen and I decided to try Extreme Pita yesterday. The place is interesting. For some reason, every time I think about Extreme Pita, I think of those "Crazy Eddie" commercials from my childhood years.
For anyone curious, Crazy Eddie was a retail electronics chain that went under due to fraud. But one of Crazy Eddie's slogan was that "his prices are INSANE".
For some unknown reason, I associate a similar slogan with Extreme Pita. "Extreme Pita's pitas are EXTREME!" Okay. So maybe that is not the official slogan for Extreme Pita... although I suppose it could be.
The other image that I sometimes envision when it comes to Extreme Pita is a skate boarder like Tony Hawk or a BMX biker doing tricks and flips and whatnot. Of course, following the sick acrobatic move by one of these athletes, there would then be the slogan... "It's EXTREME!"
Of course, none of this has anything to do with the pita itself. That was just my own meandering thoughts. The pita was actually very good. I had the bourbon chipotle chicken pita. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) Karen had the tuna. Needless to say, I would eat there again. After all... it's EXTREME!
So instead of Wendy's, we decided to try our hand at Extreme Pita. Now I suck at Extreme Pita. Extreme Pita is located literally across the street in Norwell. In fact, the place used to be a Subway. (I guess there is one less location for Jared Fogel to eat at now.)
Anyway, I have never been to Extreme Pita. I have, however, had a pita from Extreme Pita thanks to my BFF (Kerry). One day, Kerry had ordered a tuna pita from Extreme Pita before coming over. And like I am apt to do with food, I had a taste of her pita. The pita was good.
Regardless, Karen and I decided to try Extreme Pita yesterday. The place is interesting. For some reason, every time I think about Extreme Pita, I think of those "Crazy Eddie" commercials from my childhood years.
For anyone curious, Crazy Eddie was a retail electronics chain that went under due to fraud. But one of Crazy Eddie's slogan was that "his prices are INSANE".
For some unknown reason, I associate a similar slogan with Extreme Pita. "Extreme Pita's pitas are EXTREME!" Okay. So maybe that is not the official slogan for Extreme Pita... although I suppose it could be.
The other image that I sometimes envision when it comes to Extreme Pita is a skate boarder like Tony Hawk or a BMX biker doing tricks and flips and whatnot. Of course, following the sick acrobatic move by one of these athletes, there would then be the slogan... "It's EXTREME!"
Of course, none of this has anything to do with the pita itself. That was just my own meandering thoughts. The pita was actually very good. I had the bourbon chipotle chicken pita. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) Karen had the tuna. Needless to say, I would eat there again. After all... it's EXTREME!
Monday, August 10, 2009
I Suck At Organizing The Garage
I am getting old. Of course, as much as I say I am getting old... I will have the pleasure of always knowing that I will forever be younger than my friend (Hot Amy). Speaking of Hot Amy, I actually got to see her on Sunday.
I had not seen Hot Amy since her third of July cookout. So it's been some time. Anyway, it so happens that my friend (Jen), Hot Amy and Karen were going to watch my friend (Pam) run a road race in Falmouth.
For anyone curious, Pam is not a runner. It was my understanding that Pam has never trained to run 7 miles. Apparently, she agreed to run the road race with her husband (Ed). Ed, by the way, has still yet to call me after work. (Sorry, personal joke.) Nevertheless, Pam and Ed were up from Bon Jovi's home state of New Jersey for the week. And nothing starts a vacation like a good 7 mile run.
For anyone curious, Pam and Ed did finish the road race. I don't know about the details in regards to time or anything, but they finished. Good for them. I was mainly concerned that Pam would hurt herself. After all, people don't normally go from not training to suddenly running a road race. That is generally how injuries happen. From what I have been told, however, there were no injuries.
Anyway, Karen, Jen and Hot Amy went to watch Pam run. So what does one do with a free day all by his lonesome? I organize the garage of course. Unfortunately, I suck at organizing the garage.
The main reason for the recent organization of the garage has to do with a renovation that is coming soon. A while ago, Karen and I decided to renovate our garage using what is called the Viking Wall Panel system. This Viking system is offered only through Home Depot. And unfortunately, only Home Depot can install the system. (That's how they get you.)
Basically, the Viking system is a bunch of wall panels that are attached to the existing walls. What makes the Viking walls unique is its ability to hold hooks, cabinets, and whatnot anywhere on the wall. It's suppose to maximize storage options... which is great if anyone has seen our garage. Trust me, the garage is a mess. I can never find things that I put in the garage. The garage is like a black hole... things go in... they don't come out.
Nevertheless, Karen and I thought the Viking panels were worth the investment. Well, technically, we thought it was worth the time. As much as I would have preferred to do the garage project on my own, I have grown quite lazy... unmotivated... mindless... etc. of late. Some may call it a rut. So having someone else work on something is a much needed break.
Anyway, I basically started by cleaning and organizing my tools in the garage. Had I been in a different mindset, I may have been tempted to do something to Hot Amy's car... because I'm like that. Hot Amy was gracious enough to leave me her car in the event that I needed to go somewhere while they were gone. (Karen drove the three of them to Falmouth, so I really did not have a viable transportation option should the need arise.) Oh, the possibilities of what I could have done to Hot Amy's car. Perhaps next time.
Needless to say, I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Who knew I had so many tools, screws, miscellaneous stuff, and whatnot in the garage? I actually had to stop after awhile because my back and legs were hurting me. I think the pain was caused from my wearing sandals while cleaning the garage. I normally do not wear sandals because of the lack of support they provide. I don't know what caused me to wear them on Sunday.
The funny thing is... with all the cleaning I did on Sunday, the garage still looks like a mess. It's very sad. By the way, if anyone wants a digital programmable thermostat, a digital thermostat, or a hook... let me know.
When Karen, Jen, Hot Amy returned from their trip, I had basically stopped with the garage cleanup. I literally could not continue with it any more. I started shuffling like an elderly person. My body was in so much pain. (Damn those sandals!)
Truth be told, Jen looked like she would be in a lot more pain that me. Jen was pretty burnt from being in the sun in Falmouth. She said that she could even feel the heat from her skin. Karen had a slight burn along her arm, which was the part that she missed when applying her sunscreen. (Yes, Karen does seem to habitually miss spots when applying sunscreen.) As for Hot Amy, she had that owl-look. I have a feeling that she may have been wearing her sunglasses all day.
As much as I was in pain... shuffling like an old man after cleaning some of the garage... I was definitely glad that I did not have a sun tan or a sun burn. I have a slight aversion to sunlight. I guess you could say I'm a vampire that way. Sure, vitamin D is important. I just don't like being in the sun. The thought of baking my skin does not appeal to me.
Anyway, there is still a lot more to do in terms of cleaning up and organizing the garage. I hope Karen and I can finish in time before the renovation work begins.
I had not seen Hot Amy since her third of July cookout. So it's been some time. Anyway, it so happens that my friend (Jen), Hot Amy and Karen were going to watch my friend (Pam) run a road race in Falmouth.
For anyone curious, Pam is not a runner. It was my understanding that Pam has never trained to run 7 miles. Apparently, she agreed to run the road race with her husband (Ed). Ed, by the way, has still yet to call me after work. (Sorry, personal joke.) Nevertheless, Pam and Ed were up from Bon Jovi's home state of New Jersey for the week. And nothing starts a vacation like a good 7 mile run.
For anyone curious, Pam and Ed did finish the road race. I don't know about the details in regards to time or anything, but they finished. Good for them. I was mainly concerned that Pam would hurt herself. After all, people don't normally go from not training to suddenly running a road race. That is generally how injuries happen. From what I have been told, however, there were no injuries.
Anyway, Karen, Jen and Hot Amy went to watch Pam run. So what does one do with a free day all by his lonesome? I organize the garage of course. Unfortunately, I suck at organizing the garage.
The main reason for the recent organization of the garage has to do with a renovation that is coming soon. A while ago, Karen and I decided to renovate our garage using what is called the Viking Wall Panel system. This Viking system is offered only through Home Depot. And unfortunately, only Home Depot can install the system. (That's how they get you.)
Basically, the Viking system is a bunch of wall panels that are attached to the existing walls. What makes the Viking walls unique is its ability to hold hooks, cabinets, and whatnot anywhere on the wall. It's suppose to maximize storage options... which is great if anyone has seen our garage. Trust me, the garage is a mess. I can never find things that I put in the garage. The garage is like a black hole... things go in... they don't come out.
Nevertheless, Karen and I thought the Viking panels were worth the investment. Well, technically, we thought it was worth the time. As much as I would have preferred to do the garage project on my own, I have grown quite lazy... unmotivated... mindless... etc. of late. Some may call it a rut. So having someone else work on something is a much needed break.
Anyway, I basically started by cleaning and organizing my tools in the garage. Had I been in a different mindset, I may have been tempted to do something to Hot Amy's car... because I'm like that. Hot Amy was gracious enough to leave me her car in the event that I needed to go somewhere while they were gone. (Karen drove the three of them to Falmouth, so I really did not have a viable transportation option should the need arise.) Oh, the possibilities of what I could have done to Hot Amy's car. Perhaps next time.
Needless to say, I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Who knew I had so many tools, screws, miscellaneous stuff, and whatnot in the garage? I actually had to stop after awhile because my back and legs were hurting me. I think the pain was caused from my wearing sandals while cleaning the garage. I normally do not wear sandals because of the lack of support they provide. I don't know what caused me to wear them on Sunday.
The funny thing is... with all the cleaning I did on Sunday, the garage still looks like a mess. It's very sad. By the way, if anyone wants a digital programmable thermostat, a digital thermostat, or a hook... let me know.
When Karen, Jen, Hot Amy returned from their trip, I had basically stopped with the garage cleanup. I literally could not continue with it any more. I started shuffling like an elderly person. My body was in so much pain. (Damn those sandals!)
Truth be told, Jen looked like she would be in a lot more pain that me. Jen was pretty burnt from being in the sun in Falmouth. She said that she could even feel the heat from her skin. Karen had a slight burn along her arm, which was the part that she missed when applying her sunscreen. (Yes, Karen does seem to habitually miss spots when applying sunscreen.) As for Hot Amy, she had that owl-look. I have a feeling that she may have been wearing her sunglasses all day.
As much as I was in pain... shuffling like an old man after cleaning some of the garage... I was definitely glad that I did not have a sun tan or a sun burn. I have a slight aversion to sunlight. I guess you could say I'm a vampire that way. Sure, vitamin D is important. I just don't like being in the sun. The thought of baking my skin does not appeal to me.
Anyway, there is still a lot more to do in terms of cleaning up and organizing the garage. I hope Karen and I can finish in time before the renovation work begins.
I Suck At Celebrating My Friend's Birthday
Saturday was my friend's (Andrea) birthday. Happy birthday Andrea! I hope Andrea enjoyed her day. I'm fairly certain she had a great time because Andrea loves her birthday. I think at one time, she had referred to her birthday as one of her favorite days of the year... the other being the cookout held on the third of July at my friend's (Hot Amy). Given 365 choices, I probably would not choose the third of July cookout as one of my favorite days... but that's just me.
So how do I celebrate Andrea's birthday? Naturally, I went blueberry picking with my parents. Yes, I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Truth be told, Andrea was very low keyed this year in regards to her birthday. So there were actually no plans afoot to celebrate her birthday, which is unfortunate... purely for selfish reasons... because I need ways to waste time. (Or at least I think I do.) Perhaps she had a secret that she did not want to share with her friends. Who knows?
Nevertheless, I got to spend quality time with my parents. It turns out, the quality time increased ever so slightly because the place we were going to pick blueberries was closed. Don't get me wrong. I love my parents. Lately, I have just been in a rut or something where I don't want to deal with anything. And unfortunately, as much as I love my parents, they always have a "to-do" list for me whenever I see them. Saturday was no different.
So in addition to celebrating my mom's birthday (her birthday was earlier in the week), I got a list of things to do for them. Life as a prodigal son is difficult, I'm sure.
Anyway, Karen and I made lunch for my parents in celebration of my mother's birthday. As well, Karen's parents stopped on by to partake in the festivities. My mother-in-law told me about her forget-me-nots. She had recently planted some forget-me-not seeds and apparently they have been growing greatly. She even almost started to tear.
Now, before anyone thinks my mother-in-law is crazy for crying over a plant, there is some history in regards to the forget-me-not. In February, there was a memorial ceremony held at South Shore Hospital who those who lost a family member. My son (Braden) who passed away almost a full year ago was among those honored. The staff at the hospital provided everyone with forget-me-not seeds to plant in the honor of our loved one.
That said, the forget-me-not plant means a great deal to my mother-in-law. Of course, my mother-in-law also had a low blood sugar reading, which is not good for a diabetic, when she was telling me about her forget-me-not. So she may have been a little off. Nevertheless, I was touched by how much she really enjoyed her plant.
Naturally, the story made me think about Braden. Unfortunately, I think one of my fears is coming true, and that only makes me angry with myself. I sometimes feel like I am forgetting how Braden looked like. Perhaps that is why I have been so moody of late because I don't want to ever forget.
Anyway, following lunch, Karen and I ended up visiting my favorite sister-in-law (Janine). Janine had invited us over for dinner... and apparently my niece (Kaleigh) invited us over to watch "Kung Fu Panda".
Dinner was great. Janine and Karen went over to Janine's neighbor's yard to get some zucchini. It turns out that Janine's neighbors have a big garden. It also happens to be the case that the neighbors are away for a month. So while away, the neighbors asked Janine to basically loot their garden. What a good deal. If it were me, there would be no vegetables left in the garden and my stomach would be chock full of zucchini... but that's just me.
As well, an interesting thing happened while at Janine's. And by interesting, I mean I found a new way to waste and squander my existence. That new way: Bejeweled. Like Karen is apt to do, I happened to stumble upon Janine's iPod Touch. Apparently on her iPod Touch was an application for Bejeweled. Naturally, I was curious about the game and started to play. I have never played the game. It was an interesting game to say the least.
All in all, Saturday turned out to be a low key day... much like Andrea's birthday celebration.
So how do I celebrate Andrea's birthday? Naturally, I went blueberry picking with my parents. Yes, I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Truth be told, Andrea was very low keyed this year in regards to her birthday. So there were actually no plans afoot to celebrate her birthday, which is unfortunate... purely for selfish reasons... because I need ways to waste time. (Or at least I think I do.) Perhaps she had a secret that she did not want to share with her friends. Who knows?
Nevertheless, I got to spend quality time with my parents. It turns out, the quality time increased ever so slightly because the place we were going to pick blueberries was closed. Don't get me wrong. I love my parents. Lately, I have just been in a rut or something where I don't want to deal with anything. And unfortunately, as much as I love my parents, they always have a "to-do" list for me whenever I see them. Saturday was no different.
So in addition to celebrating my mom's birthday (her birthday was earlier in the week), I got a list of things to do for them. Life as a prodigal son is difficult, I'm sure.
Anyway, Karen and I made lunch for my parents in celebration of my mother's birthday. As well, Karen's parents stopped on by to partake in the festivities. My mother-in-law told me about her forget-me-nots. She had recently planted some forget-me-not seeds and apparently they have been growing greatly. She even almost started to tear.
Now, before anyone thinks my mother-in-law is crazy for crying over a plant, there is some history in regards to the forget-me-not. In February, there was a memorial ceremony held at South Shore Hospital who those who lost a family member. My son (Braden) who passed away almost a full year ago was among those honored. The staff at the hospital provided everyone with forget-me-not seeds to plant in the honor of our loved one.
That said, the forget-me-not plant means a great deal to my mother-in-law. Of course, my mother-in-law also had a low blood sugar reading, which is not good for a diabetic, when she was telling me about her forget-me-not. So she may have been a little off. Nevertheless, I was touched by how much she really enjoyed her plant.
Naturally, the story made me think about Braden. Unfortunately, I think one of my fears is coming true, and that only makes me angry with myself. I sometimes feel like I am forgetting how Braden looked like. Perhaps that is why I have been so moody of late because I don't want to ever forget.
Anyway, following lunch, Karen and I ended up visiting my favorite sister-in-law (Janine). Janine had invited us over for dinner... and apparently my niece (Kaleigh) invited us over to watch "Kung Fu Panda".
Dinner was great. Janine and Karen went over to Janine's neighbor's yard to get some zucchini. It turns out that Janine's neighbors have a big garden. It also happens to be the case that the neighbors are away for a month. So while away, the neighbors asked Janine to basically loot their garden. What a good deal. If it were me, there would be no vegetables left in the garden and my stomach would be chock full of zucchini... but that's just me.
As well, an interesting thing happened while at Janine's. And by interesting, I mean I found a new way to waste and squander my existence. That new way: Bejeweled. Like Karen is apt to do, I happened to stumble upon Janine's iPod Touch. Apparently on her iPod Touch was an application for Bejeweled. Naturally, I was curious about the game and started to play. I have never played the game. It was an interesting game to say the least.
All in all, Saturday turned out to be a low key day... much like Andrea's birthday celebration.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
I Suck At Watching Movies
In an effort to mindless waste time so as to not think about the realities of life, I decided to catch up on my movies complements of Netflix. Sure, drugs and booze are probably the easiest way to squander time, but I like to choose movies as my outlet. My body is a temple. Just kidding. Too bad, I suck at watching movies.
To continue my apparent Ryan Reynold man-crush, I decided to watch "Smokin' Aces". For anyone curious, I do not really have a man-crush on Ryan Reynolds. Sure, he has a nice body... and he's good looking guy... and he has a nice body... wait. Just kidding.
(The video below is a trailer for "Smokin' Aces".)
The movie was actually okay. It had quite a bunch of stars in it. In fact, it had three actors from "Lost" in it: Matthew Fox, that guy who plays Richard, and that mercenary guy who killed Ben's daughter. (The movie also had Chris Pine, who would go on to play Kirk in the Star Trek movie.) And that was in addition to Ray Liotta, Andy Garcia, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Alicia Keys, and Ryan Reynolds. But for all of its star power, the movie was just okay.
From there, I watched "Domino" staring Keira Knightley as real life bounty hunter, Domino Harvey.
(The video below is a trailer for "Domino".)
Unfortunately, this movie was just okay as well. Normally, one might think that a boob shot of Keira Knightley would make this movie awesome. For me, the highlight of the movie came from stars Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering, who play themselves in the movie. (For those who are curious, Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering starred in Beverly Hills 90210.) It was funny to see them playing themselves in such a silly situation. Or maybe I just thought it was funny since I used to watch 90210 before the college years.
Adding to my state of mindless entertainment, I followed "Domino" with "Alien Vs. Predator".
(The video below is a for "Alien Vs. Predator".)
The movie was basically a way to showcase two science fiction villains from other movie franchises, much like the Freddy and Jason movie. All the other characters in the movie just served the purpose of getting killed... also like in Freddy and Jason. Nonetheless, the movie was entertaining.
To end the movie streak on a more serious note, I ended up watching "Kite Runner".
(The vidoe below is the trailer for "Kite Runner".)
"Kite Runner" is the movie based on the book of the same name by Khaled Hosseini. The movie details the life of Amir, an Afghan refugee who fled along with his father during the Soviet invasion (and the subsequent rise of the Taliban).
Truth be told, the movie was just okay. In my opinion, there was not a lot to like about the protagonist (Amir). So even though the events of the story were quite remarkable, I didn't find Amir very identifiable.
All in all, the movies did their job: waste time... which is really all I wanted. So, that's good I guess.
To continue my apparent Ryan Reynold man-crush, I decided to watch "Smokin' Aces". For anyone curious, I do not really have a man-crush on Ryan Reynolds. Sure, he has a nice body... and he's good looking guy... and he has a nice body... wait. Just kidding.
(The video below is a trailer for "Smokin' Aces".)
The movie was actually okay. It had quite a bunch of stars in it. In fact, it had three actors from "Lost" in it: Matthew Fox, that guy who plays Richard, and that mercenary guy who killed Ben's daughter. (The movie also had Chris Pine, who would go on to play Kirk in the Star Trek movie.) And that was in addition to Ray Liotta, Andy Garcia, Jeremy Piven, Ben Affleck, Alicia Keys, and Ryan Reynolds. But for all of its star power, the movie was just okay.
From there, I watched "Domino" staring Keira Knightley as real life bounty hunter, Domino Harvey.
(The video below is a trailer for "Domino".)
Unfortunately, this movie was just okay as well. Normally, one might think that a boob shot of Keira Knightley would make this movie awesome. For me, the highlight of the movie came from stars Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering, who play themselves in the movie. (For those who are curious, Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering starred in Beverly Hills 90210.) It was funny to see them playing themselves in such a silly situation. Or maybe I just thought it was funny since I used to watch 90210 before the college years.
Adding to my state of mindless entertainment, I followed "Domino" with "Alien Vs. Predator".
(The video below is a for "Alien Vs. Predator".)
The movie was basically a way to showcase two science fiction villains from other movie franchises, much like the Freddy and Jason movie. All the other characters in the movie just served the purpose of getting killed... also like in Freddy and Jason. Nonetheless, the movie was entertaining.
To end the movie streak on a more serious note, I ended up watching "Kite Runner".
(The vidoe below is the trailer for "Kite Runner".)
"Kite Runner" is the movie based on the book of the same name by Khaled Hosseini. The movie details the life of Amir, an Afghan refugee who fled along with his father during the Soviet invasion (and the subsequent rise of the Taliban).
Truth be told, the movie was just okay. In my opinion, there was not a lot to like about the protagonist (Amir). So even though the events of the story were quite remarkable, I didn't find Amir very identifiable.
All in all, the movies did their job: waste time... which is really all I wanted. So, that's good I guess.
I Suck At The Halfway Cafe
Yesterday, Karen and I hung out with my friends (Marc and Kelley).
Marc has been taking care of my friend's (Amy) cats this week. Amy, who I refer to as "The Czar" because the first four letters of her last name are c-z-a-r (so as to not be confused with Aimee or Hot Amy), has been away visiting one of her friends. So while she was away, she asked Marc to feed her cats, rub their bellies, and do all of those things that cats desire and want.
And it just so happens that Amy and her cats live in the nearby town of Marshfield, home of Steve Carrell and Steven Tyler. So Marc and Kelley decided to head our way for the night.
Our first destination: the Halfway Cafe. Now, I suck at the Halfway Cafe. I have not been to the Halfway Cafe in Marshfield in quite some time(possibly over a year). The last time I was there, I think I was with my BFF (Kerry).
Anyway, the food there was delicious as usual. Plus, it's hard to beat the 7 for $7 specials. For anyone curious, I had Evan's Seafood Scampi. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-o" sound.) I think all of us had one of the specials, with the exception of Marc who ordered his usual pizza. And for any woman wanting to go, it turns out that Wednesday is ladies night. (Tuesday is trivia night there.)
Following dinner, the four of us headed over to Amy's to check up on her cats. I had never been to Amy's prior to last night. So naturally, I had to christen her bathroom because that's what I do. And in true cat whisperer fashion, Amy's cats came out to say hello to both Karen and I. Cats must have that sense to detect those who are allergic to them.
Nevertheless, it was nice to see Amy's place. A part of me feels bad that I do not visit her more often since she is in nearby Marshfield. Of course, if I did visit her often, I would probably die from the cats. Speaking of her pets, I was quite surprised to find out that her pets were actually normal.
Growing up, Amy used to have what could best be described as a zoo of misfit animals. I remember she had this huge dog with itty bitty legs that could barely lift the dog's torso off the ground. The dog's name happened to be "Legs". Amy used to take in all sorts of animals because she felt bad for them. Anyway, it was good to visit Amy's place. Too bad Amy was away.
Following Amy's, the four of us headed back to our place to watch a couple of episodes of Angel. The episodes that we watched were: "Dear Boy" about Darla's return, and "Guise Will Be Guise", where Wesley impersonates Angel in order to be a bodyguard for a wealthy businessman's daughter.
Both episodes were fantastic. To end the night on a comedic note, we even decided to watch the latest episode of Wipeout. Wipeout is such an addictive show.
Anyway, it was another fun night of just hanging out. It was definitely much needed because I have been a little pensive of late.
Marc has been taking care of my friend's (Amy) cats this week. Amy, who I refer to as "The Czar" because the first four letters of her last name are c-z-a-r (so as to not be confused with Aimee or Hot Amy), has been away visiting one of her friends. So while she was away, she asked Marc to feed her cats, rub their bellies, and do all of those things that cats desire and want.
And it just so happens that Amy and her cats live in the nearby town of Marshfield, home of Steve Carrell and Steven Tyler. So Marc and Kelley decided to head our way for the night.
Our first destination: the Halfway Cafe. Now, I suck at the Halfway Cafe. I have not been to the Halfway Cafe in Marshfield in quite some time(possibly over a year). The last time I was there, I think I was with my BFF (Kerry).
Anyway, the food there was delicious as usual. Plus, it's hard to beat the 7 for $7 specials. For anyone curious, I had Evan's Seafood Scampi. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-o" sound.) I think all of us had one of the specials, with the exception of Marc who ordered his usual pizza. And for any woman wanting to go, it turns out that Wednesday is ladies night. (Tuesday is trivia night there.)
Following dinner, the four of us headed over to Amy's to check up on her cats. I had never been to Amy's prior to last night. So naturally, I had to christen her bathroom because that's what I do. And in true cat whisperer fashion, Amy's cats came out to say hello to both Karen and I. Cats must have that sense to detect those who are allergic to them.
Nevertheless, it was nice to see Amy's place. A part of me feels bad that I do not visit her more often since she is in nearby Marshfield. Of course, if I did visit her often, I would probably die from the cats. Speaking of her pets, I was quite surprised to find out that her pets were actually normal.
Growing up, Amy used to have what could best be described as a zoo of misfit animals. I remember she had this huge dog with itty bitty legs that could barely lift the dog's torso off the ground. The dog's name happened to be "Legs". Amy used to take in all sorts of animals because she felt bad for them. Anyway, it was good to visit Amy's place. Too bad Amy was away.
Following Amy's, the four of us headed back to our place to watch a couple of episodes of Angel. The episodes that we watched were: "Dear Boy" about Darla's return, and "Guise Will Be Guise", where Wesley impersonates Angel in order to be a bodyguard for a wealthy businessman's daughter.
Both episodes were fantastic. To end the night on a comedic note, we even decided to watch the latest episode of Wipeout. Wipeout is such an addictive show.
Anyway, it was another fun night of just hanging out. It was definitely much needed because I have been a little pensive of late.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
I Suck At Public Meetings
Last night, Karen and I attended our town's public meeting. On the agenda for the public meeting was the Conservation Commission's hearing in regards to Jacob's Pond, which is located in our neighborhood. Now I suck at public meetings. Well, truth be told... I should actually say the Conservation Commission sucks at public meetings. The meeting last night only reinforced my disappointed with government bureaucracies.
For anyone curious, the meeting was brought to the neighborhood's attention (albeit a little late) because the Jacobs Pond Estates, which is the senior housing located on the opposite side of the pond, is asking to be relieved of their annual contribution to the cleanup and maintenance of the pond. Sure, it seems like a harmless request.
Unfortunately, the problem is far greater than what it seems. In fact, the problem dates back to the creation of the Jacobs Pond Estates itself which is almost ten years ago. According to the written documentation, the original proposal to build the Jacobs Pond Estates failed to gain any support. In order to gain the support of residents, the builder went door to door to speak to the residents of the neighborhood to see what concessions he could make so that he could build the Jacobs Pond Estates. The concession that finally appeased the residents was that the builder and the subsequent owners of the Jacobs Pond Estates would contribute annually to the cleaning and maintenance of the pond. Again, that sounds great.
Unfortunately, this is where things get complicated. The payments were to be made to the town's Conservation Commission. It turns out... the Conservation Commission has not collected any payment from the Jacobs Pond Estates for over 5 years. Apparently, the commission just forgot about collecting the funds altogether.
It was not until a couple of years ago that the Conservation Commission discovered this error. Naturally, they then asked the Jacobs Pond Estates for the funds from all the years that they, the commission themselves, forgot to collect. Naturally, that caused an uproar with the Jacobs Pond Estates. (Don't get the elderly angry.)
Balking at the request, the Jacobs Pond Estates asked to be relieved of this annual contribution. In response, the Conservation Commission said they would consider relieving the Jacobs Pond Estates of this annual contribution based on whether their septic was contributing to the wasted in the pond itself... which is really not even the original intent of the formation of the annual contribution.
And thus, that is the history in a quick nutshell. Last night's meeting was absolutely useless. As of right now, I'm afraid I do not have any faith in government... regardless of whatever decision the commission makes.
Had the commission diligently collected the annual funds, the shock of the request for the large sum of money for the past collections would have been lessened. The Jacobs Pond Estates still may or may not be asking to be relieved of this fund, but at least the town would have had the funds to clean up the pond.
Never once did the Conservation Commission ever admit fault or took responsibility for the creation of this entire fiasco. The commission just said they are not accountants and it just happened. For me, I would have respected the Conservation Commission had they, in fact, admitted to their errors. The passing of the buck has always annoyed me. If that is a frequent occurrence in government, then my faith in government is lacking. Even if the commission provided a course to rectify the situation, I would have been appeased. But sadly, no. (I'd shake my fist at the Conservation Commission if I thought it would help.)
That said, the Jacobs Pond Estates also never admitted fault or took responsibility for not making past payments. One of arguments made by the Jacobs Pond Estates is that they are on a fixed income and are being singled out to carry the burden of cleaning up the pond.
Now I can sympathize with them to a certain degree. After all, the economy is not well. Times are tough. No one wants to pay more than they have to. That said, this annual contribution is written in their deed... the very same deed that they must sign when they purchase housing there. It's a written legal document.
The Jacobs Pond Estates should be ashamed of themselves if they did not read their documentation. After all, if someone agrees and writes that they will pay me any amount of funds, you better believe that I am going to diligently collect the funds and hold that person to the agreement. I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't. I can only wish that I could forget to pay bills... and then complain later that I have to pay them.
All in all, last night was an exercise in futility. It's very disappointing when bureaucrats ruin things by shifting the focus and not taking responsibility of their actions. It's disappointing in how people can think cry foul over something that they personally (and legally) agreed to do in the first place.
Needless to say, my outlook on society right now is bleak.
For anyone curious, the meeting was brought to the neighborhood's attention (albeit a little late) because the Jacobs Pond Estates, which is the senior housing located on the opposite side of the pond, is asking to be relieved of their annual contribution to the cleanup and maintenance of the pond. Sure, it seems like a harmless request.
Unfortunately, the problem is far greater than what it seems. In fact, the problem dates back to the creation of the Jacobs Pond Estates itself which is almost ten years ago. According to the written documentation, the original proposal to build the Jacobs Pond Estates failed to gain any support. In order to gain the support of residents, the builder went door to door to speak to the residents of the neighborhood to see what concessions he could make so that he could build the Jacobs Pond Estates. The concession that finally appeased the residents was that the builder and the subsequent owners of the Jacobs Pond Estates would contribute annually to the cleaning and maintenance of the pond. Again, that sounds great.
Unfortunately, this is where things get complicated. The payments were to be made to the town's Conservation Commission. It turns out... the Conservation Commission has not collected any payment from the Jacobs Pond Estates for over 5 years. Apparently, the commission just forgot about collecting the funds altogether.
It was not until a couple of years ago that the Conservation Commission discovered this error. Naturally, they then asked the Jacobs Pond Estates for the funds from all the years that they, the commission themselves, forgot to collect. Naturally, that caused an uproar with the Jacobs Pond Estates. (Don't get the elderly angry.)
Balking at the request, the Jacobs Pond Estates asked to be relieved of this annual contribution. In response, the Conservation Commission said they would consider relieving the Jacobs Pond Estates of this annual contribution based on whether their septic was contributing to the wasted in the pond itself... which is really not even the original intent of the formation of the annual contribution.
And thus, that is the history in a quick nutshell. Last night's meeting was absolutely useless. As of right now, I'm afraid I do not have any faith in government... regardless of whatever decision the commission makes.
Had the commission diligently collected the annual funds, the shock of the request for the large sum of money for the past collections would have been lessened. The Jacobs Pond Estates still may or may not be asking to be relieved of this fund, but at least the town would have had the funds to clean up the pond.
Never once did the Conservation Commission ever admit fault or took responsibility for the creation of this entire fiasco. The commission just said they are not accountants and it just happened. For me, I would have respected the Conservation Commission had they, in fact, admitted to their errors. The passing of the buck has always annoyed me. If that is a frequent occurrence in government, then my faith in government is lacking. Even if the commission provided a course to rectify the situation, I would have been appeased. But sadly, no. (I'd shake my fist at the Conservation Commission if I thought it would help.)
That said, the Jacobs Pond Estates also never admitted fault or took responsibility for not making past payments. One of arguments made by the Jacobs Pond Estates is that they are on a fixed income and are being singled out to carry the burden of cleaning up the pond.
Now I can sympathize with them to a certain degree. After all, the economy is not well. Times are tough. No one wants to pay more than they have to. That said, this annual contribution is written in their deed... the very same deed that they must sign when they purchase housing there. It's a written legal document.
The Jacobs Pond Estates should be ashamed of themselves if they did not read their documentation. After all, if someone agrees and writes that they will pay me any amount of funds, you better believe that I am going to diligently collect the funds and hold that person to the agreement. I don't think I know anyone who wouldn't. I can only wish that I could forget to pay bills... and then complain later that I have to pay them.
All in all, last night was an exercise in futility. It's very disappointing when bureaucrats ruin things by shifting the focus and not taking responsibility of their actions. It's disappointing in how people can think cry foul over something that they personally (and legally) agreed to do in the first place.
Needless to say, my outlook on society right now is bleak.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
I Suck At Hanging Out With Joanna
Yesterday, Karen and I met up with my friends (Jen and Joanna) and my BFF (Kerry). Joanna, who currently lives in Oregon, is back for a visit because her brother is expecting a baby any day now. Now, I suck at hanging out with Joanna.
For anyone curious, Joanna is a vegetarian. So naturally, we decided to meet at Fish 'N Chicken, which is located in Quincy. (Like most restaurants, there are other items on the menu besides fish or chicken.)
Joanna cracks me up. I'll have to give her credit though. She was way into recycling and reusing well before the trend of going green became popular. It so happens that Joanna was the person who created a coupon wallet out of extra milk carton labels for Karen. And yes, Karen still uses that wallet whenever she goes grocery shopping.
Karen even suggested that Joanna, and her mad milk carton skills, start her own television show. Since getting Verizon FIOS, Karen and I have been addicted to the Planet Green channel. The content of the shows are great. For some shows, however, the hosts are simply terrible. The hosts make the show painful to watch at times. Hence the idea of Joanna having her own recycling television show. It all fits. Plus, I even came up with a name for her show. We just need her to get on board, of course.
Anyway, that was just one of the silly ideas that we discussed yesterday. Among the other topics of discussion included Joanna's brother's (Jon) aspiring manuscript awaiting publication, her father's tomato plants (which could be part of Joanna's television show!), her failure to accept her father as a "friend" on Facebook, and Kerry's FEMA application.
It's funny what people remember about you when you haven't seen them in awhile. With Jon having recently written the great American novel, Joanna thought about how I had enjoyed writing at one time in my life. Particularly, she remembered my penchant for writing screenplays... which I guess explains why I enjoy watching so many movies.
Naturally, I almost felt compelled and inspired to try to write again when Joanna brought the topic of writing up. Almost. Nevertheless, it was a nice feeling to reminisce about the past and enjoy the simpler things.
Anyway, I had a good time last night. Of course, the ice cream dinner may have also helped. I'm a glutton for ice cream.
For anyone curious, Joanna is a vegetarian. So naturally, we decided to meet at Fish 'N Chicken, which is located in Quincy. (Like most restaurants, there are other items on the menu besides fish or chicken.)
Joanna cracks me up. I'll have to give her credit though. She was way into recycling and reusing well before the trend of going green became popular. It so happens that Joanna was the person who created a coupon wallet out of extra milk carton labels for Karen. And yes, Karen still uses that wallet whenever she goes grocery shopping.
Karen even suggested that Joanna, and her mad milk carton skills, start her own television show. Since getting Verizon FIOS, Karen and I have been addicted to the Planet Green channel. The content of the shows are great. For some shows, however, the hosts are simply terrible. The hosts make the show painful to watch at times. Hence the idea of Joanna having her own recycling television show. It all fits. Plus, I even came up with a name for her show. We just need her to get on board, of course.
Anyway, that was just one of the silly ideas that we discussed yesterday. Among the other topics of discussion included Joanna's brother's (Jon) aspiring manuscript awaiting publication, her father's tomato plants (which could be part of Joanna's television show!), her failure to accept her father as a "friend" on Facebook, and Kerry's FEMA application.
It's funny what people remember about you when you haven't seen them in awhile. With Jon having recently written the great American novel, Joanna thought about how I had enjoyed writing at one time in my life. Particularly, she remembered my penchant for writing screenplays... which I guess explains why I enjoy watching so many movies.
Naturally, I almost felt compelled and inspired to try to write again when Joanna brought the topic of writing up. Almost. Nevertheless, it was a nice feeling to reminisce about the past and enjoy the simpler things.
Anyway, I had a good time last night. Of course, the ice cream dinner may have also helped. I'm a glutton for ice cream.
I Suck At Celebrating My Mom's Birthday
Yesterday was my mother's birthday. Happy birthday, mom! I love you! Of course, I suck at celebrating my mom's birthday. In fact, with everything that has been on my mind lately, I almost forgot about her birthday altogether. It was not until Karen mentioned it that I remembered.
After work, I went to my parents' house to see my mom wish her a happy birthday. Her eyes lit up with excitement when Karen and I showed up. Lately, I have not had the time to stop by for a visit. I know it's generally time for a visit when my mom starts laying the whole guilt trip thing about never stopping by. (I think that's what mothers do...)
I actually shouldn't complain. I love my mom. And if there's anything that the passing of my son (Braden) has taught me, it's that time is precious. I should cherish the time that I have with my mom... and everyone in my life really... because you never know much time there will be left. I only had a week with Braden and although things did not work out, it was an amazing week.
It's too bad things with Braden did not work out. My mother would have been on cloud nine having a grandson. I can just tell that she would have been giddy. I know it's not my fault, but I do sometimes feel like I let her down in that regards. If Karen were pregnant, telling my mom the news on her birthday would have been the best present. My mom would have been so happy... not that she would not have been happy otherwise.
Unfortunately, I don't know if things will ever be right again. I guess time will tell. Anyway, happy birthday mom! I hope you had a great day.
After work, I went to my parents' house to see my mom wish her a happy birthday. Her eyes lit up with excitement when Karen and I showed up. Lately, I have not had the time to stop by for a visit. I know it's generally time for a visit when my mom starts laying the whole guilt trip thing about never stopping by. (I think that's what mothers do...)
I actually shouldn't complain. I love my mom. And if there's anything that the passing of my son (Braden) has taught me, it's that time is precious. I should cherish the time that I have with my mom... and everyone in my life really... because you never know much time there will be left. I only had a week with Braden and although things did not work out, it was an amazing week.
It's too bad things with Braden did not work out. My mother would have been on cloud nine having a grandson. I can just tell that she would have been giddy. I know it's not my fault, but I do sometimes feel like I let her down in that regards. If Karen were pregnant, telling my mom the news on her birthday would have been the best present. My mom would have been so happy... not that she would not have been happy otherwise.
Unfortunately, I don't know if things will ever be right again. I guess time will tell. Anyway, happy birthday mom! I hope you had a great day.
Monday, August 3, 2009
I Suck At The Four's
On Sunday, Karen organized a little get together. The location: The Four's restaurant in Norwell. Now I suck at the Four's. The Four's in Norwell, which is just up the street from our house, recently opened not too long ago. Unfortunately, neither Karen nor I have ever gone since it opened. So Sunday provided the perfect opportunity for Karen and I to check out the place.
My friends (Jen, Andrea, Gretchen) and my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) were all able to join us. I think Gretchen may have been somewhat nervous at first because she was meeting Jen and Andrea (possible partners in crime for when she organizes a swinging single women's night out full of booze, debauchery, and men) for the first time. But as the day when on, I think she was able to relax and enjoy herself.
Anyway, the Fours was very nice. There are televisions everywhere. It's hard to get a terrible view of a television screen. Plus, the bar area is quite large. All in all, the place is setup very nicely. And like Andrea suggested, I imagine it would be fun to watch a sporting event there.
As for the food, it was good. The menu was the same as the other Four's locations that I have been to. I ended up having the California Cobb Salad. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) What can I say? I like having hard boiled eggs in my salad.
Needless to say, it was a fun time at the Four's. Being the only guy there was definitely interesting. After all, I got to hear all about waxing. Fun, I know. Although I have to give the women credit... they must have a higher thresh hold of pain when it comes to their nether regions. Not that I would, but I cannot imagine any man handling the waxing of their private parts as gracefully.
My friends (Jen, Andrea, Gretchen) and my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) were all able to join us. I think Gretchen may have been somewhat nervous at first because she was meeting Jen and Andrea (possible partners in crime for when she organizes a swinging single women's night out full of booze, debauchery, and men) for the first time. But as the day when on, I think she was able to relax and enjoy herself.
Anyway, the Fours was very nice. There are televisions everywhere. It's hard to get a terrible view of a television screen. Plus, the bar area is quite large. All in all, the place is setup very nicely. And like Andrea suggested, I imagine it would be fun to watch a sporting event there.
As for the food, it was good. The menu was the same as the other Four's locations that I have been to. I ended up having the California Cobb Salad. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) What can I say? I like having hard boiled eggs in my salad.
Needless to say, it was a fun time at the Four's. Being the only guy there was definitely interesting. After all, I got to hear all about waxing. Fun, I know. Although I have to give the women credit... they must have a higher thresh hold of pain when it comes to their nether regions. Not that I would, but I cannot imagine any man handling the waxing of their private parts as gracefully.
I Suck At Celebrating My Friend's Birthday
Saturday marked the beginning of a couple of things.
For starters, I mowed the lawn shirtless. Now before you envision my strapping chest with its single strand of chest hair, there is a reason for my shirtless lawn mowing. The reason: the farmer's tan.
I have developed quite the farmer's tan... through previous lawn mowing with a t-shirt in the hot summer sun. It was suggested to me some time ago that I try mowing the lawn shirtless. So, in an effort to scare my neighbors, I decided to give it a go.
The other more important beginning is... the birthday cycle. Within my circle of friends, August marks the beginning where at least one of my friends was born in the month. The cycle ends in January, only to restart again in August. So, for every month from now until January, Karen and I will most likely be celebrating one of my friend's birthday.
Unfortunately, I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. On the agenda for Saturday was the celebration for my friend (Cass). Granted, Cass's birthday is not for another week and a half... but his wife (Ellen) wanted to plan it early.
I must say, Cass's birthday celebration was quite the memorable one. In fact, I would rank this birthday celebration up there... in terms of being memorable... with the birthday celebration for my friend (Garv) who was asked to step outside of his very own bar on his very own birthday celebration to settle a dispute... and the birthday celebration whereby there was another drunken dispute and a possible resolution to walk all the way home for my friend's (Marc) birthday celebration. Perhaps I am starting to see a trend in celebrating birthdays.
Cass's birthday celebration started off at the Sunset Grill located in Allston. As a sign of things to come... my friends (Kelley and Leeann) had to back out of the plans. Kelley was sick and Leeann had to work. So in an effort to save the environment, a bunch of us (Marc, Cass, Ellen, Karen, and I) car pooled and plan to meet Garv who was running late. As it turns out, we took a wrong turn on our way to the Sunset Grill.
Eventually, we made it the Sunset Grill. Dinner was fun and great. We had a good time just hanging out as usual... laughing... being silly... you name it. The laughing and good times are but one of the reasons why I always enjoy hanging out with friends.
Anyway, we headed back to Cass and Ellen's after dinner. That was when things went downhill for the birthday boy. It turns out something happened to Cass's father while we were out, which required his father to go to the emergency room. At the time, Cass only had limited information about his father. All he knew was that his father was at the hospital... that an ambulance had to take his father there... and that there was a lot of blood.
As you can imagine, the panic of not knowing is very unnerving. (Cass's father is okay. He received a nasty cut that required stitches.) If the worrying and panic of not knowing what has happened to your father is not enough to make the day officially terrible... it turns out that Cass's car went kaput.
Luckily, Cass had already picked up his father at the hospital at the time and was simply running to get his father his medication. So Cass's car had to then be towed to his mechanic that night.
Needless to say, I feel bad for Cass. I don't think anyone could have predicted the string of unfortunate circumstances on Cass's birthday celebration. But at least his father is doing well. And I suppose, at least Cass was not asked to step outside for a good o' fashioned round of fisticuffs.
For starters, I mowed the lawn shirtless. Now before you envision my strapping chest with its single strand of chest hair, there is a reason for my shirtless lawn mowing. The reason: the farmer's tan.
I have developed quite the farmer's tan... through previous lawn mowing with a t-shirt in the hot summer sun. It was suggested to me some time ago that I try mowing the lawn shirtless. So, in an effort to scare my neighbors, I decided to give it a go.
The other more important beginning is... the birthday cycle. Within my circle of friends, August marks the beginning where at least one of my friends was born in the month. The cycle ends in January, only to restart again in August. So, for every month from now until January, Karen and I will most likely be celebrating one of my friend's birthday.
Unfortunately, I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. On the agenda for Saturday was the celebration for my friend (Cass). Granted, Cass's birthday is not for another week and a half... but his wife (Ellen) wanted to plan it early.
I must say, Cass's birthday celebration was quite the memorable one. In fact, I would rank this birthday celebration up there... in terms of being memorable... with the birthday celebration for my friend (Garv) who was asked to step outside of his very own bar on his very own birthday celebration to settle a dispute... and the birthday celebration whereby there was another drunken dispute and a possible resolution to walk all the way home for my friend's (Marc) birthday celebration. Perhaps I am starting to see a trend in celebrating birthdays.
Cass's birthday celebration started off at the Sunset Grill located in Allston. As a sign of things to come... my friends (Kelley and Leeann) had to back out of the plans. Kelley was sick and Leeann had to work. So in an effort to save the environment, a bunch of us (Marc, Cass, Ellen, Karen, and I) car pooled and plan to meet Garv who was running late. As it turns out, we took a wrong turn on our way to the Sunset Grill.
Eventually, we made it the Sunset Grill. Dinner was fun and great. We had a good time just hanging out as usual... laughing... being silly... you name it. The laughing and good times are but one of the reasons why I always enjoy hanging out with friends.
Anyway, we headed back to Cass and Ellen's after dinner. That was when things went downhill for the birthday boy. It turns out something happened to Cass's father while we were out, which required his father to go to the emergency room. At the time, Cass only had limited information about his father. All he knew was that his father was at the hospital... that an ambulance had to take his father there... and that there was a lot of blood.
As you can imagine, the panic of not knowing is very unnerving. (Cass's father is okay. He received a nasty cut that required stitches.) If the worrying and panic of not knowing what has happened to your father is not enough to make the day officially terrible... it turns out that Cass's car went kaput.
Luckily, Cass had already picked up his father at the hospital at the time and was simply running to get his father his medication. So Cass's car had to then be towed to his mechanic that night.
Needless to say, I feel bad for Cass. I don't think anyone could have predicted the string of unfortunate circumstances on Cass's birthday celebration. But at least his father is doing well. And I suppose, at least Cass was not asked to step outside for a good o' fashioned round of fisticuffs.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
I Suck At Strawberry Fair
On Friday, Karen and I ended up having an unexpected date night. Earlier in the week, my friend's (Cass) birthday celebration was quickly thrown together within the course of a few days. So unfortunately, Karen and I felt a little rushed in having a present ready and available for Cass at his birthday celebration.
Cass would not have minded had we shown up without a present, but it was the principle of it all. After all, Karen and I hardly see Cass as it is. So it could well be into September or October before he received his birthday present. And really, who likes to receive birthday presents past their birthday?
Needless to say, Karen and I did some scrambling around the South Shore after work for Cass's present on Friday. When all was said and done, we did end up finding Cass his present. Of course, in the mad scramble we had to eat dinner.
For those who know me, I eat a lot. (After all, look at me...) When I start to feel hungry, it is a bad sign. Anyway, Karen and I ended up having dinner at Strawberry Fair in Norwell. Now, I suck at Strawberry Fair.
I have not been to Strawberry Fair in quite some time. The last time I went may have been with my parents. But seeing as how the restaurant was featured in the Zip Trip segment of Fox Morning News not too long ago, I figured it would be nice to go there again.
As usual, the food was delicious. I had the Thanksgiving turkey sandwich (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound). Karen had ordered a small salad. Interestingly enough, a large salad was brought out for Karen. It turns out that Strawberry Fair likes to try to get rid of its food near closing time. Granted, we were there around 8:30pm... but the place was rather empty. Karen and I were practically the only ones there at the time.
There was one elderly couple from North Carolina that had previously been seated near us. The elderly man was up from North Carolina to attend his high school reunion. He graduated from Scituate. It's amazing what you can learn from a little eaves dropping. But it was cute.
Of course, hearing about this elderly man's reunion naturally got me thinking about my own reunion. I was pretty amazed that it has been almost 20 (okay, 17) years since I graduated from high school. It seems so long ago. In fact, I even contemplated attending the next reunion... should it be planned.
Since graduating high school, I had never attended a reunion. My high school class planned a fifth and tenth year reunion... and that has been it thus far. Had I known how inept my fellow classmates were in planning these things, I would probably never have elected them to their class office positions. Damn that thing called popularity. That same stupid high school popularity thing got "Oh, what a night" elected as my prom theme. Who thought that was a good idea?
Anyway, I did not attend the fifth year reunion based on the fact that it was useless. For most everyone I knew at the time, they had gone to college and been out one year. There's not a whole lot to catch up on if you ask me.
For the tenth year reunion, I teeter tottered a little because I thought ample time had passed. Eventually, I decided against going because the reunion was held at a bar. (Again, if I knew how inept my classmates were in planning these things...)
As well, my rational side got the better of me for the tenth year when I started to think about how I'm good with not seeing anyone from high school. The ones I do see from high school... I want to see... because they are my friends. I don't really need to see anyone else. (I guess that's also one of my main reasons for not being a big Facebook supporter. Facebook "friends" are not really friends. Plus, after learning how Facebook has ties to the evil empire known as Microsoft only makes me dislike Facebook more.)
Anyway, dinner with Karen was great. I sometimes feel like we don't have date nights as often as we should. I realize part of that is my problem. Since my son (Braden) passed away in September, I have had many mood swings. Among those swings is a stretch where I lack motivation to do anything. So unfortunately, I do get caught up in doing nothing... a lot.
Cass would not have minded had we shown up without a present, but it was the principle of it all. After all, Karen and I hardly see Cass as it is. So it could well be into September or October before he received his birthday present. And really, who likes to receive birthday presents past their birthday?
Needless to say, Karen and I did some scrambling around the South Shore after work for Cass's present on Friday. When all was said and done, we did end up finding Cass his present. Of course, in the mad scramble we had to eat dinner.
For those who know me, I eat a lot. (After all, look at me...) When I start to feel hungry, it is a bad sign. Anyway, Karen and I ended up having dinner at Strawberry Fair in Norwell. Now, I suck at Strawberry Fair.
I have not been to Strawberry Fair in quite some time. The last time I went may have been with my parents. But seeing as how the restaurant was featured in the Zip Trip segment of Fox Morning News not too long ago, I figured it would be nice to go there again.
As usual, the food was delicious. I had the Thanksgiving turkey sandwich (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound). Karen had ordered a small salad. Interestingly enough, a large salad was brought out for Karen. It turns out that Strawberry Fair likes to try to get rid of its food near closing time. Granted, we were there around 8:30pm... but the place was rather empty. Karen and I were practically the only ones there at the time.
There was one elderly couple from North Carolina that had previously been seated near us. The elderly man was up from North Carolina to attend his high school reunion. He graduated from Scituate. It's amazing what you can learn from a little eaves dropping. But it was cute.
Of course, hearing about this elderly man's reunion naturally got me thinking about my own reunion. I was pretty amazed that it has been almost 20 (okay, 17) years since I graduated from high school. It seems so long ago. In fact, I even contemplated attending the next reunion... should it be planned.
Since graduating high school, I had never attended a reunion. My high school class planned a fifth and tenth year reunion... and that has been it thus far. Had I known how inept my fellow classmates were in planning these things, I would probably never have elected them to their class office positions. Damn that thing called popularity. That same stupid high school popularity thing got "Oh, what a night" elected as my prom theme. Who thought that was a good idea?
Anyway, I did not attend the fifth year reunion based on the fact that it was useless. For most everyone I knew at the time, they had gone to college and been out one year. There's not a whole lot to catch up on if you ask me.
For the tenth year reunion, I teeter tottered a little because I thought ample time had passed. Eventually, I decided against going because the reunion was held at a bar. (Again, if I knew how inept my classmates were in planning these things...)
As well, my rational side got the better of me for the tenth year when I started to think about how I'm good with not seeing anyone from high school. The ones I do see from high school... I want to see... because they are my friends. I don't really need to see anyone else. (I guess that's also one of my main reasons for not being a big Facebook supporter. Facebook "friends" are not really friends. Plus, after learning how Facebook has ties to the evil empire known as Microsoft only makes me dislike Facebook more.)
Anyway, dinner with Karen was great. I sometimes feel like we don't have date nights as often as we should. I realize part of that is my problem. Since my son (Braden) passed away in September, I have had many mood swings. Among those swings is a stretch where I lack motivation to do anything. So unfortunately, I do get caught up in doing nothing... a lot.
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