Today was the ever popular Christmas parade in Quincy. Always the fan of parades, I do my darnedest to not attend.
Truth be told, I have nothing against parades. I think the last parade that I may have enjoyed the most was the St. Patrick's Day parade in Newport, Rhode Island several years ago. Granted, I was quite inebriated for most of the parade, but from what I remember it was a fun experience. As well, I seemed to have won a free t-shirt somehow during that parade... and nothing says fun more than a free t-shirt! Unfortunately, I don't think I will be attending the St. Patrick's Day parade in Newport for a while.
So apparently I just don't like Quincy parades. There's just something about the Quincy parades that scream pure cheese. I don't know if it is because I grew up in Quincy, or if I just hate driving through Quincy when there is a parade, or what. Although, if my friend (Cass) ever did become mayor of Quincy, I actually might want to attend a Quincy parade. Of course, I also might lobby hard that he eliminate parades in Quincy, in addition to getting rid of the oodles upon oodles of red traffic lights.
Regardless, Karen had plans to meet up with our friends (Jen, Kerry, Carlos, and Hot Amy) for the Quincy Christmas parade. Luckily, I had plans with my friends (Marc and Kelley). The ball of stress that I am, I actually considered going to the parade due to Karen's pregnancy. I simply didn't want her to walk that far and tire herself out, nor did I want her lugging around a chair in addition to her bag of snacks while being pregnant. But, she assured me that she would be okay.
So I got to hang out with Marc and Kelley instead which was fun. We basically hung out and watched football. Marc was gracious enough to make jambalaya for lunch. Kelley also made her famous muffins. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound!)
Following football and the parade, Karen and I had dinner with my parents. As usual, my parents were ecstatic to see me. They were even more excited to have us come over for dinner, which was very delicious and nothing at all like the meal from Imperial Terrace.
Afterwards, my mother decided to give both Karen and I a little quick lesson in sewing. Now, I suck at sewing.
For anyone curious, the reason why the topic of sewing even came up was because Karen needed some maternity pants hemmed. Always one to help out, my mother volunteered to hem the pants for Karen. And naturally, because I am a curious creature, I asked if my mother could also give us a quick lesson in sewing.
My mother actually knows how to sew. In fact, my late uncle knew how to sew. My uncle was a tailor in Hong Kong before he passed away. But from what I was told, my mother and uncle used to sew together.
Anyway, I remember my mother sewing a lot when I was a child. There would be times where I had to thread needles. It was neat.
Now, my mother sews only when the need arises. Many of her friends have asked her to hem pants here and there. Perhaps my mom should open a sewing business. So naturally, I was curious as to what was involved in hemming pants.
Needless to say, my mother gave Karen and I a quick demonstration. She did it very quickly too. There was a seam removed here... a needle stuck here... some scissors cutting here... the sewing machine there... more needles stuck here... stitching here... ironing there... and the next you know... voila! hemmed pant. It was rather interesting. I think I would like to learn this skill some more.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
I Suck At Bohemian Rhapsody
On Saturday, Karen and I had a very uneventful day. Karen had an eye exam at Pearl, which is located near the Hanover mall. She had been meaning to get new glasses. So Saturday was a good day as any to get new glasses.
While waiting for her new glasses, we ended up doing a little shopping. I naturally couldn't resist the temptation of purchasing Miley Cyrus's EP "The Time of Our Lives". Normally, I am not a big fan of Walmart. Since the EP, however, is a Walmart exclusive... I had no choice. And damn that "Party in the U.S.A." song and it's catchy tune. For anyone curious, the EP was on sale at the time.
And yes, I still am not proud of the fact that I purchased a Miley Cyrus EP. Glee: The Music Volume 1, I have no shame in admitting that I purchased. For some reason, purchasing the album of a teeny popper... shameful.
Anyway, Karen and I also met my in-laws for lunch while we were waiting for her glasses. We ended up eating at Uno's, also located near the Hanover Mall. Lunch was good. The wait staff were not exactly that good, but the food was.
Eventually, Karen picked up her new glasses and we did what any couple would do on a Saturday night... we vegged in front of the television. Sadly, we had no plans. Among the interesting items that came up during out vegging was the Muppets viral rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Now, I suck at Bohemian Rhapsody.
(The video below is the Muppet rendition.)
Needless to say, the rendition cracked me up. Gotta love those Muppets!
The other interesting thing that happened on Saturday night was the surprise visit from Karen's friend (Dolores) and her boyfriend (Loser Tom). Dolores and Loser Tom were in the neighborhood, as they were going shopping at the Hanover Mall, and they thought they would stop by.
For anyone curious, I refer to Loser Tom as Loser Tom because when we first met him, he mentioned to Dolores that he was afraid that we would think he was a loser. He's not really a loser, but I like to call him Loser Tom nonetheless. It's my way of picking on Dolores, much like how I pick on my friend (Hot Amy) by claiming that her significant other works in the cloak and dagger world of janitorial services. And yes, I do sometimes wonder why both Dolores and Hot Amy are still my friends. (Of course, for all I know, they both could just tolerate me due to my connection with Karen.)
Anyway, it was good seeing Dolores and Loser Tom. Karen and I don't see them that often. In fact, Saturday was the first time that they have seen our house with the second floor addition. So, needless to say, we were glad that they were in the neighborhood and decided to stop on by. Hopefully, they will do it more often.
While waiting for her new glasses, we ended up doing a little shopping. I naturally couldn't resist the temptation of purchasing Miley Cyrus's EP "The Time of Our Lives". Normally, I am not a big fan of Walmart. Since the EP, however, is a Walmart exclusive... I had no choice. And damn that "Party in the U.S.A." song and it's catchy tune. For anyone curious, the EP was on sale at the time.
And yes, I still am not proud of the fact that I purchased a Miley Cyrus EP. Glee: The Music Volume 1, I have no shame in admitting that I purchased. For some reason, purchasing the album of a teeny popper... shameful.
Anyway, Karen and I also met my in-laws for lunch while we were waiting for her glasses. We ended up eating at Uno's, also located near the Hanover Mall. Lunch was good. The wait staff were not exactly that good, but the food was.
Eventually, Karen picked up her new glasses and we did what any couple would do on a Saturday night... we vegged in front of the television. Sadly, we had no plans. Among the interesting items that came up during out vegging was the Muppets viral rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Now, I suck at Bohemian Rhapsody.
(The video below is the Muppet rendition.)
Needless to say, the rendition cracked me up. Gotta love those Muppets!
The other interesting thing that happened on Saturday night was the surprise visit from Karen's friend (Dolores) and her boyfriend (Loser Tom). Dolores and Loser Tom were in the neighborhood, as they were going shopping at the Hanover Mall, and they thought they would stop by.
For anyone curious, I refer to Loser Tom as Loser Tom because when we first met him, he mentioned to Dolores that he was afraid that we would think he was a loser. He's not really a loser, but I like to call him Loser Tom nonetheless. It's my way of picking on Dolores, much like how I pick on my friend (Hot Amy) by claiming that her significant other works in the cloak and dagger world of janitorial services. And yes, I do sometimes wonder why both Dolores and Hot Amy are still my friends. (Of course, for all I know, they both could just tolerate me due to my connection with Karen.)
Anyway, it was good seeing Dolores and Loser Tom. Karen and I don't see them that often. In fact, Saturday was the first time that they have seen our house with the second floor addition. So, needless to say, we were glad that they were in the neighborhood and decided to stop on by. Hopefully, they will do it more often.
I Suck At Black Friday
The day after Thanksgiving, known by many as Black Friday as it marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season, was an interesting day. Now I suck at Black Friday.
I have always thought about partaking in the madness of Black Friday by waking up early and scrambling for a retail bargain. More often than naught, however, my laziness gets the better of me and I generally choose to sleep in on the day after Thanksgiving. Friday was no different.
So instead of waking up in the wee hours of night to stand in line at some retail store, I decided to sleep in. When I woke up, Karen and I actually put up our Christmas tree. Yes, we respected the turkey and waited for the day after Thanksgiving to put up the tree.
With our house now decorated for Christmas, Karen and I had dinner with my friends (Cass and Ellen). Every year, Cass and Ellen invite a bunch of friends over on the day after Thanksgiving to eat the leftovers from Thanksgiving. In my opinion, it's a great annual tradition with friends.
The annual tradition reminded me of the time when, during my high school years, a bunch of my friends celebrated Thanksgiving at my friend's (Garv) place. At least, I think it was for Thanksgiving. There were so many of us crammed in around the dinner table. It was comical. Just being with so many friends was a blast.
Plus, my friend's (Anna) boyfriend at the time made a surprise visit. Anna's boyfriend looked like he was 40 years old, which was light years for us high school kids. Truth be told, Anna's boyfriend was this little scrawny Asian guy... with this mustache. It was an awful mustache. (Of course, I may be jealous because I can't grow a mustache.) Regardless, Anna's boyfriend was also a bit controlling. He liked to keep tabs on Anna. And it so happened that he found out Anna was at Garv's.
Without getting into the nitty gritty details, Anna's boyfriend wanted Anna to leave the party. Obviously, none of us wanted Anna to go spend her time with her 40 year old, hairy lipped boyfriend. The result: my friend (Greg) who had the pleasure of answering the door when Anna's boyfriend arrived, cowered in the corner with fear when her boyfriend wanted to pick a fight. (Again, Anna's boyfriend was a twerp.)
Like I said... comical. Anna ended up leaving the party. We were young. But I look back at the time and remember how much fun it was to hang out with everyone.
Anyway, I associate Cass and Ellen's after Thanksgiving dinner with that feeling of hanging out with friends and it's something I look forward to since they started the tradition. And for anyone curious, yes... this is the same tradition where I had my choking incident involving steak.
Attending the festivities this year in addition to Karen, Cass, Ellen, and myself were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Meredith, Doug, Aimee and her daughter Amaya) and my BFF (Kerry). It was a fun.
Also for this year, Cass decided to make a feel rules for the annual tradition. The rules were as follows:
There may have been more rules, but those are the ones that I remember. In my own twisted thinking, I thought it would be cool to have an annual tradition to see what I could choke on. Needless to say, Karen did not like that idea.
Anyway, dinner was great. I particularly enjoyed hanging out with everyone and just having fun. We eventually ended up playing a game that Cass and Ellen had gotten, called "The Game of Things". Oh yes, for anyone curious, Cass and Ellen... and Aimee... had successful Black Friday shopping excursions.
"The Game of Things" was a riot. Without getting into too many details, the game regressed into sharting and Ryan Reynolds... and sometimes both.
All in all, the day after Thanksgiving was a blast.
I have always thought about partaking in the madness of Black Friday by waking up early and scrambling for a retail bargain. More often than naught, however, my laziness gets the better of me and I generally choose to sleep in on the day after Thanksgiving. Friday was no different.
So instead of waking up in the wee hours of night to stand in line at some retail store, I decided to sleep in. When I woke up, Karen and I actually put up our Christmas tree. Yes, we respected the turkey and waited for the day after Thanksgiving to put up the tree.
With our house now decorated for Christmas, Karen and I had dinner with my friends (Cass and Ellen). Every year, Cass and Ellen invite a bunch of friends over on the day after Thanksgiving to eat the leftovers from Thanksgiving. In my opinion, it's a great annual tradition with friends.
The annual tradition reminded me of the time when, during my high school years, a bunch of my friends celebrated Thanksgiving at my friend's (Garv) place. At least, I think it was for Thanksgiving. There were so many of us crammed in around the dinner table. It was comical. Just being with so many friends was a blast.
Plus, my friend's (Anna) boyfriend at the time made a surprise visit. Anna's boyfriend looked like he was 40 years old, which was light years for us high school kids. Truth be told, Anna's boyfriend was this little scrawny Asian guy... with this mustache. It was an awful mustache. (Of course, I may be jealous because I can't grow a mustache.) Regardless, Anna's boyfriend was also a bit controlling. He liked to keep tabs on Anna. And it so happened that he found out Anna was at Garv's.
Without getting into the nitty gritty details, Anna's boyfriend wanted Anna to leave the party. Obviously, none of us wanted Anna to go spend her time with her 40 year old, hairy lipped boyfriend. The result: my friend (Greg) who had the pleasure of answering the door when Anna's boyfriend arrived, cowered in the corner with fear when her boyfriend wanted to pick a fight. (Again, Anna's boyfriend was a twerp.)
Like I said... comical. Anna ended up leaving the party. We were young. But I look back at the time and remember how much fun it was to hang out with everyone.
Anyway, I associate Cass and Ellen's after Thanksgiving dinner with that feeling of hanging out with friends and it's something I look forward to since they started the tradition. And for anyone curious, yes... this is the same tradition where I had my choking incident involving steak.
Attending the festivities this year in addition to Karen, Cass, Ellen, and myself were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Meredith, Doug, Aimee and her daughter Amaya) and my BFF (Kerry). It was a fun.
Also for this year, Cass decided to make a feel rules for the annual tradition. The rules were as follows:
- Everyone must wear sweatpants, yoga pants, or pajamas.
- Everyone must pick out a shot glass whether they consume alcohol or not.
- The food will be served on the plates they came in.
- And the lazy susan at the dinner table can only rotate clockwise.
There may have been more rules, but those are the ones that I remember. In my own twisted thinking, I thought it would be cool to have an annual tradition to see what I could choke on. Needless to say, Karen did not like that idea.
Anyway, dinner was great. I particularly enjoyed hanging out with everyone and just having fun. We eventually ended up playing a game that Cass and Ellen had gotten, called "The Game of Things". Oh yes, for anyone curious, Cass and Ellen... and Aimee... had successful Black Friday shopping excursions.
"The Game of Things" was a riot. Without getting into too many details, the game regressed into sharting and Ryan Reynolds... and sometimes both.
All in all, the day after Thanksgiving was a blast.
I Suck At Thanksgiving
Thursday was turkey day. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Too bad I suck at Thanksgiving.
To start off the day of giving thanks, I got to practice my needle injection skills like the mad IV drug junkie that I am. Actually, I got to practice my mad skills on Karen.
For anyone curious, with the upcoming pregnancy, Karen has been prescribed progesterone. According to my friend, Wikipedia, "progesterone is sometimes called the 'hormone of pregnancy' and it has many roles relating to the development of the fetus." In particular, progesterone helps with preventing early child birth.
With everything that happened with our son (Braden) last year, the doctors recommended the use of progesterone as a precaution with this upcoming pregnancy. Better to be safe than sorry, that's for sure.
Anyway, Thanksgiving was the first time I ever used a syringe and injected someone. The actual process was not that bad. Sadly, the hardest part was figuring out how to fill the syringe with progesterone.
Luckily, I had a brief lesson with one of the nurses last week on what to do. And since Karen was nice to me, I did my best to inject the needle as gently as I could. For anyone curious, Karen could not do the injection herself because the shot needed to be intramuscular... into the butt.
Needless to say, the shot went off without a hitch. And now my drug use can run rampant. Just kidding.
Following the shot, Karen and I headed off to my in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. Dinner was great. My parents were also invited to the dinner. Having both parents present made things easier for Thanksgiving in terms of making the rounds to see parents. As a plus, I think my parents enjoyed themselves. They seemed like they had a great time.
Thanksgiving was small, with it being my parents, my in-laws, Karen, and I, but it was nice. I had a good time. My mother-in-law thought it was funny because she had never seen me fall asleep before. I wish I could blame it on the legendary tryptophan excuse, but my tiredness was just sheer exhaustion as I had stayed up rather late the previous two nights.
Anyway, after dinner, my in-laws, Karen and I made a little quick visit to Karen's grandmother at the nursing home. It was nice seeing nana, especially on Thanksgiving. There was, of course, some interesting family issue with the upcoming holiday visit from some of the relatives. But that is just normal. I have learned to accept that "rigamaroles" are a part of the in-laws.
All in all, it was a good Thanksgiving.
To start off the day of giving thanks, I got to practice my needle injection skills like the mad IV drug junkie that I am. Actually, I got to practice my mad skills on Karen.
For anyone curious, with the upcoming pregnancy, Karen has been prescribed progesterone. According to my friend, Wikipedia, "progesterone is sometimes called the 'hormone of pregnancy' and it has many roles relating to the development of the fetus." In particular, progesterone helps with preventing early child birth.
With everything that happened with our son (Braden) last year, the doctors recommended the use of progesterone as a precaution with this upcoming pregnancy. Better to be safe than sorry, that's for sure.
Anyway, Thanksgiving was the first time I ever used a syringe and injected someone. The actual process was not that bad. Sadly, the hardest part was figuring out how to fill the syringe with progesterone.
Luckily, I had a brief lesson with one of the nurses last week on what to do. And since Karen was nice to me, I did my best to inject the needle as gently as I could. For anyone curious, Karen could not do the injection herself because the shot needed to be intramuscular... into the butt.
Needless to say, the shot went off without a hitch. And now my drug use can run rampant. Just kidding.
Following the shot, Karen and I headed off to my in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. Dinner was great. My parents were also invited to the dinner. Having both parents present made things easier for Thanksgiving in terms of making the rounds to see parents. As a plus, I think my parents enjoyed themselves. They seemed like they had a great time.
Thanksgiving was small, with it being my parents, my in-laws, Karen, and I, but it was nice. I had a good time. My mother-in-law thought it was funny because she had never seen me fall asleep before. I wish I could blame it on the legendary tryptophan excuse, but my tiredness was just sheer exhaustion as I had stayed up rather late the previous two nights.
Anyway, after dinner, my in-laws, Karen and I made a little quick visit to Karen's grandmother at the nursing home. It was nice seeing nana, especially on Thanksgiving. There was, of course, some interesting family issue with the upcoming holiday visit from some of the relatives. But that is just normal. I have learned to accept that "rigamaroles" are a part of the in-laws.
All in all, it was a good Thanksgiving.
Friday, November 27, 2009
I Suck At Imperial Terrace
On Wednesday, my friend (Jen) organized a little pre-Thanksgiving get-together. The get-together consisted of dinner at the Imperial Terrace located in Quincy. Now, I suck at Imperial Terrace.
For anyone curious, the Imperial Terrace is a restaurant specializing in Chinese food, and not just any Chinese food. The place specializes in American Chinese food that consists of greasy... everything... that will eventually make you hungry again within the hour.
Truth be told, I don't particularly like Chinese food... at least not the type at so-called Chinese restaurants. I may have been spoiled growing up because my mother cooked real Chinese food that tasted great and was not at all greasy. Needless to say, the food at these other restaurants just never compared to my mother's cooking. Thus, I never particularly enjoyed eating at these restaurants.
Nevertheless, Jen was gracious enough to organize the shindig. Consequently, the Imperial Terrace was a great reason to simply hang out with friends and have a good time.
Making it to the shindig were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Carlos), Jen, her brother (Bill), a couple of Bill's friends, my friend (Hot Amy) and her sister (Terri), Karen and I. There were a bunch of us. Unfortunately, we sat at a rectangular table. And for anyone who knows me, they would know that I have a dislike of rectangular tables when it comes to large parties (because people at the ends of these tables are never included in the conversations at the other end of the table).
Although truth be told, it was probably good that we were at a rectangular table on Wednesday. As I had been a little inebriated beforehand with my drinking buddy (Kelley), I had the latest Miley Cyrus song stuck in my head.
(The video below is the Miley Cyrus song that was stuck in my head.)
I'm not proud of the fact that I enjoy the Miley Cyrus song. Sadly, the song is just so darn catchy. Regardless, in my inebriated state, I may have repeated lyrics from the song a few thousand times. I, of course, butchered the song because I do not actually know the lyrics. So I may have been making no sense whatsoever with my constant rendition of the song on Wednesday.
Anyway, I'm afraid I don't remember much from the Imperial Terrace... other than the scorpion bowl that Kelley and I shared... and Miley Cyrus. So like I said, it may have been better that we were seated at the end of the rectangular table.
Following dinner, a bunch of us headed back to Jen and Bill's place. It was fun to hang out with Jen, Hot Amy, and Carlos, whom I really haven't seen much of late. From what I can remember, Hot Amy challenged me to a macaroni and cheese throw down. I don't remember if we wagered anything or not. Of course, a wager would not matter much anyway. There is no doubt that I will beat Hot Amy. She is pre-disposed to losing. And luckily, she is a glutton for punishment which makes it fun.
As is my nature, I may have angered Hot Amy a little with my ribbing. I forget how the subject of her significant other (Mark) came up, but he did. Mark works for MIT's Lincoln Labs. For anyone curious, Lincoln Labs is federal funded by the government for the area of research and development. Due to the nature of his work, Mark cannot tell anyone what he actually does at MIT's Lincoln Labs. Naturally, I joked that Mark was the janitor there. For the record, I don't think there is anything wrong with being a janitor. I just happened to know that it would annoy Hot Amy.
Needless to say, Carlos enjoyed my joke a lot. He kept laughing at the thought. Yeah, I'm a stinker. But it was funny to get under Hot Amy's skin. She's a good sport about my jokes. I could definitely see that she was getting a little angry with me.
Speaking of Mark, my other friend (Marc) actually watched a little of Fox's Glee while at Jen's. Jen was recording the show which happened to be on while we were there. Sadly, Marc is not a big fan of Glee. It's too bad. I love Glee. The show is one of my guilty pleasures.
Go Quinn Fabray! Yes, I may be drawn to the show due to the blond cheerleader. It's not my fault. I'm attracted to shiny objects. And, I feel robbed of my high school cheerleading experience because the cheerleaders at my high school... definitely looked nothing like television. Sure, they may have had the attitude... just not the flexibility or cheer...
Anyway, it was definitely a fun night. I'm glad Jen organized the get-together. I had a great time.
For anyone curious, the Imperial Terrace is a restaurant specializing in Chinese food, and not just any Chinese food. The place specializes in American Chinese food that consists of greasy... everything... that will eventually make you hungry again within the hour.
Truth be told, I don't particularly like Chinese food... at least not the type at so-called Chinese restaurants. I may have been spoiled growing up because my mother cooked real Chinese food that tasted great and was not at all greasy. Needless to say, the food at these other restaurants just never compared to my mother's cooking. Thus, I never particularly enjoyed eating at these restaurants.
Nevertheless, Jen was gracious enough to organize the shindig. Consequently, the Imperial Terrace was a great reason to simply hang out with friends and have a good time.
Making it to the shindig were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Carlos), Jen, her brother (Bill), a couple of Bill's friends, my friend (Hot Amy) and her sister (Terri), Karen and I. There were a bunch of us. Unfortunately, we sat at a rectangular table. And for anyone who knows me, they would know that I have a dislike of rectangular tables when it comes to large parties (because people at the ends of these tables are never included in the conversations at the other end of the table).
Although truth be told, it was probably good that we were at a rectangular table on Wednesday. As I had been a little inebriated beforehand with my drinking buddy (Kelley), I had the latest Miley Cyrus song stuck in my head.
(The video below is the Miley Cyrus song that was stuck in my head.)
I'm not proud of the fact that I enjoy the Miley Cyrus song. Sadly, the song is just so darn catchy. Regardless, in my inebriated state, I may have repeated lyrics from the song a few thousand times. I, of course, butchered the song because I do not actually know the lyrics. So I may have been making no sense whatsoever with my constant rendition of the song on Wednesday.
Anyway, I'm afraid I don't remember much from the Imperial Terrace... other than the scorpion bowl that Kelley and I shared... and Miley Cyrus. So like I said, it may have been better that we were seated at the end of the rectangular table.
Following dinner, a bunch of us headed back to Jen and Bill's place. It was fun to hang out with Jen, Hot Amy, and Carlos, whom I really haven't seen much of late. From what I can remember, Hot Amy challenged me to a macaroni and cheese throw down. I don't remember if we wagered anything or not. Of course, a wager would not matter much anyway. There is no doubt that I will beat Hot Amy. She is pre-disposed to losing. And luckily, she is a glutton for punishment which makes it fun.
As is my nature, I may have angered Hot Amy a little with my ribbing. I forget how the subject of her significant other (Mark) came up, but he did. Mark works for MIT's Lincoln Labs. For anyone curious, Lincoln Labs is federal funded by the government for the area of research and development. Due to the nature of his work, Mark cannot tell anyone what he actually does at MIT's Lincoln Labs. Naturally, I joked that Mark was the janitor there. For the record, I don't think there is anything wrong with being a janitor. I just happened to know that it would annoy Hot Amy.
Needless to say, Carlos enjoyed my joke a lot. He kept laughing at the thought. Yeah, I'm a stinker. But it was funny to get under Hot Amy's skin. She's a good sport about my jokes. I could definitely see that she was getting a little angry with me.
Speaking of Mark, my other friend (Marc) actually watched a little of Fox's Glee while at Jen's. Jen was recording the show which happened to be on while we were there. Sadly, Marc is not a big fan of Glee. It's too bad. I love Glee. The show is one of my guilty pleasures.
Go Quinn Fabray! Yes, I may be drawn to the show due to the blond cheerleader. It's not my fault. I'm attracted to shiny objects. And, I feel robbed of my high school cheerleading experience because the cheerleaders at my high school... definitely looked nothing like television. Sure, they may have had the attitude... just not the flexibility or cheer...
Anyway, it was definitely a fun night. I'm glad Jen organized the get-together. I had a great time.
I Suck At Robot Chicken
On Tuesday, Karen and I hung out with my friends (Marc and Kelley). For dinner, Marc cooked up some turkey and veggie burgers. As usual, dinner was delicious. Kelley also made muffins which were also made it a great meal. I still think Kelley and my BFF (Kerry) should have a bake off. The competition would be fun... and judging it would be even better.
Anyway, on the agenda for the night was another episode of the greatest television show ever: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a couple of episodes of Angel. The episode of Buffy that we watched was "Tabula Rasa", about Willow accidentally making everyone forget their own identity via magic. Guest starring in the episode was Michelle Branch, who sang her song "Goodbye to You" at the end of the episode during a montage of sad moments.
Following Buffy, we watched the following episodes of Angel: "Fredless" about Fred and her reunion with her parents; and "Billy" about the misogynistic Billy whose touch infects men, making them attack women. The most comical scene came in the Fredless episode where Cordelia and Wesley re-enact Angel and Buffy's relationship.
As usual, it was great to watch Buffy and Angel. To end the night, we decided to watch an episode of Robot Chicken. Now, I suck at Robot Chicken.
(The video below was a preview for the Robot Chicken episode.)
Of course, it was not just any episode of Robot Chicken. It was the Star Wars episode of Robot Chicken. Needless to say, the episode had me laughing in stitches. It was a great way to end the night.
All in all, it was another good night.
Anyway, on the agenda for the night was another episode of the greatest television show ever: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a couple of episodes of Angel. The episode of Buffy that we watched was "Tabula Rasa", about Willow accidentally making everyone forget their own identity via magic. Guest starring in the episode was Michelle Branch, who sang her song "Goodbye to You" at the end of the episode during a montage of sad moments.
Following Buffy, we watched the following episodes of Angel: "Fredless" about Fred and her reunion with her parents; and "Billy" about the misogynistic Billy whose touch infects men, making them attack women. The most comical scene came in the Fredless episode where Cordelia and Wesley re-enact Angel and Buffy's relationship.
As usual, it was great to watch Buffy and Angel. To end the night, we decided to watch an episode of Robot Chicken. Now, I suck at Robot Chicken.
(The video below was a preview for the Robot Chicken episode.)
Of course, it was not just any episode of Robot Chicken. It was the Star Wars episode of Robot Chicken. Needless to say, the episode had me laughing in stitches. It was a great way to end the night.
All in all, it was another good night.
Sunday, November 22, 2009
I Suck At UFC
Yesterday turned out to be quite the busy day.
The morning began with my waffle making experience. Following breakfast, I ended up doing a little home improvement project at my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine).
For anyone curious, I helped my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) build a ramp for his shed so that he could fit his ride-on lawn mower into the shed. And yes, we were able to successfully build the ramp within the day... so the lawn mower is now in his shed and not the garage.
After that, Karen and I hung out with our friends (Marc and Kelley). Marc and Kelley organized a little get together for the UFC pay-per-view for the night. For anyone curious, the main event featured a rematch of Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin. There technically was another co-main event between Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson too, but I think Ortiz and Griffin were the bigger names. Anyway, I suck at UFC.
As the UFC pay-per-view was starting late, we decided to catch a couple of episodes of the greatest television show ever: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episodes that we watched were "All the Way", which was the Halloween episode about Dawn going out on Halloween and getting mixed up with a couple of vampires; and "Once More, with Feeling", which was the famous musical episode.
Interestingly enough, the "All the Way" episode starred Amber Tamblyn as Dawn's friend Janice. For anyone curious, Amber Tamblyn is one quarter of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. She played Tibby in the Sisterhood. Yes, it's sad that I even know that fact.
Needless to say, the musical episode "Once More, with Feeling" was awesome. The episode was very well done. It is probably the best episode of season six in my opinion.
Anyway, after Buffy the four of us watched the UFC pay-per-view. As we were watching, I thought it would be cool to see my friend's (Aimee) husband (Jim) fighting in the octagon for UFC. Yes, my mind does have tangent thoughts some time.
Jim, who I consider the "Deadliest Friend", teaches mixed martial arts. I would definitely not mess with him. Regardless, it would be cool to see him fight at a UFC pay-per-view. I would fight if I could. The only problem is... I don't want anyone to hurt my pretty face... and I definitely don't want to risk getting cauliflower ears. And most likely, I would bleed profusely from my nose because I have a sensitive nose. So maybe I can live vicariously and convince Jim to fight in the octagon ring for UFC. (I have a feeling that my chances of convincing Jim are similar to my chances of convincing my friend Cass to run for mayor of Quincy...)
Of course, Marc also had a great idea. We could just be in the entourage. Apparently, there does not seem to be much involved in being part of the fighter's entourage. Based on the pay-per-view, all a member of the entourage has to do is hug the fighter and attach a sign to the ring. Those tasks do not seem too difficult, even for a person who doesn't like to hug such as myself.
Anyway, I will still have to convince Jim. I'll work on that. All in all, the UFC pay-per-view was fun to watch. It was a great time hanging out as usual. I must admit, I am actually a little excited about the next UFC pay-per-view now.
The morning began with my waffle making experience. Following breakfast, I ended up doing a little home improvement project at my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine).
For anyone curious, I helped my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) build a ramp for his shed so that he could fit his ride-on lawn mower into the shed. And yes, we were able to successfully build the ramp within the day... so the lawn mower is now in his shed and not the garage.
After that, Karen and I hung out with our friends (Marc and Kelley). Marc and Kelley organized a little get together for the UFC pay-per-view for the night. For anyone curious, the main event featured a rematch of Tito Ortiz and Forrest Griffin. There technically was another co-main event between Josh Koscheck and Anthony Johnson too, but I think Ortiz and Griffin were the bigger names. Anyway, I suck at UFC.
As the UFC pay-per-view was starting late, we decided to catch a couple of episodes of the greatest television show ever: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episodes that we watched were "All the Way", which was the Halloween episode about Dawn going out on Halloween and getting mixed up with a couple of vampires; and "Once More, with Feeling", which was the famous musical episode.
Interestingly enough, the "All the Way" episode starred Amber Tamblyn as Dawn's friend Janice. For anyone curious, Amber Tamblyn is one quarter of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. She played Tibby in the Sisterhood. Yes, it's sad that I even know that fact.
Needless to say, the musical episode "Once More, with Feeling" was awesome. The episode was very well done. It is probably the best episode of season six in my opinion.
Anyway, after Buffy the four of us watched the UFC pay-per-view. As we were watching, I thought it would be cool to see my friend's (Aimee) husband (Jim) fighting in the octagon for UFC. Yes, my mind does have tangent thoughts some time.
Jim, who I consider the "Deadliest Friend", teaches mixed martial arts. I would definitely not mess with him. Regardless, it would be cool to see him fight at a UFC pay-per-view. I would fight if I could. The only problem is... I don't want anyone to hurt my pretty face... and I definitely don't want to risk getting cauliflower ears. And most likely, I would bleed profusely from my nose because I have a sensitive nose. So maybe I can live vicariously and convince Jim to fight in the octagon ring for UFC. (I have a feeling that my chances of convincing Jim are similar to my chances of convincing my friend Cass to run for mayor of Quincy...)
Of course, Marc also had a great idea. We could just be in the entourage. Apparently, there does not seem to be much involved in being part of the fighter's entourage. Based on the pay-per-view, all a member of the entourage has to do is hug the fighter and attach a sign to the ring. Those tasks do not seem too difficult, even for a person who doesn't like to hug such as myself.
Anyway, I will still have to convince Jim. I'll work on that. All in all, the UFC pay-per-view was fun to watch. It was a great time hanging out as usual. I must admit, I am actually a little excited about the next UFC pay-per-view now.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
I Suck At Making Waffles
Today was a historic day. Today I made waffles. Unfortunately, I suck at making waffles.
There is a back story to my waffle making ability. When Karen and I were engaged... some 6+ years ago... we did the usual things like register for wedding gifts. At the time, I wanted to register for a waffle maker. I had visions of eating waffles for breakfast every day... complete with whipped cream and strawberries... and all of that good stuff. What can I say, I had big dreams.
Karen, of course, was more practical. She thought it would be silly to register for a waffle maker because she knew I would never use a waffle maker... probably because I hardly cooked. Thinking that she was probably right, I decided to not register for the waffle maker... much to my dismay.
As luck would have it, however, my future favorite sister-in-law (Janine) knew how much I really wanted the waffle maker. There's a reason why she is my favorite sister-in-law. Anyway, Janine ended up getting the waffle maker for me for Christmas. It was very exciting that year!
Although I would never admit it to Karen, Karen was right in my waffle making use. I had put the waffle maker away in one of our kitchen cabinets... always planning to use it someday. Needless to say, time passed... home improvement projects came and gone... other things happened... and the next thing I knew, it was six years later. (I should remember this lesson...)
Anyway, a few weeks ago Karen and I were in Trader Joe's and we saw that they had a pumpkin pancake and waffle mix. As the mix sounded delicious, we decided to get it. Naturally, the mix sat in one of our kitchen cabinets. (Are you sensing a trend?)
So today, I decided to prove Karen wrong. Sure, it was six years in the making. But, as I have been cooking more of late... I figured why not bust out the waffle maker and make pumpkin waffles?
Needless to say, I love the waffle maker. The pumpkin waffles came out great! And as an added bonus, Karen enjoyed the waffles too.
There is a back story to my waffle making ability. When Karen and I were engaged... some 6+ years ago... we did the usual things like register for wedding gifts. At the time, I wanted to register for a waffle maker. I had visions of eating waffles for breakfast every day... complete with whipped cream and strawberries... and all of that good stuff. What can I say, I had big dreams.
Karen, of course, was more practical. She thought it would be silly to register for a waffle maker because she knew I would never use a waffle maker... probably because I hardly cooked. Thinking that she was probably right, I decided to not register for the waffle maker... much to my dismay.
As luck would have it, however, my future favorite sister-in-law (Janine) knew how much I really wanted the waffle maker. There's a reason why she is my favorite sister-in-law. Anyway, Janine ended up getting the waffle maker for me for Christmas. It was very exciting that year!
Although I would never admit it to Karen, Karen was right in my waffle making use. I had put the waffle maker away in one of our kitchen cabinets... always planning to use it someday. Needless to say, time passed... home improvement projects came and gone... other things happened... and the next thing I knew, it was six years later. (I should remember this lesson...)
Anyway, a few weeks ago Karen and I were in Trader Joe's and we saw that they had a pumpkin pancake and waffle mix. As the mix sounded delicious, we decided to get it. Naturally, the mix sat in one of our kitchen cabinets. (Are you sensing a trend?)
So today, I decided to prove Karen wrong. Sure, it was six years in the making. But, as I have been cooking more of late... I figured why not bust out the waffle maker and make pumpkin waffles?
Needless to say, I love the waffle maker. The pumpkin waffles came out great! And as an added bonus, Karen enjoyed the waffles too.
I Suck At Hanging Out With My Friend
On Thursday, Karen and I hung out with my friends (Marc and Kelley). We had pushed back our weekly get-together to Thursday as Marc had planned to attend something for school on Wednesday. As it turned out, Karen also had a meeting herself on Wednesday with the Friends of the Norwell Public Library. So Thursday it was.
For dinner, Marc created a pasta dish with garlic bread and homemade turkey meatballs. It was delicious. For dessert, Kelley had made some apple bread. The apple bread was also very good, which comes as no surprise because Kelley is quite the baker. In my act of instigating, I would like to see Kelley and my BFF (Kerry) have a bake-off. (For anyone curious, Kerry has been historically praised for her mad baking skills.) I think a bake-off between both of them would be cool. Of course, that's just my opinion. I am just hoping to benefit from eating the baked goods.
Needless to say, the meal was delicious. In fact, the meal was so good that I practically passed out from a food coma during an episode of the world's greatest television show ever: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I must have gorged myself because it was so hard to keep my eyes open while we were watching the episode.
For anyone curious, the episode of Buffy that we watched was "Life Serial", about Sunnydales's three criminal geek masterminds testing Buffy's abilities. It was a comical episode. It's a good thing that I've watched Buffy many times because I had pass out due to the food coma.
Anyway, I shortly came out of my coma thanks to my good friend... sugar. (I had some raspberry lemonade... yum!) And as luck would have it, I came out of my coma just as my friend (Scott) stopped by. Scott lives in New York, but happened to be back in Massachusetts for work. As he was in the neighborhood, he thought he'd stop by.
As always, it was great to see Scott. I don't see my friend, Scott enough. In fact, I suck at hanging out with my friend. We had placed bets on what Scott would be having for dinner that night because Scott is a funny eater. (Scott is not much for vegetables.) Needless to say, he surprised us with a meal from Boston Market... a meal complete with two sides of mashed potatoes.
Needless to say, it was a great night to hang out and laugh with everyone. It was good seeing Scott again.
For dinner, Marc created a pasta dish with garlic bread and homemade turkey meatballs. It was delicious. For dessert, Kelley had made some apple bread. The apple bread was also very good, which comes as no surprise because Kelley is quite the baker. In my act of instigating, I would like to see Kelley and my BFF (Kerry) have a bake-off. (For anyone curious, Kerry has been historically praised for her mad baking skills.) I think a bake-off between both of them would be cool. Of course, that's just my opinion. I am just hoping to benefit from eating the baked goods.
Needless to say, the meal was delicious. In fact, the meal was so good that I practically passed out from a food coma during an episode of the world's greatest television show ever: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I must have gorged myself because it was so hard to keep my eyes open while we were watching the episode.
For anyone curious, the episode of Buffy that we watched was "Life Serial", about Sunnydales's three criminal geek masterminds testing Buffy's abilities. It was a comical episode. It's a good thing that I've watched Buffy many times because I had pass out due to the food coma.
Anyway, I shortly came out of my coma thanks to my good friend... sugar. (I had some raspberry lemonade... yum!) And as luck would have it, I came out of my coma just as my friend (Scott) stopped by. Scott lives in New York, but happened to be back in Massachusetts for work. As he was in the neighborhood, he thought he'd stop by.
As always, it was great to see Scott. I don't see my friend, Scott enough. In fact, I suck at hanging out with my friend. We had placed bets on what Scott would be having for dinner that night because Scott is a funny eater. (Scott is not much for vegetables.) Needless to say, he surprised us with a meal from Boston Market... a meal complete with two sides of mashed potatoes.
Needless to say, it was a great night to hang out and laugh with everyone. It was good seeing Scott again.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
I Suck At Blue-22
On Monday night, I met up with a few friends at Blue-22 located in Quincy. Unfortunately, I suck at Blue-22.
I haven't been to Blue-22 in quite a while. Apparently, Blue-22 recently changed its menu... and by "recently" I mean last week. My friend (Garv) who is a partial owner of Blue-22 informed us of the change. In fact, at the time that he mentioned the new menu, Garv was trying one of the new menu items which was some pork dish. He also tried one of the burger sliders that Blue-22 also now offers.
Although I was full, I actually tried the pork and one of the burger sliders. It was very good. I enjoyed the new menu items.
Anyway, the reason why all of us were at Blue-22 was because my friend (Ron) proposed getting all of us together for some laughs, drinks, merriment... and some fantasy football. It has been a long while since I got to hang out with Ron. So it was great to see him again.
Ron had originally proposed the idea of getting the fantasy football owners together before the milestone known as the "trading deadline". For anyone curious, the trading deadline is the deadline where fantasy football owners can no longer trade away players on their respective teams to other owners with hopes of improving their own team.
In other words, Monday was an excuse to get out of the house, hang out, and geek it up over fantasy football. Joining in the geekfest were my friend (Cass), Ron, Garv and I. My friends (Marc, Kelley, and Ellen) unfortunately could not make the shindig.
Needless to say, it was a fun time. Cass's brother (BJ), who is a staple at Blue-22, also temporarily joined us for the geekfest. BJ was doing work while at the restaurant. Plus, he stopped by to pick up his Kango hat that he had lost at Blue-22.
Speaking of Cass, he seemed to have the best time. In terms of fantasy football, Cass without a doubt did the most wheeling and dealing. (This is yet another reason why Cass would be great as mayor of Quincy. Remember that the next time the election comes around!)
Anyway, Cass pulled off two major trades on Monday: one involving Ron and the other involving Garv. Luckily, my fantasy football team is terrible. So there really was no one on my team that garnered any interest. (After all, my team is terrible for a reason.)
All in all, it was a very enjoyable night... fantasy football aside.
I haven't been to Blue-22 in quite a while. Apparently, Blue-22 recently changed its menu... and by "recently" I mean last week. My friend (Garv) who is a partial owner of Blue-22 informed us of the change. In fact, at the time that he mentioned the new menu, Garv was trying one of the new menu items which was some pork dish. He also tried one of the burger sliders that Blue-22 also now offers.
Although I was full, I actually tried the pork and one of the burger sliders. It was very good. I enjoyed the new menu items.
Anyway, the reason why all of us were at Blue-22 was because my friend (Ron) proposed getting all of us together for some laughs, drinks, merriment... and some fantasy football. It has been a long while since I got to hang out with Ron. So it was great to see him again.
Ron had originally proposed the idea of getting the fantasy football owners together before the milestone known as the "trading deadline". For anyone curious, the trading deadline is the deadline where fantasy football owners can no longer trade away players on their respective teams to other owners with hopes of improving their own team.
In other words, Monday was an excuse to get out of the house, hang out, and geek it up over fantasy football. Joining in the geekfest were my friend (Cass), Ron, Garv and I. My friends (Marc, Kelley, and Ellen) unfortunately could not make the shindig.
Needless to say, it was a fun time. Cass's brother (BJ), who is a staple at Blue-22, also temporarily joined us for the geekfest. BJ was doing work while at the restaurant. Plus, he stopped by to pick up his Kango hat that he had lost at Blue-22.
Speaking of Cass, he seemed to have the best time. In terms of fantasy football, Cass without a doubt did the most wheeling and dealing. (This is yet another reason why Cass would be great as mayor of Quincy. Remember that the next time the election comes around!)
Anyway, Cass pulled off two major trades on Monday: one involving Ron and the other involving Garv. Luckily, my fantasy football team is terrible. So there really was no one on my team that garnered any interest. (After all, my team is terrible for a reason.)
All in all, it was a very enjoyable night... fantasy football aside.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
I Suck At Celebrating My Father-In-Law's Birthday
Today, Karen and I visited my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) for lunch. On the agenda for the day was a birthday celebration for my father-in-law. Unfortunately, I suck at celebrating my father-in-law's birthday.
Originally, the celebration was to have been held last weekend. Unfortunately, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) came down with the ever popular H1N1 flu last week. So naturally, the celebration had to be rescheduled.
As a side note, I dislike the panic and hysteria that the media has created over the H1N1 flu. Don't get me wrong. I understand that H1N1 can be fatal. It, however, does the public no good to create panic over the recent shortage of flu shots. That's just my opinion.
Anyway, Janine and PJ actually arrived a few minutes earlier than Karen and I. Janine and PJ had spent the previous day at the MIT Endicott House located in Dedham. They got to become chefs for the day in what sounded like a remarkable experience.
So while Janine and PJ were away, my in-laws were watching my niece (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). My in-laws actually spent the night at Janine and PJ's. When Karen and I arrived, my mother-in-law was making the main course for the birthday celebration.
Needless to say, it was interesting. I think there may have been some initial stress while my mother-in-law was making the meal. After all, it's understandable. If I were return home to find my mother rummaging through the cupboards looking for things to cook her meal, I might be a little stressed too. Heck, I get stressed just having my own mother over my house.
All in all, I think my father-in-law enjoyed his birthday celebration.
Originally, the celebration was to have been held last weekend. Unfortunately, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) came down with the ever popular H1N1 flu last week. So naturally, the celebration had to be rescheduled.
As a side note, I dislike the panic and hysteria that the media has created over the H1N1 flu. Don't get me wrong. I understand that H1N1 can be fatal. It, however, does the public no good to create panic over the recent shortage of flu shots. That's just my opinion.
Anyway, Janine and PJ actually arrived a few minutes earlier than Karen and I. Janine and PJ had spent the previous day at the MIT Endicott House located in Dedham. They got to become chefs for the day in what sounded like a remarkable experience.
So while Janine and PJ were away, my in-laws were watching my niece (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). My in-laws actually spent the night at Janine and PJ's. When Karen and I arrived, my mother-in-law was making the main course for the birthday celebration.
Needless to say, it was interesting. I think there may have been some initial stress while my mother-in-law was making the meal. After all, it's understandable. If I were return home to find my mother rummaging through the cupboards looking for things to cook her meal, I might be a little stressed too. Heck, I get stressed just having my own mother over my house.
All in all, I think my father-in-law enjoyed his birthday celebration.
I Suck At Hanging Out With My BFF
Yesterday was one of those dreary rainy days where you can stay home all day, veg out, and watch television. With the terrible weather, Karen and I had other plans. Karen and I, along with my friends (Marc and Kelley), decided to visit historic Salem. On the agenda for the night: a witch hunt. Just kidding.
Interestingly enough, the weather was not that awful on the drive up to Salem. In fact, the clouds only poured buckets of rain while we were actually in Salem. It was like the clouds knew when we crossed the city line.
Anyway, the real reason why we were visiting Salem was to see my BFF (Kerry). Being proactive, Kerry asked earlier in the week if all of us were around this weekend. Naturally, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to hang out with my BFF. After all, I suck at hanging out with my BFF.
Kerry makes numerous trips down from Salem to visit all of us. So, we figured that it was only fair to make the long trip up north of Boston. That's what friends do, right? Plus, I have a feeling that Marc and Kelley wanted to see Kerry's cat (Max). There was so a dirty pun in there, but I resisted.
Needless to say, I think all of us had a great time hanging out with Kerry. It turns out that Kerry made a huge purchase for the day: that purchase being a 32" flat panel television. By the time we arrived, Kerry already had the television assembled and sitting on her fireplace mantel, complete with the stickers still on it.
We ended up watching some college football on the new television in high definition. I sometimes wonder how did we ever watch television without high definition. Things in HD are just so much clearer. I love HD. As a random thought, I wonder how long it will it take my friend (Hot Amy) to get high definition. After all, it was just recently, after 30+ years, that she got the entertainment marvel known as cable television. If she were to keep the same rate, she will be a senior citizen when she finally gets HD. It was just a random thought.
Anyway, Kerry's new television is nice. For dinner, we decided to order takeout from King's located right up the street from Kerry. King's, not to be confused with the bowling alley, is a sub shop located in Salem. Apparently, the tag line for King's is that they have famous roast beef and seafood.
The last time I ate at King's, I tried the seafood. In my opinion, the seafood was anything but famous. Thus, I have a feeling that the conjunction "and" in King's claim may be a little misleading. I have a feeling that the claim is more "famous roast beef" and oh-by-the-way-we-have seafood, as opposed to famous roast beef and famous seafood. Again, that's just my opinion.
The roast beef at King's is actually very good. Marc and I both ordered the Super Beef, which is served on an onion roll. Marc had the special sauce on his order, while I opted for plain. Needless to say, the sandwich was good. And there was a lot of beef. I guess that is why they call it "super".
All in all, it was a fun night hanging out with everyone. Kelley and I also experimented with some whiskey concoctions. So naturally it made for a good night.
Interestingly enough, the weather was not that awful on the drive up to Salem. In fact, the clouds only poured buckets of rain while we were actually in Salem. It was like the clouds knew when we crossed the city line.
Anyway, the real reason why we were visiting Salem was to see my BFF (Kerry). Being proactive, Kerry asked earlier in the week if all of us were around this weekend. Naturally, I couldn't pass up an opportunity to hang out with my BFF. After all, I suck at hanging out with my BFF.
Kerry makes numerous trips down from Salem to visit all of us. So, we figured that it was only fair to make the long trip up north of Boston. That's what friends do, right? Plus, I have a feeling that Marc and Kelley wanted to see Kerry's cat (Max). There was so a dirty pun in there, but I resisted.
Needless to say, I think all of us had a great time hanging out with Kerry. It turns out that Kerry made a huge purchase for the day: that purchase being a 32" flat panel television. By the time we arrived, Kerry already had the television assembled and sitting on her fireplace mantel, complete with the stickers still on it.
We ended up watching some college football on the new television in high definition. I sometimes wonder how did we ever watch television without high definition. Things in HD are just so much clearer. I love HD. As a random thought, I wonder how long it will it take my friend (Hot Amy) to get high definition. After all, it was just recently, after 30+ years, that she got the entertainment marvel known as cable television. If she were to keep the same rate, she will be a senior citizen when she finally gets HD. It was just a random thought.
Anyway, Kerry's new television is nice. For dinner, we decided to order takeout from King's located right up the street from Kerry. King's, not to be confused with the bowling alley, is a sub shop located in Salem. Apparently, the tag line for King's is that they have famous roast beef and seafood.
The last time I ate at King's, I tried the seafood. In my opinion, the seafood was anything but famous. Thus, I have a feeling that the conjunction "and" in King's claim may be a little misleading. I have a feeling that the claim is more "famous roast beef" and oh-by-the-way-we-have seafood, as opposed to famous roast beef and famous seafood. Again, that's just my opinion.
The roast beef at King's is actually very good. Marc and I both ordered the Super Beef, which is served on an onion roll. Marc had the special sauce on his order, while I opted for plain. Needless to say, the sandwich was good. And there was a lot of beef. I guess that is why they call it "super".
All in all, it was a fun night hanging out with everyone. Kelley and I also experimented with some whiskey concoctions. So naturally it made for a good night.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
I Suck At Angel
Yesterday, Karen and I had our weekly get together with our friends (Marc and Kelley). As Marc was craving Indian food, we decided to order from the Punjab Cafe located in Quincy.
Needless to say, the food was delicious. For anyone curious, I had the lamb vindaloo, which is lamb and potatoes cooked in a spicy sauce. The lamb is served over basmati rice. The meal tasted very good.
Anyway, on the agenda for the night were episodes of season three of Angel. The episodes that we watched were: "Heartthrob" about a vampire bent of avenging the loss of his love at the hands of Angel; "That Vision Thing" about Cordelia feeling the physical effects of her visions; "That Old Gang Of Mine" about Gunn's old gang indiscriminately hunting down demons; and "Carpe Noctem" about Angel switching bodies with an elderly man.
Of the four episodes, I probably enjoyed "Carpe Noctem" the most. Although, the "That Vision Thing" episode was a close second because it featured Cordelia. And not only did the episode center around Cordelia, but Kal Penn of Harold and Kumar fame appeared in the episode. Kal Penn played the "young man in fez" role... which went along with our Indian food theme, I guess.
Regardless, the reason why I probably enjoyed "Carpe Noctem" the most was because it featured more of Winifred (also known as Fred) Burkle. Yes, it's tough... Fred versus Cordelia. How is a person to choose? In this case, I went with Fred. Plus, watching Angel as an old man trying to escape from a retirement home was pretty funny.
There was a time when Marc and I thought Amy Acker (the actress who plays Fred) could star as Karen if there were ever a movie about Karen. Interestingly enough, Karen actually said she could see the reason why we would have chosen her.
Anyway, it was a fun night as usual. Kelley made her special muffins again which were delicious. I love it when Kelley bakes... probably because I get to benefit from devouring the baked goods like cookie monster.
Speaking of Kelley, she sent me a list of "Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity" which I thought I would share:
I had a chuckle over a few of them. Enjoy!
Needless to say, the food was delicious. For anyone curious, I had the lamb vindaloo, which is lamb and potatoes cooked in a spicy sauce. The lamb is served over basmati rice. The meal tasted very good.
Anyway, on the agenda for the night were episodes of season three of Angel. The episodes that we watched were: "Heartthrob" about a vampire bent of avenging the loss of his love at the hands of Angel; "That Vision Thing" about Cordelia feeling the physical effects of her visions; "That Old Gang Of Mine" about Gunn's old gang indiscriminately hunting down demons; and "Carpe Noctem" about Angel switching bodies with an elderly man.
Of the four episodes, I probably enjoyed "Carpe Noctem" the most. Although, the "That Vision Thing" episode was a close second because it featured Cordelia. And not only did the episode center around Cordelia, but Kal Penn of Harold and Kumar fame appeared in the episode. Kal Penn played the "young man in fez" role... which went along with our Indian food theme, I guess.
Regardless, the reason why I probably enjoyed "Carpe Noctem" the most was because it featured more of Winifred (also known as Fred) Burkle. Yes, it's tough... Fred versus Cordelia. How is a person to choose? In this case, I went with Fred. Plus, watching Angel as an old man trying to escape from a retirement home was pretty funny.
There was a time when Marc and I thought Amy Acker (the actress who plays Fred) could star as Karen if there were ever a movie about Karen. Interestingly enough, Karen actually said she could see the reason why we would have chosen her.
Anyway, it was a fun night as usual. Kelley made her special muffins again which were delicious. I love it when Kelley bakes... probably because I get to benefit from devouring the baked goods like cookie monster.
Speaking of Kelley, she sent me a list of "Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity" which I thought I would share:
- At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if they slow down.
- Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.
- Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
- Put your garbage can on your desk and label it "In."
- Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
- In the memo field of all your checks, write "For smuggling diamonds".
- Finish all your sentences with "In accordance with the prophecy."
- Don't use any punctuation.
- As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
- Order a diet water whenever you go out to eat with a serious face.
- Specify that your drive-through order is "To go."
- Sing along at the opera.
- Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.
- Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.
- Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.
- Have your co-workers address you by your wrestling name, Rock Bottom.
- When the money comes out of the ATM, scream "I Won! I Won!"
- When leaving the zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling "Run for your lives, they're loose!!"
- Tell your children over dinner: "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."
I had a chuckle over a few of them. Enjoy!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
I Suck At Pork Marinades
When it comes to food, one of the things that I enjoy about Karen is that she is willing to experiment. I actually think experimenting is great because the experience allows you to know if a particular food item tastes great or not. Unfortunately, some people can't get past certain issues with food, which is too bad. They'll never know what they are missing.
Regardless, last night Karen and I decided to try our hand at cooking pork tenderloin with sweet potatoes in a cranberry glaze. We had purchased some pork tenderloin at the grocery store earlier in the week. Not knowing what to do with the pork tenderloin, I decided to find a marinade recipe. Too bad I suck at pork marinades.
After a quick search, I decided to try a recipe by Anne Burrell. The recipe was for an Asian marinaded grilled pork tenderloin. As I'm generally one for simple recipes, I decided to use it.
Plus, I remembered Anne Burrell from her days on Iron Chef and thought she was cool... probably because of her platinum hair at the time. Although truth be told, I probably thought she was cool because she was the sous chef for Mario Batali and anyone who could work alongside Mario Batali had to be cool. For anyone curious, Mario Batali reminds me of the comic book guy from the Simpsons.
Anyway, I marinaded the pork in Anne Burrell's recipe. Karen decided to try her hand at the cranberry glaze. For Karen, there was no recipe. She made the sweet potato on her own, which I thought was pretty impressive. I'd detail what Karen did for the sweet potato and cranberry glaze, but I really wasn't watching. Sorry.
When all was said and done, the entire meal came out pretty good. We were both impressed by how good the pork and the sweet potatoes tasted.
Regardless, last night Karen and I decided to try our hand at cooking pork tenderloin with sweet potatoes in a cranberry glaze. We had purchased some pork tenderloin at the grocery store earlier in the week. Not knowing what to do with the pork tenderloin, I decided to find a marinade recipe. Too bad I suck at pork marinades.
After a quick search, I decided to try a recipe by Anne Burrell. The recipe was for an Asian marinaded grilled pork tenderloin. As I'm generally one for simple recipes, I decided to use it.
Plus, I remembered Anne Burrell from her days on Iron Chef and thought she was cool... probably because of her platinum hair at the time. Although truth be told, I probably thought she was cool because she was the sous chef for Mario Batali and anyone who could work alongside Mario Batali had to be cool. For anyone curious, Mario Batali reminds me of the comic book guy from the Simpsons.
Anyway, I marinaded the pork in Anne Burrell's recipe. Karen decided to try her hand at the cranberry glaze. For Karen, there was no recipe. She made the sweet potato on her own, which I thought was pretty impressive. I'd detail what Karen did for the sweet potato and cranberry glaze, but I really wasn't watching. Sorry.
When all was said and done, the entire meal came out pretty good. We were both impressed by how good the pork and the sweet potatoes tasted.
Monday, November 9, 2009
I Suck At Fantasy Football
With the ability to form coherent thoughts again, I began my Sunday at my parents' in Quincy. My visit was very much to the delight of my mother and father, particularly my mother who has been contacting me every day of the week to see if Karen and I were available for dinner as a way to celebrate Karen's birthday.
Apparently, my parents go through withdrawal whenever I am not around. If enough time has elapsed, my mother will eventually start to use the famous tactic known as the guilt trip to make sure that I am available on certain days. It's not like I don't want to see my parents. I love my parents.
It's just that sometimes when I see my parents, I get asked to do certain important tasks for them... from financial tasks to insurance tasks to health care related tasks. Normally, that's not a bad thing. I'm glad they trust me enough to do these things for them. Unfortunately, I have no idea what some of these things are that they are asking me to explain to them. After all, I don't know anything about the topic of Medicare or Medicaid, or insurance policies that my parents started years and years ago when I was a kid. To me, the situation is like the blind leading the blind... with unfortunate dire real world consequences. So it's the not knowing what I am going to get factor that stresses me out with my parents. And truth be told, I know there are worse things than having parents who love you.
Luckily, yesterday did not really produce any parental tasks. The main topic was estate planning, or more importantly... how to sign over one's assets while still alive. As usual, I have no idea. I am not sure anyone I know even has an idea. I could be wrong, of course. It's nice that my parents are planning ahead for the future. At the same time, the thought is a little sad for me because it makes me think about the finite amount of time that my parents have left in this world.
One of the other reasons that I sometimes stress when visiting my parental units is the fact that they inevitably try to give me stuff. Yesterday, of course, was no different. A majority of the time, my parents try to give Karen and I food. That is usually not a bad thing because I think my mom is a great cook when it comes to Chinese cuisine.
In addition to receiving food yesterday, my parents also gave me: my old Rollerblades; an index card from the hospital with my birth information; a post-it note with my name in Chinese; my old mouth retainer; and one of those fancy schmancy types of fountain pens which was apparently given to me when I was a child. (For anyone curious, I was 7 pounds 12 ounces... and 22 1/2 inches.) I have no idea what I am going to do with all of this stuff yet. All in all, it really was nice seeing my parents yesterday.
Following my parents, Karen and I headed over to our friends' (Marc and Kelley) place. Marc and Kelley invited us and a couple of other friends (Cass and Ellen) over to watch the New England Patriots football game.
It was good to see Cass again, even though he did not win the mayoral election in Quincy. Next time! Perhaps next time, he will even be on the ballot. Just kidding.
Anyway, it was good to see Cass because my fantasy football team is playing his fantasy football team this week. And as it turns out, we both like to give each other a little ribbing when it comes to our fantasy football match-up. Unfortunately, I suck at fantasy football.
Unlike the situation where I can legitimately talk smack about a competitor... like for instance in the case of my friend (Hot Amy), talking smack is a little harder when it comes to fantasy football. For anyone curious, Hot Amy is genetically predisposed to losing. She will never beat me in any challenge... ever... The only reason why Hot Amy has not broken down and cried a river about her woeful abilities is because she only has one working tear duct. Just kidding.
Fantasy football, however, is different. I actually have no physical influence on the way my fantasy team will perform from week to week. As much as I hope, I can't will my team to score points. I guess that explains why my team is a mediocre team at best... and why Cass's team is actually one of the upper echelon teams. Of course, part of the reason why my team is mediocre is because I do things like leave a player on the bench... a player who apparently scored a lot of points for the week. Oh well.
Regardless, it was fun to be silly with Cass. Whether I win or lose this week, it was fun to give Cass a little ribbing about his team. (As of right now, Cass's team is losing... chalk up another victory to my great coaching. So now Hot Amy and Cass have something in common... they both lose... Just kidding.)
Fantasy football aside, hanging out with everyone was great. We just hung out, laughed, and watched football. Marc and Kelley made pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw. It was delicious. There were also wings... which Cass enjoyed... and bread pudding. All in all, it was a good day. I enjoyed it.
Apparently, my parents go through withdrawal whenever I am not around. If enough time has elapsed, my mother will eventually start to use the famous tactic known as the guilt trip to make sure that I am available on certain days. It's not like I don't want to see my parents. I love my parents.
It's just that sometimes when I see my parents, I get asked to do certain important tasks for them... from financial tasks to insurance tasks to health care related tasks. Normally, that's not a bad thing. I'm glad they trust me enough to do these things for them. Unfortunately, I have no idea what some of these things are that they are asking me to explain to them. After all, I don't know anything about the topic of Medicare or Medicaid, or insurance policies that my parents started years and years ago when I was a kid. To me, the situation is like the blind leading the blind... with unfortunate dire real world consequences. So it's the not knowing what I am going to get factor that stresses me out with my parents. And truth be told, I know there are worse things than having parents who love you.
Luckily, yesterday did not really produce any parental tasks. The main topic was estate planning, or more importantly... how to sign over one's assets while still alive. As usual, I have no idea. I am not sure anyone I know even has an idea. I could be wrong, of course. It's nice that my parents are planning ahead for the future. At the same time, the thought is a little sad for me because it makes me think about the finite amount of time that my parents have left in this world.
One of the other reasons that I sometimes stress when visiting my parental units is the fact that they inevitably try to give me stuff. Yesterday, of course, was no different. A majority of the time, my parents try to give Karen and I food. That is usually not a bad thing because I think my mom is a great cook when it comes to Chinese cuisine.
In addition to receiving food yesterday, my parents also gave me: my old Rollerblades; an index card from the hospital with my birth information; a post-it note with my name in Chinese; my old mouth retainer; and one of those fancy schmancy types of fountain pens which was apparently given to me when I was a child. (For anyone curious, I was 7 pounds 12 ounces... and 22 1/2 inches.) I have no idea what I am going to do with all of this stuff yet. All in all, it really was nice seeing my parents yesterday.
Following my parents, Karen and I headed over to our friends' (Marc and Kelley) place. Marc and Kelley invited us and a couple of other friends (Cass and Ellen) over to watch the New England Patriots football game.
It was good to see Cass again, even though he did not win the mayoral election in Quincy. Next time! Perhaps next time, he will even be on the ballot. Just kidding.
Anyway, it was good to see Cass because my fantasy football team is playing his fantasy football team this week. And as it turns out, we both like to give each other a little ribbing when it comes to our fantasy football match-up. Unfortunately, I suck at fantasy football.
Unlike the situation where I can legitimately talk smack about a competitor... like for instance in the case of my friend (Hot Amy), talking smack is a little harder when it comes to fantasy football. For anyone curious, Hot Amy is genetically predisposed to losing. She will never beat me in any challenge... ever... The only reason why Hot Amy has not broken down and cried a river about her woeful abilities is because she only has one working tear duct. Just kidding.
Fantasy football, however, is different. I actually have no physical influence on the way my fantasy team will perform from week to week. As much as I hope, I can't will my team to score points. I guess that explains why my team is a mediocre team at best... and why Cass's team is actually one of the upper echelon teams. Of course, part of the reason why my team is mediocre is because I do things like leave a player on the bench... a player who apparently scored a lot of points for the week. Oh well.
Regardless, it was fun to be silly with Cass. Whether I win or lose this week, it was fun to give Cass a little ribbing about his team. (As of right now, Cass's team is losing... chalk up another victory to my great coaching. So now Hot Amy and Cass have something in common... they both lose... Just kidding.)
Fantasy football aside, hanging out with everyone was great. We just hung out, laughed, and watched football. Marc and Kelley made pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw. It was delicious. There were also wings... which Cass enjoyed... and bread pudding. All in all, it was a good day. I enjoyed it.
Friday, November 6, 2009
I Suck At Being Sick
Sadly, I don't remember much from yesterday. If only the cause of my memory blockage were booze. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky to be inebriated. I was simply sick. I suck at being sick.
As my niece (Kaleigh) would have been quick to point out, she has had a cough for 10 days. In my case, however, I am approaching day three. The symptoms of my sickness first manifested while waiting for Karen during her procedure. Of course, my staying up late the night before to watch the premiere of V did not help things either I am sure. I should probably consider myself lucky that I was able to remain by Karen's bedside as she waited for the anesthesia to wear off.
On Wednesday night, I remember crashing once we got home from the hospital. And apparently, on Thursday I pretty much remained in bed all day, which is sad seeing as how I was supposed to be taking care of Karen after her procedure. I'm a little disappointed with myself that way. After all, how was I supposed to take care of Karen when I couldn't take care of myself?
Anyway, I am feeling a little better today. At least I got up out of bed today.
As my niece (Kaleigh) would have been quick to point out, she has had a cough for 10 days. In my case, however, I am approaching day three. The symptoms of my sickness first manifested while waiting for Karen during her procedure. Of course, my staying up late the night before to watch the premiere of V did not help things either I am sure. I should probably consider myself lucky that I was able to remain by Karen's bedside as she waited for the anesthesia to wear off.
On Wednesday night, I remember crashing once we got home from the hospital. And apparently, on Thursday I pretty much remained in bed all day, which is sad seeing as how I was supposed to be taking care of Karen after her procedure. I'm a little disappointed with myself that way. After all, how was I supposed to take care of Karen when I couldn't take care of myself?
Anyway, I am feeling a little better today. At least I got up out of bed today.
I Suck At A Cervical Cerclage
On Wednesday, Karen was having a procedure performed to help with her high risk pregnancy. The procedure is known as a cervical cerclage. Unfortunately, I suck at a cervical cerclage.
According to the American Pregnancy Association:
"When a woman's cervix is weak (sometimes called an incompetent cervix) she is more likely to have a baby born prematurely because the cervix shortens or opens too early. In order to prevent premature labor, a woman's doctor may recommend a cervical cerclage. A cerclage is used to prevent these early changes in a woman's cervix, thus preventing premature labor. A closed cervix helps a developing baby stay inside the uterus until the mother reaches 37-38 weeks of pregnancy."
Anyway, in Karen's case, the procedure involved a spinal injection for the anesthesia. The procedure itself did not take that long. The longest part was actually waiting for the anesthesia to wear off because Karen could not be discharged until she could fully stand on her own two feet.
Needless to say, the anesthesia fully wore off about five hours later. According to the doctor, the procedure was a success. So hopefully things will go well with this pregnancy.
According to the American Pregnancy Association:
"When a woman's cervix is weak (sometimes called an incompetent cervix) she is more likely to have a baby born prematurely because the cervix shortens or opens too early. In order to prevent premature labor, a woman's doctor may recommend a cervical cerclage. A cerclage is used to prevent these early changes in a woman's cervix, thus preventing premature labor. A closed cervix helps a developing baby stay inside the uterus until the mother reaches 37-38 weeks of pregnancy."
Anyway, in Karen's case, the procedure involved a spinal injection for the anesthesia. The procedure itself did not take that long. The longest part was actually waiting for the anesthesia to wear off because Karen could not be discharged until she could fully stand on her own two feet.
Needless to say, the anesthesia fully wore off about five hours later. According to the doctor, the procedure was a success. So hopefully things will go well with this pregnancy.
I Suck At V
In the wee hours of Tuesday night / Wednesday morning, I decided to watch the premiere of V. Now, I suck at V.
According to my friend Wikipedia:
"V is a science fiction franchise created by American writer, producer and director Kenneth Johnson about an invading alien race known as 'The Visitors' (reptilian humanoids disguised as human beings) trying to take over Earth, and the human Resistance group attempting to stop them.
It debuted in 1983 as the two-part television miniseries V, written and directed by Johnson. It was followed in 1984 by a three-part miniseries, V: The Final Battle, and a one-hour weekly television series, V (sometimes referred to as V: The Series) during the 1984-85 television season."
(The video below is from the V television series.)
As a child of the 80s, I grew up watching the miniseries and the television series. I have not seen anything in relation to that 80s television show until that YouTube video just now. And might I add... Wow, talk about dated. Nice costumes and hair. But I guess that can be said for a lot of shows.
Aside from the 80s hair, the most memorable scene in my opinion of the entire V universe was when the leader of the V, played by Jane Badler, swallowed an entire guinea pig whole. At the time, I thought it was cool. Of course, I was just a kid when I saw it on television. I doubt the effects are even that great, but back then I thought it cool.
The only other things that I remember about the V series in the 80s was that it starred Marc "Beast Master" Singer and that show also featured a young Robert Englund (a.k.a. Freddy Krueger).
Anyway, I am excited to see how this new version of V turns out. So far, the first episode was okay. The new series features Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet of Lost fame), Morris Chestnut, and Scott Wolf (Bailey of Party of Five fame).
According to my friend Wikipedia:
"V is a science fiction franchise created by American writer, producer and director Kenneth Johnson about an invading alien race known as 'The Visitors' (reptilian humanoids disguised as human beings) trying to take over Earth, and the human Resistance group attempting to stop them.
It debuted in 1983 as the two-part television miniseries V, written and directed by Johnson. It was followed in 1984 by a three-part miniseries, V: The Final Battle, and a one-hour weekly television series, V (sometimes referred to as V: The Series) during the 1984-85 television season."
(The video below is from the V television series.)
As a child of the 80s, I grew up watching the miniseries and the television series. I have not seen anything in relation to that 80s television show until that YouTube video just now. And might I add... Wow, talk about dated. Nice costumes and hair. But I guess that can be said for a lot of shows.
Aside from the 80s hair, the most memorable scene in my opinion of the entire V universe was when the leader of the V, played by Jane Badler, swallowed an entire guinea pig whole. At the time, I thought it was cool. Of course, I was just a kid when I saw it on television. I doubt the effects are even that great, but back then I thought it cool.
The only other things that I remember about the V series in the 80s was that it starred Marc "Beast Master" Singer and that show also featured a young Robert Englund (a.k.a. Freddy Krueger).
Anyway, I am excited to see how this new version of V turns out. So far, the first episode was okay. The new series features Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet of Lost fame), Morris Chestnut, and Scott Wolf (Bailey of Party of Five fame).
I Suck At Five Guys
Tuesday was quite the busy day.
At work, my coworkers and I decided to go out for lunch. We ended up eating at Five Guys located in Swampscott. Now, I suck at Five Guys. I have never been to Five Guys but I have heard great things about their burgers. Since the Five Guys location in Swampscott was relatively new, we decided to give it a go.
Needless to say, the food was delicious. For anyone curious, the regular burger is a two-patty burger. Their "little" size is a one patty burger. Of course, I went for the two-patty burger with large cajun fries. It was very good. I was so stuffed following lunch. I would definitely go back to Five Guys.
After work, Karen and I ran a little errand at Target located in Hanover. We were looking for energy saving curtains. As well, I had my guilty pleasure moment of purchasing a new cd that was released on Tuesday. For anyone curious, that new cd was Glee: The Music, Volume 1. Glee is one of those new television shows that I enjoy watching this season. It just cracks me up.
Anyway, while leaving Target, Karen and I saw my friends (Ron and Trinh) and their family. Ron and Trinh, and their kids, were just arriving as we were leaving. It was nice to see them. And I must say, their kids are very cute. The middle child (Aree) was being dramatic and did not want to be buckled into the shopping carriage. It was cute.
Unfortunately, we could not chat that long with Ron and Trinh. We were actually running a little late for another get together with my friends (Hugh and Jenny) and their children. Jenny and Karen have been trying to find a time to get together. As well, Karen wanted to tell Jenny about her pregnancy. So, we were supposed to meet Jenny and Hugh at Friendly's in Hanover, which was just up the street from the Target.
It was nice seeing Hugh and Jenny again. Unfortunately, I was still a little stuffed from the Five Guys experience to eat that much at Friendly's. But, I had ice cream! It probably goes without saying that Hugh and Jenny were happy to hear the news.
All in all, it was nice busy day.
At work, my coworkers and I decided to go out for lunch. We ended up eating at Five Guys located in Swampscott. Now, I suck at Five Guys. I have never been to Five Guys but I have heard great things about their burgers. Since the Five Guys location in Swampscott was relatively new, we decided to give it a go.
Needless to say, the food was delicious. For anyone curious, the regular burger is a two-patty burger. Their "little" size is a one patty burger. Of course, I went for the two-patty burger with large cajun fries. It was very good. I was so stuffed following lunch. I would definitely go back to Five Guys.
After work, Karen and I ran a little errand at Target located in Hanover. We were looking for energy saving curtains. As well, I had my guilty pleasure moment of purchasing a new cd that was released on Tuesday. For anyone curious, that new cd was Glee: The Music, Volume 1. Glee is one of those new television shows that I enjoy watching this season. It just cracks me up.
Anyway, while leaving Target, Karen and I saw my friends (Ron and Trinh) and their family. Ron and Trinh, and their kids, were just arriving as we were leaving. It was nice to see them. And I must say, their kids are very cute. The middle child (Aree) was being dramatic and did not want to be buckled into the shopping carriage. It was cute.
Unfortunately, we could not chat that long with Ron and Trinh. We were actually running a little late for another get together with my friends (Hugh and Jenny) and their children. Jenny and Karen have been trying to find a time to get together. As well, Karen wanted to tell Jenny about her pregnancy. So, we were supposed to meet Jenny and Hugh at Friendly's in Hanover, which was just up the street from the Target.
It was nice seeing Hugh and Jenny again. Unfortunately, I was still a little stuffed from the Five Guys experience to eat that much at Friendly's. But, I had ice cream! It probably goes without saying that Hugh and Jenny were happy to hear the news.
All in all, it was nice busy day.
Monday, November 2, 2009
I Suck At The Inn At Bay Pointe
Yesterday, Karen and I attended brunch at the Inn at Bay Pointe located in Quincy. Unfortunately, I suck at the Inn at Bay Pointe. It has definitely been a long while since I have eaten there.
Anyway, the brunch was organized by Karen's parents. The brunch was a means to thank everyone who had been involved in helping with the cleaning and selling of Karen's grandmother's house. And there were a lot of helping hands with differing opinions, that is for sure. Thankfully, every thing is now complete in regards to the selling of the house. And to my knowledge, everyone in the family is still speaking with one another.
Regardless, a family gathering would not be complete without a little "rigamarole", a term that I first heard used by my in-laws. The rigamarole during brunch was the mathematical skill of my mother-in-law. Unfortunately, she had counted the number of people attending the brunch incorrectly... by two. After being seated and realizing our mathematical error, the staff at the Inn at Bay Pointe had to shift a couple who were seated near our table to another location so that we could add their seating to ours. It was interesting.
When all was said and done, brunch was actually quite delicious. I must have ate... everything. And you wonder why I'm shaped the way I am.
Anyway, following brunch and a brief visit by Karen at her great aunt's craft fair, Karen and I ended up at my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine). Janine was kind enough to help Karen with her volunteer work. For anyone curious, Janine was arranging baskets for Karen. The baskets were to be used in an upcoming raffle for the Norwell Public Library.
Needless to say, I spent much of that time playing with my niece (Kaleigh), who had... as she made sure to tell everyone repeatedly... a cough for ten days. We'll see if I get sick in return.
Karen and I actually ended up having dinner there as well. My favorite brother-in-law (PJ) and my friend (Gretchen) had picked up chinese food on their way back from a town meeting in Hingham. It was rather comical because PJ was gracious enough to pick up a birthday cake for Karen. Normally, that is not really comical. Unfortunately, he had picked up a cake with coconut on it despite the recommendations of Gretchen, who suggested a different type of cake. Apparently, PJ rebuffed her suggestions and went with the coconut because he knew Karen.
For anyone curious, Karen does not like coconut. Needless to say, after showing Janine the cake, the two of them stepped back out to get another cake. It was interesting.
Anyway, all in all, it was a good family day.
Anyway, the brunch was organized by Karen's parents. The brunch was a means to thank everyone who had been involved in helping with the cleaning and selling of Karen's grandmother's house. And there were a lot of helping hands with differing opinions, that is for sure. Thankfully, every thing is now complete in regards to the selling of the house. And to my knowledge, everyone in the family is still speaking with one another.
Regardless, a family gathering would not be complete without a little "rigamarole", a term that I first heard used by my in-laws. The rigamarole during brunch was the mathematical skill of my mother-in-law. Unfortunately, she had counted the number of people attending the brunch incorrectly... by two. After being seated and realizing our mathematical error, the staff at the Inn at Bay Pointe had to shift a couple who were seated near our table to another location so that we could add their seating to ours. It was interesting.
When all was said and done, brunch was actually quite delicious. I must have ate... everything. And you wonder why I'm shaped the way I am.
Anyway, following brunch and a brief visit by Karen at her great aunt's craft fair, Karen and I ended up at my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine). Janine was kind enough to help Karen with her volunteer work. For anyone curious, Janine was arranging baskets for Karen. The baskets were to be used in an upcoming raffle for the Norwell Public Library.
Needless to say, I spent much of that time playing with my niece (Kaleigh), who had... as she made sure to tell everyone repeatedly... a cough for ten days. We'll see if I get sick in return.
Karen and I actually ended up having dinner there as well. My favorite brother-in-law (PJ) and my friend (Gretchen) had picked up chinese food on their way back from a town meeting in Hingham. It was rather comical because PJ was gracious enough to pick up a birthday cake for Karen. Normally, that is not really comical. Unfortunately, he had picked up a cake with coconut on it despite the recommendations of Gretchen, who suggested a different type of cake. Apparently, PJ rebuffed her suggestions and went with the coconut because he knew Karen.
For anyone curious, Karen does not like coconut. Needless to say, after showing Janine the cake, the two of them stepped back out to get another cake. It was interesting.
Anyway, all in all, it was a good family day.
I Suck At Halloween
Saturday was All Hallow's Eve... or more commonly known as... Halloween. For anyone curious, the origin of Halloween is linked the Celtic festival known as Samhain.
According to my friend Wikipedia:
Samhain "is a festival held on October 31–November 1 in Gaelic cultures. A harvest festival with ancient roots in Celtic paganism, it was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and continued to be celebrated in late medieval times.
Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the 'lighter half' of the year and beginning of the 'darker half'. Many scholars believe that it was the beginning of the Celtic year. It has some elements of a festival of the dead. The Gaels believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. People and their livestock would often walk between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual, and the bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.
The Gaelic custom of wearing costumes and masks, was an attempt to copy the spirits or placate them. In Scotland the dead were impersonated by young men with masked, veiled or blackened faces, dressed in white. Samhnag — turnips which were hollowed-out and carved with faces to make lanterns — were also used to ward off harmful spirits.
The Gaelic festival became associated with the Christian All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, and has hugely influenced the secular customs now connected with Halloween."
Anyway, this year Karen and I decided to have some friends over for Halloween. With Karen in the early stages of pregnancy, we figured that it would be best to have everyone over as opposed to going out for Halloween. Plus, it allowed us to still pass out candy to all the children in our neighborhood.
Needless to say, it was great having our friends over. Our friends (Marc, Kelley, Andrea, and Cass) were able to make it, as well as my BFF (Kerry). I have not seen Andrea or Cass in quite some time, so it was great to see them again.
Amid the local trick-or-treating, we basically hung out and ordered dinner from Extreme Pita located in Norwell. (It's extreme!) It's always fun to hang out. I had a little shaker mishap that got ginger ale everywhere. Luckily, I was not near anyone when the incident occurred.
Following dinner, we decided to watch a scary movie. After all, it was Halloween. We ended up watching Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride".
(The video below is a trailer for "The Corpse Bride".)
The movie was actually pretty good. And surprisingly, none of us that were present had ever seen the movie before. So the movie experience was new to everyone, which I thought was great. And luckily for Karen, the movie itself was not scary at all. For anyone curious, Karen does not handle scary movies well. It's most unfortunate because I grew up on horror movies... and well... television in general. So, I have become quite inured to all the blood and gore.
Anyway, as "The Corpse Bride" was relatively short, we decided to keep up with the "dead" theme. Completing the double feature was the classic movie, "Better Off Dead". Interestingly enough, Andrea was the only one among us who had never seen that movie before. That was surprising since Andrea is a fan of the 80s like myself.
(The video below is a trailer for "Better Off Dead".)
Needless to say, the movie was good for a few laughs. "Two dollars!"
All in all, even though we did not do much, I had a great time hanging out with everyone.
According to my friend Wikipedia:
Samhain "is a festival held on October 31–November 1 in Gaelic cultures. A harvest festival with ancient roots in Celtic paganism, it was linked to festivals held around the same time in other Celtic cultures, and continued to be celebrated in late medieval times.
Samhain marked the end of the harvest, the end of the 'lighter half' of the year and beginning of the 'darker half'. Many scholars believe that it was the beginning of the Celtic year. It has some elements of a festival of the dead. The Gaels believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin on Samhain. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. People and their livestock would often walk between two bonfires as a cleansing ritual, and the bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames.
The Gaelic custom of wearing costumes and masks, was an attempt to copy the spirits or placate them. In Scotland the dead were impersonated by young men with masked, veiled or blackened faces, dressed in white. Samhnag — turnips which were hollowed-out and carved with faces to make lanterns — were also used to ward off harmful spirits.
The Gaelic festival became associated with the Christian All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day, and has hugely influenced the secular customs now connected with Halloween."
Anyway, this year Karen and I decided to have some friends over for Halloween. With Karen in the early stages of pregnancy, we figured that it would be best to have everyone over as opposed to going out for Halloween. Plus, it allowed us to still pass out candy to all the children in our neighborhood.
Needless to say, it was great having our friends over. Our friends (Marc, Kelley, Andrea, and Cass) were able to make it, as well as my BFF (Kerry). I have not seen Andrea or Cass in quite some time, so it was great to see them again.
Amid the local trick-or-treating, we basically hung out and ordered dinner from Extreme Pita located in Norwell. (It's extreme!) It's always fun to hang out. I had a little shaker mishap that got ginger ale everywhere. Luckily, I was not near anyone when the incident occurred.
Following dinner, we decided to watch a scary movie. After all, it was Halloween. We ended up watching Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride".
(The video below is a trailer for "The Corpse Bride".)
The movie was actually pretty good. And surprisingly, none of us that were present had ever seen the movie before. So the movie experience was new to everyone, which I thought was great. And luckily for Karen, the movie itself was not scary at all. For anyone curious, Karen does not handle scary movies well. It's most unfortunate because I grew up on horror movies... and well... television in general. So, I have become quite inured to all the blood and gore.
Anyway, as "The Corpse Bride" was relatively short, we decided to keep up with the "dead" theme. Completing the double feature was the classic movie, "Better Off Dead". Interestingly enough, Andrea was the only one among us who had never seen that movie before. That was surprising since Andrea is a fan of the 80s like myself.
(The video below is a trailer for "Better Off Dead".)
Needless to say, the movie was good for a few laughs. "Two dollars!"
All in all, even though we did not do much, I had a great time hanging out with everyone.
I Suck At Liver And Onions
On Friday, Karen and I celebrated Karen's birthday with her parents. The celebration consisted of Karen's traditional birthday dinner, followed by presents. For anyone curious, the traditional dinner was liver and onions.
Now, I suck at liver and onions. Truth be told, the meal is not as awful as it sounds. If one can get past the notion of consuming an organ and focus on taste alone, then the meal is actually quite good. As well, there are actually health benefits to eating liver.
According to Ask Men:
"It has a long list of ingredients that are extremely good for you. For one, it is a great source of vitamin B12, vitamin A, copper, folate, riboflavin, selenium, zinc, vitamin C, niacin, phosphorus, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, and iron. The high levels of these vitamins and minerals helps improve cardiovascular health, aids in immune system function and helps prevent the destruction of cells from free radical damage.
Additionally, the liver is a terrific source of protein."
As for how liver and onions became the traditional birthday meal for Karen, I believe the story goes along the following: While growing up, Karen's parents used to make Karen eat whatever they had cooked as the family meal. One day, her parents made a meal for themselves, and a meal separate for Karen.
Curious about the different meals, Karen asked to try the meal that her parents were having. When she tried it, she enjoyed it. And that meal... liver and onions. So basically from that day since, Karen has been having liver and onions on her birthday.
Someday, I will have to learn how to cook liver and onions. In the meantime, I'm happy to let Karen's parents do the honor. After all, it seems more important to them anyway.
Now, I suck at liver and onions. Truth be told, the meal is not as awful as it sounds. If one can get past the notion of consuming an organ and focus on taste alone, then the meal is actually quite good. As well, there are actually health benefits to eating liver.
According to Ask Men:
"It has a long list of ingredients that are extremely good for you. For one, it is a great source of vitamin B12, vitamin A, copper, folate, riboflavin, selenium, zinc, vitamin C, niacin, phosphorus, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, and iron. The high levels of these vitamins and minerals helps improve cardiovascular health, aids in immune system function and helps prevent the destruction of cells from free radical damage.
Additionally, the liver is a terrific source of protein."
As for how liver and onions became the traditional birthday meal for Karen, I believe the story goes along the following: While growing up, Karen's parents used to make Karen eat whatever they had cooked as the family meal. One day, her parents made a meal for themselves, and a meal separate for Karen.
Curious about the different meals, Karen asked to try the meal that her parents were having. When she tried it, she enjoyed it. And that meal... liver and onions. So basically from that day since, Karen has been having liver and onions on her birthday.
Someday, I will have to learn how to cook liver and onions. In the meantime, I'm happy to let Karen's parents do the honor. After all, it seems more important to them anyway.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)