Yesterday was the big draft for the fantasy football league that I am in. Too bad I suck at fantasy football. I am not sure how many years this league has been around, but this is the third year that I have participated.
The fantasy football league was started quite a long time ago by some friends from high school. I originally was to be part of the founding group. Unfortunately, before the league even started I had withdrew from the league. My reason for backing out at the time was because there was a lack of compromise between members during the initial start up. Although I knew getting a group of people to agree on one thing is generally difficult, I did not anticipate that there would be that much discord between a group of friends. So rather than partake in the league, I opted out.
The league has since become more agreeable probably because we have all matured in some ways. Sure, there are still some hot topics of debate. All in all, it has been a pretty enjoyable experience since I started participating.
I am still debating on whether or not I will continue to use the team name I selected. (Currently, I decided to go with Team Edward for lack of a better team name. I suppose I could go with Team Jacob as well.) Either way, I'm not sold on the name (in part because I dislike the Twilight books so much). I'm still trying to find a name that will work for me. In previous years, I used a team name after one of my friends (Anna), and a team name after the most electrifying man in sports entertainment (the Rock). So this year, I'm still looking for some inspiration.
Anyway, I had the unfortunate predicament of drafting next to last in this year's draft. I am not a big fan of drafting near the bottom, preferring instead to be somewhere in the middle. In a 12 team league, by the time it reaches the eleventh spot in the round to draft, all of the top tier players are gone.
So rather than draft like I normally would, I figured I would try to shake things up. I figured I would try to make a run at the quarterback and tight end positions. In fact, I think my first four picks were for those positions. My line of thinking happened to be that the quarterback position in this league accounts for much of the scoring. So by taking two quality quarterbacks, that would leave less chances for the other teams to potentially outscore me. We'll see how that draft plan pans out during the football season.
Needless to say, my team does not look so good on paper... outside of the quarterback and tight end positions. Since I had no opportunity at a premium running back anyway due to the draft order, I figured it was okay. So we'll see.
Anyway, that was probably the highlight of my day. The rest of the day involved going to Staples to pick up a dry erase board while my in-laws watched our baby daughter (Briana). My in-laws have started visiting once a week in an attempt to try to break Briana from her separation anxiety. In other words, they have been trying to get her used to hanging out with people other than her parents. So far, I'm not sure it's working.
And in case anyone is curious, the dry erase board was for me to make a list of chores or whatnot to accomplish during any given day. I was thinking that it would give me a sense of accomplishment to be able to cross off or erase things from the list. We'll see how that goes too.
Monday, August 30, 2010
I Suck At UFC
For a while, I have felt like I have been in a rut. My normal day generally consists of work, which I get paid for, and then more work involving the care of my baby daughter (Briana) whether it involves changing her diaper, feeding her, doing "tummy time" with her, cleaning her bottles, or whatever. I can see why so many stay-at-home mothers turn to Facebook with such reckless abandon. Facebook offers a brief escape from the constant work of having to take care of a child. (For me, I guess it's this blog.)
Now don't get me wrong. I absolutely love having a child. Having lost my first child (Braden) only makes me cherish having a child even more. I am thankful every day to have Briana. Of course, as much as my friends think that it will be the case, I am still not going to cave in and give her everything she wants.
That said, I will sacrifice a lot of personal things for her. That among them is my time, which consequently leads to my feelings of being in a rut. On Saturday, Karen took Briana to visit Nana (Briana's great grandmother) at the nursing home. After all, it was nana's birthday. Apparently, Saturday was the only time my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) was available to visit as well. So it became a family visit to nana's at the nursing home on Saturday.
Naturally, while Karen and Briana were out, one would think that I would be looking forward to having some time to myself. Sadly, that was not the case. Nope. Instead, I spent the time cleaning the house. Our house has been in disarray of late. It sometimes gets embarrassing to have people over our house (even if it is just family and friends) because things are just strewn everywhere. And don't even get me started about the dust bunnies. Those damn dirty dust bunnies!
But like I said earlier, things are about sacrifice and choosing what you can go with or without during a given time. In our case, it was the state of cleanliness of the house. Needless to say, I was quite happy to finally clean the house. (Granted, I realize the clean state won't last long with a baby, but at least it will make me feel good to know that the house is somewhat clean.) At the same time, the feeling of performing another chore only added to my growing rut.
That said, it was actually a nice feeling of relief Saturday night to visit my friends (Marc and Kelley). Marc and Kelley were hosting a little get together for the UFC 118 pay-per-view. Now, I suck at UFC. UFC 118, however, marked the first time the UFC was coming to Boston (as it had recently been approved by lawmakers). Joining in on the festivities were my BFF (Kerry) and my friends (Andrea and Garv).
And of course, leave it to my BFF to bring me an ice cream surprise for the UFC pay-per-view. She definitely is a great BFF. Too busy chowing down the ice cream, I couldn't even tell what the special ice cream flavor was. Luckily, I had Andrea next to me who tasted the ice cream and informed me of the flavor. It turns out, the flavor was chocolate peanut butter cookie dough. Yum!
The UFC pay-per-view was good. I was hoping to see my friend (James) enter the ring. After all, the venue was Boston! Okay, perhaps it was more wishful thinking. Someday, I'll convince him and my friend (Aimee) to partake in MMA, much like how I'll convince my friend (Cass) to run for mayor of Quincy. Someday...
Anyway, by far my favorite MMA match involved Marcus Davis and Nate Diaz. The reason why I liked it so much was that Davis was cut right above the eye. And by cut... I mean he had what seemed like a third eye. That was how wide the gash was. It was ridiculously crazy that the trainers just put goo into the wound and allowed him to continue fighting. When they showed the bloody cut above his eye, I thought... awesome! Unfortunately, he ended up losing to Diaz.
My other favorite match for the night involved the MMA legend (and Scorpion King... after the Rock), Randy Couture and the former boxer, James "Lights Out" Toney. Normally, a match between two old people wouldn't be too exciting. Toney has been disrespecting the MMA by claiming that he, as a boxer, can beat any MMA fighter. He consequently called out the legendary Couture. Needless to say, it was lights out for "Lights Out". Toney did not last long at all. It was a great match.
I actually got a kick out of Kerry thinking that the word couture did not seem to go with MMA. And then she realized "couture" was his name and not the fashion. I thought that was pretty funny. Of course, I'll have to admit that watching MMA with Kerry and Andrea is very fun. They seemed to be more into watching Wes Welker and Tom Brady, who were at the event, than into the matches themselves. Speaking of Patriots, I was a little surprised that Andrea does not find any of the Patriots attractive.
Anyway, I had a great time on Saturday. Besides some of our comedic topics of discussion, like Andrea's dare to have me grow out my hair and make it look like Justin Bieber for my friend's (Hot Amy) upcoming wedding, it was a good feeling to escape from my daily grind for a little while and just have fun. (And for anyone curious, Karen hates Bieber hair so it's probably not going to happen... probably...) I had a blast.
Now don't get me wrong. I absolutely love having a child. Having lost my first child (Braden) only makes me cherish having a child even more. I am thankful every day to have Briana. Of course, as much as my friends think that it will be the case, I am still not going to cave in and give her everything she wants.
That said, I will sacrifice a lot of personal things for her. That among them is my time, which consequently leads to my feelings of being in a rut. On Saturday, Karen took Briana to visit Nana (Briana's great grandmother) at the nursing home. After all, it was nana's birthday. Apparently, Saturday was the only time my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) was available to visit as well. So it became a family visit to nana's at the nursing home on Saturday.
Naturally, while Karen and Briana were out, one would think that I would be looking forward to having some time to myself. Sadly, that was not the case. Nope. Instead, I spent the time cleaning the house. Our house has been in disarray of late. It sometimes gets embarrassing to have people over our house (even if it is just family and friends) because things are just strewn everywhere. And don't even get me started about the dust bunnies. Those damn dirty dust bunnies!
But like I said earlier, things are about sacrifice and choosing what you can go with or without during a given time. In our case, it was the state of cleanliness of the house. Needless to say, I was quite happy to finally clean the house. (Granted, I realize the clean state won't last long with a baby, but at least it will make me feel good to know that the house is somewhat clean.) At the same time, the feeling of performing another chore only added to my growing rut.
That said, it was actually a nice feeling of relief Saturday night to visit my friends (Marc and Kelley). Marc and Kelley were hosting a little get together for the UFC 118 pay-per-view. Now, I suck at UFC. UFC 118, however, marked the first time the UFC was coming to Boston (as it had recently been approved by lawmakers). Joining in on the festivities were my BFF (Kerry) and my friends (Andrea and Garv).
And of course, leave it to my BFF to bring me an ice cream surprise for the UFC pay-per-view. She definitely is a great BFF. Too busy chowing down the ice cream, I couldn't even tell what the special ice cream flavor was. Luckily, I had Andrea next to me who tasted the ice cream and informed me of the flavor. It turns out, the flavor was chocolate peanut butter cookie dough. Yum!
The UFC pay-per-view was good. I was hoping to see my friend (James) enter the ring. After all, the venue was Boston! Okay, perhaps it was more wishful thinking. Someday, I'll convince him and my friend (Aimee) to partake in MMA, much like how I'll convince my friend (Cass) to run for mayor of Quincy. Someday...
Anyway, by far my favorite MMA match involved Marcus Davis and Nate Diaz. The reason why I liked it so much was that Davis was cut right above the eye. And by cut... I mean he had what seemed like a third eye. That was how wide the gash was. It was ridiculously crazy that the trainers just put goo into the wound and allowed him to continue fighting. When they showed the bloody cut above his eye, I thought... awesome! Unfortunately, he ended up losing to Diaz.
My other favorite match for the night involved the MMA legend (and Scorpion King... after the Rock), Randy Couture and the former boxer, James "Lights Out" Toney. Normally, a match between two old people wouldn't be too exciting. Toney has been disrespecting the MMA by claiming that he, as a boxer, can beat any MMA fighter. He consequently called out the legendary Couture. Needless to say, it was lights out for "Lights Out". Toney did not last long at all. It was a great match.
I actually got a kick out of Kerry thinking that the word couture did not seem to go with MMA. And then she realized "couture" was his name and not the fashion. I thought that was pretty funny. Of course, I'll have to admit that watching MMA with Kerry and Andrea is very fun. They seemed to be more into watching Wes Welker and Tom Brady, who were at the event, than into the matches themselves. Speaking of Patriots, I was a little surprised that Andrea does not find any of the Patriots attractive.
Anyway, I had a great time on Saturday. Besides some of our comedic topics of discussion, like Andrea's dare to have me grow out my hair and make it look like Justin Bieber for my friend's (Hot Amy) upcoming wedding, it was a good feeling to escape from my daily grind for a little while and just have fun. (And for anyone curious, Karen hates Bieber hair so it's probably not going to happen... probably...) I had a blast.
I Suck At Chipotle Mexican Grill
With the nice weather on Friday, Karen and I decided to take our baby daughter (Briana) for a walk after work around the Derby Shoppes located in Hingham. Besides the healthy benefits of physical activity, the walk in the sun would provide some very much needed vitamin D. And for those who know Karen, they would know that vitamin D is very important. No rickets here!
And truth be told, vitamin D is more important for people with darker skin (like Asians) because their skin pigments reduce the capacity to make vitamin D from sunlight. (I suppose if you are pasty white, you're good for vitamin D.)
Needless to say, the brief walk around the Derby Shoppes was nice. For dinner, we ended up going to Chipotle Mexican Grill. Now I suck at Chipotle Mexican Grill.
This may sound strange, but it felt good to dine out. Instead of Chipotle, it could have been McDonald's and it probably would have felt good to me. For the past few weeks, Karen and I have not gone out to eat.
Instead, we have been making a lot of meals at home. The whole thing originated a few weeks ago when Karen wanted to plan out every day's dinner. Prior to the planning, the usual routine would be that Karen would come home from work and the both of us would decide on what we wanted to eat from what was available in the house.
Needless to say, with my nonchalant attitude, this routine proved to be a big time waster, which is not very helpful when you have to throw in taking care of a baby. So in an effort to be more efficient, we decided to plan our meals ahead of time.
Thus far, the planning of meals has been going well. For Karen, it's been really going well because she doesn't have to make the meals. By the time she gets home, her dinner is already waiting for her, which allows her more time to play with Briana. For me, I get to enjoy the thrills of cooking. I'm not very good at cooking (which probably is not so good for Karen since she has to eat the results of my cooking), but at least I enjoy it.
Anyway, going to Chipotle on Friday was a nice break. As an added bonus, the chicken burrito with guacamole at Chipotle was delicious. So it all worked out.
And truth be told, vitamin D is more important for people with darker skin (like Asians) because their skin pigments reduce the capacity to make vitamin D from sunlight. (I suppose if you are pasty white, you're good for vitamin D.)
Needless to say, the brief walk around the Derby Shoppes was nice. For dinner, we ended up going to Chipotle Mexican Grill. Now I suck at Chipotle Mexican Grill.
This may sound strange, but it felt good to dine out. Instead of Chipotle, it could have been McDonald's and it probably would have felt good to me. For the past few weeks, Karen and I have not gone out to eat.
Instead, we have been making a lot of meals at home. The whole thing originated a few weeks ago when Karen wanted to plan out every day's dinner. Prior to the planning, the usual routine would be that Karen would come home from work and the both of us would decide on what we wanted to eat from what was available in the house.
Needless to say, with my nonchalant attitude, this routine proved to be a big time waster, which is not very helpful when you have to throw in taking care of a baby. So in an effort to be more efficient, we decided to plan our meals ahead of time.
Thus far, the planning of meals has been going well. For Karen, it's been really going well because she doesn't have to make the meals. By the time she gets home, her dinner is already waiting for her, which allows her more time to play with Briana. For me, I get to enjoy the thrills of cooking. I'm not very good at cooking (which probably is not so good for Karen since she has to eat the results of my cooking), but at least I enjoy it.
Anyway, going to Chipotle on Friday was a nice break. As an added bonus, the chicken burrito with guacamole at Chipotle was delicious. So it all worked out.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
I Suck At Bert The Conqueror
Last night, Karen, our baby daughter (Briana), and I hung out with our friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea). It was definitely good to hang out with everyone again. The previous week we did not get together like we normally do. Consequently, the previous week seemed to have dragged and dragged. So it goes without saying that having our little get together definitely breaks up the busy week.
Anyway, on the agenda for the night was another episode of Wipeout. Truth be told, I don't even remember much about the episode. During the episode, I was tasked with changing Briana's diaper on a mat on Marc and Kelley's floor. While I was changing her diaper, the little bugger rolled over and off the changing mat and managed to get her legs underneath Marc and Kelley's couch. So their Briana was... butt naked... on her stomach... with her legs totally underneath the couch... and a pooped-filled diaper off to the side. It was an interesting sight; one reminiscent of bad father/baby movie. Luckily, I had cleaned off her bum before she skidded off the changing mat.
Aside from that, I tried my first pretzel M&M. Marc and Kelley got a bag to share with everyone. The pretzel M&M was pretty good. I had heard all the rave about it from some other people. So it was nice to finally be able to try it. I still think my favorite M&M is the peanut M&M though.
It was actually an all-around good food day as well. In addition to the pretzel M&M, I polished off Marc's pad thai meal. (Yum!) I have not eaten pad thai in awhile, so it was nice to remember what it tasted like. For anyone curious, Marc generously offered me the meal as he just did not feel like having it. If you ever need a food disposal, I am your man. (I didn't get to be the shape that I am from eating bread and water.)
Karen was also quite happy yesterday with the food selection because she got to eat a Wendy's Frosty. Karen and I were actually talking about Wendy's the other day because we have not been there in a long time. We don't eat fast food that often. In fact, we hardly eat fast food. If we were to eat fast food, however, it probably would be Wendy's because Karen enjoys Wendy's. So it was good that Karen got her Wendy's fix thanks to Andrea, who graciously stopped off at Wendy's after work.
Speaking of Andrea, Marc was quite surprised (and I was too for that matter) that Andrea would do the Las Vegas amusement ride known as the SkyJump. For those who are curious, the SkyJump is a new amusement ride at the Stratosphere Casino in Las Vegas. The ride is simply a freefall of over 800 feet from the top of the casino. And if you've ever been to the top of the Stratosphere, you would know that the building is pretty high.
For my bachelor party, my friends and I went to Vegas. We ended up doing the Big Shot ride at the Stratosphere. You know you are very high up when you can look down and see helicopters below you. Needless to say, that ride was awesome! (I may be biased, but I think my bachelor party was awesome.) If the Big Shot is terrifyingly high up, I can only imagine what the SkyJump must be like.
Anyway, the whole topic of Vegas and the SkyJump came about because Marc and Kelley are going to Vegas soon for Marc's birthday. Marc is not a big fan of heights. But I'll admit, Marc is a trooper. He did the Big Shot ride during my bachelor party. (I have photographic evidence.) In fact, a little girl laughed at how scared Marc was on the Big Shot.
Needless to say, the SkyJump does not seem to be in Marc's future. My drinking buddy, Kelley, who I believe is interested in the SkyJump, said she'd wait and do the ride with me. What a pal! Although I think if she were going to be out there anyway, she might as well do the ride without me. It will probably be awhile before I venture out of the state. (Curses to Briana for cramping my style. Just kidding.)
And interestingly enough, I had first learned about the SkyJump from watching an episode of Bert the Conqueror with Marc and Kelley. For anyone curious, the show is about Bert Kreisher, a comedian, who travels around the United States to experience and "conquer" various rides and sports. Now, I suck at Bert the Conqueror.
It just so happens that in addition to watching Wipeout yesterday, all of us ended up watching an episode of Bert the Conqueror. The reason that we were all intrigued with the episode is because the Bert came to Massachusetts. Bert had visited Six Flags New England located in Springfield. That actually was not the part we were anxiously waiting for. Nope. We were intent on seeing Bert visit Gloucester.
What is in Gloucester besides a lot of fish... and a one time place of summer residence for Whoopi Goldberg? The annual St. Peter Fiesta! And the main event at the St. Peter Fiesta? None other than the Greasy Pole. Based on the episode, the St. Peter Fiesta seems like nothing more than an Italian St. Patrick's Day celebration. Instead of a bunch of drunk Irish people, however, it's a bunch of drunk Italian people... with a greasy pole. (For anyone curious, the St. Peter Fiesta is sponsored by the local Italian-American community.)
Anyway, the premise of the Greasy Pole is simple: run across a horizontal telephone pole that hovers over the water to retrieve the flag at the other end. The only problem is that the pole is heavily greased. I definitely do not want the job of greasing the pole. Nasty.
Needless to say, it was definitely entertaining to watch. I might be interested now in attending the St. Peter Fiesta in Gloucester. (For anyone curious, the celebration happens during the end of June.) Of course, I say that after watching the show. I still think going to watch punkin chunkin would be cool too because I saw that once on television.
All in all, yesterday was a lot of fun.
Anyway, on the agenda for the night was another episode of Wipeout. Truth be told, I don't even remember much about the episode. During the episode, I was tasked with changing Briana's diaper on a mat on Marc and Kelley's floor. While I was changing her diaper, the little bugger rolled over and off the changing mat and managed to get her legs underneath Marc and Kelley's couch. So their Briana was... butt naked... on her stomach... with her legs totally underneath the couch... and a pooped-filled diaper off to the side. It was an interesting sight; one reminiscent of bad father/baby movie. Luckily, I had cleaned off her bum before she skidded off the changing mat.
Aside from that, I tried my first pretzel M&M. Marc and Kelley got a bag to share with everyone. The pretzel M&M was pretty good. I had heard all the rave about it from some other people. So it was nice to finally be able to try it. I still think my favorite M&M is the peanut M&M though.
It was actually an all-around good food day as well. In addition to the pretzel M&M, I polished off Marc's pad thai meal. (Yum!) I have not eaten pad thai in awhile, so it was nice to remember what it tasted like. For anyone curious, Marc generously offered me the meal as he just did not feel like having it. If you ever need a food disposal, I am your man. (I didn't get to be the shape that I am from eating bread and water.)
Karen was also quite happy yesterday with the food selection because she got to eat a Wendy's Frosty. Karen and I were actually talking about Wendy's the other day because we have not been there in a long time. We don't eat fast food that often. In fact, we hardly eat fast food. If we were to eat fast food, however, it probably would be Wendy's because Karen enjoys Wendy's. So it was good that Karen got her Wendy's fix thanks to Andrea, who graciously stopped off at Wendy's after work.
Speaking of Andrea, Marc was quite surprised (and I was too for that matter) that Andrea would do the Las Vegas amusement ride known as the SkyJump. For those who are curious, the SkyJump is a new amusement ride at the Stratosphere Casino in Las Vegas. The ride is simply a freefall of over 800 feet from the top of the casino. And if you've ever been to the top of the Stratosphere, you would know that the building is pretty high.
For my bachelor party, my friends and I went to Vegas. We ended up doing the Big Shot ride at the Stratosphere. You know you are very high up when you can look down and see helicopters below you. Needless to say, that ride was awesome! (I may be biased, but I think my bachelor party was awesome.) If the Big Shot is terrifyingly high up, I can only imagine what the SkyJump must be like.
Anyway, the whole topic of Vegas and the SkyJump came about because Marc and Kelley are going to Vegas soon for Marc's birthday. Marc is not a big fan of heights. But I'll admit, Marc is a trooper. He did the Big Shot ride during my bachelor party. (I have photographic evidence.) In fact, a little girl laughed at how scared Marc was on the Big Shot.
Needless to say, the SkyJump does not seem to be in Marc's future. My drinking buddy, Kelley, who I believe is interested in the SkyJump, said she'd wait and do the ride with me. What a pal! Although I think if she were going to be out there anyway, she might as well do the ride without me. It will probably be awhile before I venture out of the state. (Curses to Briana for cramping my style. Just kidding.)
And interestingly enough, I had first learned about the SkyJump from watching an episode of Bert the Conqueror with Marc and Kelley. For anyone curious, the show is about Bert Kreisher, a comedian, who travels around the United States to experience and "conquer" various rides and sports. Now, I suck at Bert the Conqueror.
It just so happens that in addition to watching Wipeout yesterday, all of us ended up watching an episode of Bert the Conqueror. The reason that we were all intrigued with the episode is because the Bert came to Massachusetts. Bert had visited Six Flags New England located in Springfield. That actually was not the part we were anxiously waiting for. Nope. We were intent on seeing Bert visit Gloucester.
What is in Gloucester besides a lot of fish... and a one time place of summer residence for Whoopi Goldberg? The annual St. Peter Fiesta! And the main event at the St. Peter Fiesta? None other than the Greasy Pole. Based on the episode, the St. Peter Fiesta seems like nothing more than an Italian St. Patrick's Day celebration. Instead of a bunch of drunk Irish people, however, it's a bunch of drunk Italian people... with a greasy pole. (For anyone curious, the St. Peter Fiesta is sponsored by the local Italian-American community.)
Anyway, the premise of the Greasy Pole is simple: run across a horizontal telephone pole that hovers over the water to retrieve the flag at the other end. The only problem is that the pole is heavily greased. I definitely do not want the job of greasing the pole. Nasty.
Needless to say, it was definitely entertaining to watch. I might be interested now in attending the St. Peter Fiesta in Gloucester. (For anyone curious, the celebration happens during the end of June.) Of course, I say that after watching the show. I still think going to watch punkin chunkin would be cool too because I saw that once on television.
All in all, yesterday was a lot of fun.
Monday, August 23, 2010
I Suck At Salmon
Yesterday was a rather ho-hum day.
In the morning, things were not looking too auspicious because Karen discovered a Stop and Shop carriage sitting in the corner of our lawn. She was a little perturbed. If I were a grumpy old man, which I am, I'd shake my fist at those young whipper-snappers. I don't really know if the culprits were teenagers, but I have a strong suspicion that it is. After all, I can't imagine why any normal adult would take a shopping carriage from Stop and Shop and then leave it on someone's lawn. That act simply shows a lack of responsibility by whomever took the shopping cart in the first place.
Needless to say, I had to call Stop and Shop to see if they could send someone to retrieve the cart. The person I spoke to said they could and would send someone to take care of it. Thinking nothing more of it, we decided to head out for some grocery shopping (not at Stop and Shop).
At the grocery store (Shaw's), Karen and I were looking to get some haddock which was on sale. I am a big fan of fish. My love for fish has probably grown exponentially since I've gotten married because Karen and I hardly have fresh fish. Karen always claims that she does not know what to do with fish when making it. And since I've started cooking more, I figured... heck... I'll make fish myself.
The only problem: haddock was out of stock. Apparently, Shaw's never received its shipment of haddock for the week. Oh well. It was disheartening at first, but then Shaw's offered to sell the sockeye salmon, which was a little more than the regular price of haddock, for the same sale price as the haddock. Naturally, I was hesitant at first because I suck at salmon and I figured Karen wouldn't eat the salmon, especially sockeye salmon, because it has more of a fishier taste to it. But she was willing to try it.
When we got home, I immediately went to my friend, Google, to find a recipe for sockeye salmon because I had no idea on how to make the salmon. I ended up using a recipe from Alton Brown, because Alton wouldn't lead you astray. Would would Alton do? His recipe was for broiled sockeye salmon with citrus glaze.
Needless to say, the salmon came out delicious. I was surprised to find out that Karen enjoyed it as much as she did. She said she'd definitely eat it again. (Proof that Alton knows...)
Anyway, following the salmon, we decided to take matters into our own hands in terms of the shopping cart that was still sitting on our lawn. Apparently, Stop and Shop had yet to pick up the shopping cart. Annoyed, Karen called Stop and Shop. Apparently this time, they told her that they could not send employees off site and that they hire a company to collect the carts. And unfortunately, the company was not open on weekends.
The whole shopping cart was turning out to be more hassle than it really was. It was not Stop and Shop's fault that their cart was on our lawn. (Those darn teenagers!) So rather than have Stop and Shop contact their cart collecting company, we decided to simply walk the cart back to the store. After all, it was not that far of a walk.
Karen's main concern was being identified as "that family" in the neighborhood that takes shopping carts. I said it could be worse. If I were the one pushing the cart throughout the neighborhood, even if I were returning it to Stop and Shop, I would probably be feeding into the minority stereotype.
Anyway, we were a little annoyed by having to deal with the shopping cart incident, but at least it's been dealt with. To ease matters after the shopping cart, we decided to visit my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) in an attempt to get our baby daughter (Briana) used to Janine's place. Janine and her family and her BFF (Gretchen) had returned from a weekend in Connecticut, where Gretchen is originally from. It was good to see everyone. Briana cried as usual, but I think she's getting used to their place.
In the morning, things were not looking too auspicious because Karen discovered a Stop and Shop carriage sitting in the corner of our lawn. She was a little perturbed. If I were a grumpy old man, which I am, I'd shake my fist at those young whipper-snappers. I don't really know if the culprits were teenagers, but I have a strong suspicion that it is. After all, I can't imagine why any normal adult would take a shopping carriage from Stop and Shop and then leave it on someone's lawn. That act simply shows a lack of responsibility by whomever took the shopping cart in the first place.
Needless to say, I had to call Stop and Shop to see if they could send someone to retrieve the cart. The person I spoke to said they could and would send someone to take care of it. Thinking nothing more of it, we decided to head out for some grocery shopping (not at Stop and Shop).
At the grocery store (Shaw's), Karen and I were looking to get some haddock which was on sale. I am a big fan of fish. My love for fish has probably grown exponentially since I've gotten married because Karen and I hardly have fresh fish. Karen always claims that she does not know what to do with fish when making it. And since I've started cooking more, I figured... heck... I'll make fish myself.
The only problem: haddock was out of stock. Apparently, Shaw's never received its shipment of haddock for the week. Oh well. It was disheartening at first, but then Shaw's offered to sell the sockeye salmon, which was a little more than the regular price of haddock, for the same sale price as the haddock. Naturally, I was hesitant at first because I suck at salmon and I figured Karen wouldn't eat the salmon, especially sockeye salmon, because it has more of a fishier taste to it. But she was willing to try it.
When we got home, I immediately went to my friend, Google, to find a recipe for sockeye salmon because I had no idea on how to make the salmon. I ended up using a recipe from Alton Brown, because Alton wouldn't lead you astray. Would would Alton do? His recipe was for broiled sockeye salmon with citrus glaze.
Needless to say, the salmon came out delicious. I was surprised to find out that Karen enjoyed it as much as she did. She said she'd definitely eat it again. (Proof that Alton knows...)
Anyway, following the salmon, we decided to take matters into our own hands in terms of the shopping cart that was still sitting on our lawn. Apparently, Stop and Shop had yet to pick up the shopping cart. Annoyed, Karen called Stop and Shop. Apparently this time, they told her that they could not send employees off site and that they hire a company to collect the carts. And unfortunately, the company was not open on weekends.
The whole shopping cart was turning out to be more hassle than it really was. It was not Stop and Shop's fault that their cart was on our lawn. (Those darn teenagers!) So rather than have Stop and Shop contact their cart collecting company, we decided to simply walk the cart back to the store. After all, it was not that far of a walk.
Karen's main concern was being identified as "that family" in the neighborhood that takes shopping carts. I said it could be worse. If I were the one pushing the cart throughout the neighborhood, even if I were returning it to Stop and Shop, I would probably be feeding into the minority stereotype.
Anyway, we were a little annoyed by having to deal with the shopping cart incident, but at least it's been dealt with. To ease matters after the shopping cart, we decided to visit my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) in an attempt to get our baby daughter (Briana) used to Janine's place. Janine and her family and her BFF (Gretchen) had returned from a weekend in Connecticut, where Gretchen is originally from. It was good to see everyone. Briana cried as usual, but I think she's getting used to their place.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
I Suck At Cupcake Wars
Last night, Karen and I hung out with my friends (Andrea and Jen) and my BFF (Kerry). Truth be told, the night was supposed to be a girls night out. I just happened to benefit from the change in plans.
During the week, Karen organized a little get together with Kerry, Jen, and Andrea. I think the original idea from Karen was to celebrate our friend's (Hot Amy) birthday. Hot Amy, by the way celebrated her birthday on Friday. (Happy belated birthday, Hot Amy!) But since Hot Amy has been a little preoccupied the past few weekends with marriage plans and other events, Karen changed the plan.
In an effort to save costs and still have a great time hanging out with everyone, Karen's plans for Saturday turned into an ice cream sundae party. And if there's something I do enjoy... it's ice cream!
The party was actually held at our place, which was just fine with me. (After all, I do enjoy ice cream!) In addition to being able to partake in the ice cream fun, I was actually somewhat relieved to know that Karen would be home. It's not that I mind watching our baby daughter (Briana) on my own or anything like that while Karen is out. Not at all. I love spending quality time with Briana. It's just that lately Briana has been refusing to take her bottle from me. Briana seems to have a preference for her mommy's natural gifts. So just knowing that in the event Briana did get hungry, I didn't have to worry about making her take her bottle, which was a nice comfort to have. (Plus, there's the ice cream!)
Needless to say, I had a great time on Saturday. I haven't seen Jen in quite some time, so it was good catching up with her again. And as always, it's just a fun time being with Andrea and Kerry. Andrea was gracious enough to bring a little present to Briana. It was thoughtful and nice... and unexpected, so thank you Andrea.
Kerry brought up an interesting point about how when Briana is much older, all of them would be referred to as her mom's friends. I got a kick out of that. I also got a kick out of Kerry's hand strength (or apparent lack thereof). To help Kerry in her quest to have strong hands, I gave her a stress ball that I received from my company. So hopefully the next time I see my BFF, she'll crush my hand.
I got a stress ball for Karen too because she also apparently has very little hand strength (and also stresses a lot). I think it would be interesting if Karen and Kerry had a hand strength battle. The battle could be like whoever crushes the other person's hand in a handshake wins or something silly like that.
Needless to say, it was amusing. After the ice cream was consumed, everyone decided to hang out and possibly watch a couple of movies. We started off by catching the tail-end of Jeopardy, to which Kerry made the point that the show's questions have gotten easier. I actually agree with her thoughts on the dumbing down of Jeopardy because I also remember the questions being much harder when I was growing up. And that's saying a lot because I don't know anything.
Anyway, no one had a particular movie they wanted to watch. So we ended up flipping channels to see what was on. We ended up on the Food Network, which is one of my favorite networks. In particular, we ended up watching Cupcake Wars. Now, I suck at Cupcake Wars... but we ended up watching back-to-back-to-back episodes of the show. The hour-long show was just so darn catchy. The premise is essentially a group of different cupcake makers square off each episode to win the prize, which is usually the opportunity to feature their cupcakes at a grand event of some sort.
Needless to say, we were literally glued to the show. It was funny. I still think Kerry should get one of those cool ovens that they had on the show. (For anyone curious, Kerry likes to bake. That's why I think she should get the cool oven.)
All in all, I had a lot of fun crashing girls night out. Even though we didn't do anything, it was fun just to hang out and have fun. It almost reminded me of the good ol' days.
During the week, Karen organized a little get together with Kerry, Jen, and Andrea. I think the original idea from Karen was to celebrate our friend's (Hot Amy) birthday. Hot Amy, by the way celebrated her birthday on Friday. (Happy belated birthday, Hot Amy!) But since Hot Amy has been a little preoccupied the past few weekends with marriage plans and other events, Karen changed the plan.
In an effort to save costs and still have a great time hanging out with everyone, Karen's plans for Saturday turned into an ice cream sundae party. And if there's something I do enjoy... it's ice cream!
The party was actually held at our place, which was just fine with me. (After all, I do enjoy ice cream!) In addition to being able to partake in the ice cream fun, I was actually somewhat relieved to know that Karen would be home. It's not that I mind watching our baby daughter (Briana) on my own or anything like that while Karen is out. Not at all. I love spending quality time with Briana. It's just that lately Briana has been refusing to take her bottle from me. Briana seems to have a preference for her mommy's natural gifts. So just knowing that in the event Briana did get hungry, I didn't have to worry about making her take her bottle, which was a nice comfort to have. (Plus, there's the ice cream!)
Needless to say, I had a great time on Saturday. I haven't seen Jen in quite some time, so it was good catching up with her again. And as always, it's just a fun time being with Andrea and Kerry. Andrea was gracious enough to bring a little present to Briana. It was thoughtful and nice... and unexpected, so thank you Andrea.
Kerry brought up an interesting point about how when Briana is much older, all of them would be referred to as her mom's friends. I got a kick out of that. I also got a kick out of Kerry's hand strength (or apparent lack thereof). To help Kerry in her quest to have strong hands, I gave her a stress ball that I received from my company. So hopefully the next time I see my BFF, she'll crush my hand.
I got a stress ball for Karen too because she also apparently has very little hand strength (and also stresses a lot). I think it would be interesting if Karen and Kerry had a hand strength battle. The battle could be like whoever crushes the other person's hand in a handshake wins or something silly like that.
Needless to say, it was amusing. After the ice cream was consumed, everyone decided to hang out and possibly watch a couple of movies. We started off by catching the tail-end of Jeopardy, to which Kerry made the point that the show's questions have gotten easier. I actually agree with her thoughts on the dumbing down of Jeopardy because I also remember the questions being much harder when I was growing up. And that's saying a lot because I don't know anything.
Anyway, no one had a particular movie they wanted to watch. So we ended up flipping channels to see what was on. We ended up on the Food Network, which is one of my favorite networks. In particular, we ended up watching Cupcake Wars. Now, I suck at Cupcake Wars... but we ended up watching back-to-back-to-back episodes of the show. The hour-long show was just so darn catchy. The premise is essentially a group of different cupcake makers square off each episode to win the prize, which is usually the opportunity to feature their cupcakes at a grand event of some sort.
Needless to say, we were literally glued to the show. It was funny. I still think Kerry should get one of those cool ovens that they had on the show. (For anyone curious, Kerry likes to bake. That's why I think she should get the cool oven.)
All in all, I had a lot of fun crashing girls night out. Even though we didn't do anything, it was fun just to hang out and have fun. It almost reminded me of the good ol' days.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
I Suck At Wipeout
Last night, Karen and I had a surprise visit. That visit came in the form of my favorite sister-in-law (Janine), my favorite brother-in-law (PJ), and of course my favorite niece and nephew (Kaleigh and PJ respectively).
Janine and her family happened to be in the neighborhood after dining out at Uno's. After a brief pit stop at Friendly's for some ice cream (which they were kind enough to also bring us some), they asked to stop by to see our baby daughter (Briana). It was probably a good idea that they did stop by, just so our daughter gets more and more used to Janine and her family. After all, Briana uncontrollably screamed and cried for hours upon hours the last time we tried to pawn her off onto Janine in the name of babysitting.
Needless to say, it was good to hang out with Janine and all of them. It turns out that I was not the only person to be on a recent 80s music kick. PJ, apparently, has been all about Hall and Oates lately. Truth be told, I was surprised that PJ liked Hall and Oates so much... unless of course it was just the wine talking.
While all of us were hanging out, PJ and Kaleigh wanted to watch a particular show. That show: Wipeout. Now, I suck at Wipeout. I believe the last time my niece and nephew were over, they were also engrossed with Wipeout. Who knew it was such a good show? Perhaps PJ and Kaleigh should join the weekly get-together with my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) to watch the show. That would be interesting. (For anyone curious, we actually had to skip getting together this week for Wipeout. Consequently, this week has been dragging by...)
Anyway, I had a good time last night. I'm glad PJ and Janine stopped by. Lately, irrespective of the Briana babysitting incident, I sometimes feel like we don't see them as much as we should. So it was a nice way to break up the week.
Janine and her family happened to be in the neighborhood after dining out at Uno's. After a brief pit stop at Friendly's for some ice cream (which they were kind enough to also bring us some), they asked to stop by to see our baby daughter (Briana). It was probably a good idea that they did stop by, just so our daughter gets more and more used to Janine and her family. After all, Briana uncontrollably screamed and cried for hours upon hours the last time we tried to pawn her off onto Janine in the name of babysitting.
Needless to say, it was good to hang out with Janine and all of them. It turns out that I was not the only person to be on a recent 80s music kick. PJ, apparently, has been all about Hall and Oates lately. Truth be told, I was surprised that PJ liked Hall and Oates so much... unless of course it was just the wine talking.
While all of us were hanging out, PJ and Kaleigh wanted to watch a particular show. That show: Wipeout. Now, I suck at Wipeout. I believe the last time my niece and nephew were over, they were also engrossed with Wipeout. Who knew it was such a good show? Perhaps PJ and Kaleigh should join the weekly get-together with my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) to watch the show. That would be interesting. (For anyone curious, we actually had to skip getting together this week for Wipeout. Consequently, this week has been dragging by...)
Anyway, I had a good time last night. I'm glad PJ and Janine stopped by. Lately, irrespective of the Briana babysitting incident, I sometimes feel like we don't see them as much as we should. So it was a nice way to break up the week.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
I Suck At Google
I stand corrected. In addition to the bank, today's highlight may be my Google skills. Too bad I suck at Google.
In what may be ethnically offensive, I decided to play with Google to see what the famous search engine suggests for my search. Needless to say, the proposed suggestions had Karen and I laughing in stitches.
The entire incident came about out of sheer curiosity. For anyone curious, there is a common stereotype that all Indian people travel in packs. I had joked that the reason for traveling in groups was for safety reasons. After all, there is power in numbers. So if you mess with one, you mess with all of them. Naturally, that led me to think of good o' Google to see if it had a better explanation.
Thus, I began typing "why do indian people" into the search box. The proposed searches simply cracked us up. Among the proposed choices were "smell", "stink", "smell so bad", and "own gas stations" among others. Way to perpetuate stereotypes. Gas stations? Really?
Naturally, that led me to try other ethnic groups. "Why do chinese people" yields proposed choices like "have slanted eyes", "eat dogs", "look the same", "smell" and "eat babies". Eat babies?!?
"Why do white people" produces suggestions like "stink", "act black", "steal cars", "like cheese", and "have thin lips".
If you try "why do black people", you get choices such as "like watermelon", "like kool aid", "like chicken", and "say aks instead of ask". Interestingly enough, there is no suggestive odor like the other groups.
Anyway, the whole thing absolutely cracked Karen and I up because apparently there are a lot of people Googling these phrases on the search engine. People are at least Googling enough of these stereotypes to put them on the list of suggested search phrases. (I don't know if that is a sad statement about our world or not.)
Regardless, it was a comical way to end the day.
In what may be ethnically offensive, I decided to play with Google to see what the famous search engine suggests for my search. Needless to say, the proposed suggestions had Karen and I laughing in stitches.
The entire incident came about out of sheer curiosity. For anyone curious, there is a common stereotype that all Indian people travel in packs. I had joked that the reason for traveling in groups was for safety reasons. After all, there is power in numbers. So if you mess with one, you mess with all of them. Naturally, that led me to think of good o' Google to see if it had a better explanation.
Thus, I began typing "why do indian people" into the search box. The proposed searches simply cracked us up. Among the proposed choices were "smell", "stink", "smell so bad", and "own gas stations" among others. Way to perpetuate stereotypes. Gas stations? Really?
Naturally, that led me to try other ethnic groups. "Why do chinese people" yields proposed choices like "have slanted eyes", "eat dogs", "look the same", "smell" and "eat babies". Eat babies?!?
"Why do white people" produces suggestions like "stink", "act black", "steal cars", "like cheese", and "have thin lips".
If you try "why do black people", you get choices such as "like watermelon", "like kool aid", "like chicken", and "say aks instead of ask". Interestingly enough, there is no suggestive odor like the other groups.
Anyway, the whole thing absolutely cracked Karen and I up because apparently there are a lot of people Googling these phrases on the search engine. People are at least Googling enough of these stereotypes to put them on the list of suggested search phrases. (I don't know if that is a sad statement about our world or not.)
Regardless, it was a comical way to end the day.
I Suck At Banking
Today started off with a bang. And by "bang" I mean my grooving to a song that I have not heard in some time. As I have been on a recent 1980s music kick of late, I decided to listen to the original motion picture soundtrack to St. Elmo's Fire, which is one of my friend's (Andrea) favorite movies.
For anyone curious, the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack features the song St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) by John Parr. Interestingly enough, the song never appeared on any of John Parr's albums. And truth be told, I'm not sure I know any of his other songs.
And in the event anyone is curious, John Parr apparently is a big karate fan. That in and of itself is not the interesting fact. The interesting fact is that he is a level four black belt who has perfected his own fatal blow which he calls "the Man in Motion" and "St Elmo's Rapid Fire Punches". Someday, I will perfect my own fatal blow with a catchy name. Maybe I'll call the death blow... "the Instigator".
Anyway, it was great listening to the soundtrack in the wee hours of the morning as I commuted to work. (I do most of my music listening while commuting to and from work because it is such a long ride.) I must say, the soundtrack is pretty good. I forgot all about the instrumental love theme from the movie. Anyway, it probably goes without saying that I listened to St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) numerous times. I wonder if any of the other drivers noticed my head bobbing to the tune.
And for those interested, the song St. Elmo's Fire was originally written for the Canadian athlete Rick Hansen. At the time, Hansen was going around the world in his wheelchair to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries. The journey was called the "Man in Motion Tour." Hence... "Man in Motion".
Aside from the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack, I did end up listening to some other albums, most notably La Roux's self titled album. (Like I said, it's a long commute to and from work.) Sure, the La Roux album is not from the 1980s, but I happened to have it with me. La Roux sings that song "Bulletproof".
(Below is the video for Bulletproof.)
And unless you happen to be a video game fan, you probably won't get this reference. But, I think La Roux reminds me of a female version of Cloud from the Final Fantasy series.
Anyway, the other highlight for the day... unless you think my baby daughter (Briana) uncontrollably crying for an hour constitutes being a highlight... is going to the bank. Now, I suck at banking.
A lot of my friends make fun of me for still going to the bank. I, however, actually enjoy going to the bank. After all, I spend most of my time in front of a computer. So I think any human interaction is great. And today, I'm actually glad I went to the bank because I ran into an old friend of mine.
While in college, I used to work for a bank. At the time, my friend (Trinh) got me the part time gig because she was a manager at one of the branches. In fact, the bank I used to work for became the bank that I currently have an account with. (Nothing like loyalty...)
Being in college, I made being a bank teller fun... or at least fun for me. There were times I would sing "Come to My Window" by Melissa Etheridge to bank patrons. Of course, I just sang the chorus because I didn't know the rest of the lyrics. People must have thought I was crazy. Heck, the bank's manager (Youssef) thought I was crazy with my goofy laid back attitude.
Well, that was well over ten years ago. And wouldn't you know... today when I went to the bank, I saw none other than my old boss, Youssef. Youssef still works at the bank, only in a different department now. Back then, he was a swinging single guy. He had the cool sunglasses... the nice car... the nice suits. He just exuded "bachelor". (As they say... don't hate the playa, hate the game.)
It turns out, he recently got married in Las Vegas. Who would have thought? Needless to say, it was good to catch up with him again. He still got a kick out of me because he thought I was still the same goofy person I was back then. I'm glad that I went to the bank today.
For anyone curious, the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack features the song St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) by John Parr. Interestingly enough, the song never appeared on any of John Parr's albums. And truth be told, I'm not sure I know any of his other songs.
And in the event anyone is curious, John Parr apparently is a big karate fan. That in and of itself is not the interesting fact. The interesting fact is that he is a level four black belt who has perfected his own fatal blow which he calls "the Man in Motion" and "St Elmo's Rapid Fire Punches". Someday, I will perfect my own fatal blow with a catchy name. Maybe I'll call the death blow... "the Instigator".
Anyway, it was great listening to the soundtrack in the wee hours of the morning as I commuted to work. (I do most of my music listening while commuting to and from work because it is such a long ride.) I must say, the soundtrack is pretty good. I forgot all about the instrumental love theme from the movie. Anyway, it probably goes without saying that I listened to St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion) numerous times. I wonder if any of the other drivers noticed my head bobbing to the tune.
And for those interested, the song St. Elmo's Fire was originally written for the Canadian athlete Rick Hansen. At the time, Hansen was going around the world in his wheelchair to raise awareness for spinal cord injuries. The journey was called the "Man in Motion Tour." Hence... "Man in Motion".
Aside from the St. Elmo's Fire soundtrack, I did end up listening to some other albums, most notably La Roux's self titled album. (Like I said, it's a long commute to and from work.) Sure, the La Roux album is not from the 1980s, but I happened to have it with me. La Roux sings that song "Bulletproof".
(Below is the video for Bulletproof.)
And unless you happen to be a video game fan, you probably won't get this reference. But, I think La Roux reminds me of a female version of Cloud from the Final Fantasy series.
Anyway, the other highlight for the day... unless you think my baby daughter (Briana) uncontrollably crying for an hour constitutes being a highlight... is going to the bank. Now, I suck at banking.
A lot of my friends make fun of me for still going to the bank. I, however, actually enjoy going to the bank. After all, I spend most of my time in front of a computer. So I think any human interaction is great. And today, I'm actually glad I went to the bank because I ran into an old friend of mine.
While in college, I used to work for a bank. At the time, my friend (Trinh) got me the part time gig because she was a manager at one of the branches. In fact, the bank I used to work for became the bank that I currently have an account with. (Nothing like loyalty...)
Being in college, I made being a bank teller fun... or at least fun for me. There were times I would sing "Come to My Window" by Melissa Etheridge to bank patrons. Of course, I just sang the chorus because I didn't know the rest of the lyrics. People must have thought I was crazy. Heck, the bank's manager (Youssef) thought I was crazy with my goofy laid back attitude.
Well, that was well over ten years ago. And wouldn't you know... today when I went to the bank, I saw none other than my old boss, Youssef. Youssef still works at the bank, only in a different department now. Back then, he was a swinging single guy. He had the cool sunglasses... the nice car... the nice suits. He just exuded "bachelor". (As they say... don't hate the playa, hate the game.)
It turns out, he recently got married in Las Vegas. Who would have thought? Needless to say, it was good to catch up with him again. He still got a kick out of me because he thought I was still the same goofy person I was back then. I'm glad that I went to the bank today.
Monday, August 16, 2010
I Suck At Milli Vanilli
As sad as this sounds, today I listened to an album that I have not heard in a long while. That album: Girl You Know It's True by none other than the famous lip syncing duo known as Milli Vanilli.
Now, I suck at Milli Vanilli, but listening to the album brought back memories of the 1980s where things were just downright silly. And as much as I hate to admit it, I actually found myself enjoying the album.
The whole Milli Vanilli topic came about thanks to my friend (Aimee). The last time I had seen Aimee, she randomly inquired about the Milli Vanilli album. Naturally, that got me thinking about the 80s. So, I decided to listen to the album.
For anyone curious, Milli Vanilli was a pop project fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Apparently, the actual singers of Charles Shaw, John Davis, Brad Howell, and twin sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco were not marketable enough. As a result, Morvan and Pilatus, who were young models and dancers at the time, were recruited to be Milli Vanilli.
The downfall for Milli Vanilli came about when they had a little glitch while performing live on MTV. In what is similar to the Saturday Night Live Ashlee Simpson debacle of recent times, the song started to skip and repeat the lyrics of "Girl You Know It's True" over and over... and over. Unlike Simpson, however, there were no little jigs. Instead, Morvan and Pilatus ran off the stage.
Milli Vanilli were consequently exposed as frauds and the rest is history. In case anyone is curious, Pilatus died due to a mixture of pills and vodka in 1998. Whether he was Milli or Vanilli, I am not sure.
Needless to say, I listened to the album... a few of times... thanks to Aimee who planted the seed in my head. And surprisingly, I did find the album very catchy. "Blame it on the rain..." As it turns outs, Karen had actually owned the album growing up. I found that surprising because she has never really been much for music. But there we were, jamming to the album together... except that she knew most of the words to the songs whereas I just knew the chorus. (Typically, I only know the chorus to songs anyway...)
Regardless, it was a great trip down memory lane. I have since been on a recent 80s music kick. I think up next may be the soundtrack to one of my friend's (Andrea) favorite movies of all time: St. Elmo's Fire.
Now, I suck at Milli Vanilli, but listening to the album brought back memories of the 1980s where things were just downright silly. And as much as I hate to admit it, I actually found myself enjoying the album.
The whole Milli Vanilli topic came about thanks to my friend (Aimee). The last time I had seen Aimee, she randomly inquired about the Milli Vanilli album. Naturally, that got me thinking about the 80s. So, I decided to listen to the album.
For anyone curious, Milli Vanilli was a pop project fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Apparently, the actual singers of Charles Shaw, John Davis, Brad Howell, and twin sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco were not marketable enough. As a result, Morvan and Pilatus, who were young models and dancers at the time, were recruited to be Milli Vanilli.
The downfall for Milli Vanilli came about when they had a little glitch while performing live on MTV. In what is similar to the Saturday Night Live Ashlee Simpson debacle of recent times, the song started to skip and repeat the lyrics of "Girl You Know It's True" over and over... and over. Unlike Simpson, however, there were no little jigs. Instead, Morvan and Pilatus ran off the stage.
Milli Vanilli were consequently exposed as frauds and the rest is history. In case anyone is curious, Pilatus died due to a mixture of pills and vodka in 1998. Whether he was Milli or Vanilli, I am not sure.
Needless to say, I listened to the album... a few of times... thanks to Aimee who planted the seed in my head. And surprisingly, I did find the album very catchy. "Blame it on the rain..." As it turns outs, Karen had actually owned the album growing up. I found that surprising because she has never really been much for music. But there we were, jamming to the album together... except that she knew most of the words to the songs whereas I just knew the chorus. (Typically, I only know the chorus to songs anyway...)
Regardless, it was a great trip down memory lane. I have since been on a recent 80s music kick. I think up next may be the soundtrack to one of my friend's (Andrea) favorite movies of all time: St. Elmo's Fire.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
I Suck At Hanging Out With My In-Laws
Being parents of a four (almost five) month old baby girl, Karen and I did something that we hardly ever do: we were spontaneous. Truth be told, I think that is one of the things I have missed since our baby daughter (Briana) was born.
Don't get me wrong. I love everything about my daughter. Heck, I am very thankful to even have a daughter considering Karen and I lost our first child (Braden). Since having a child, however, the days of spontaneously doing things have dwindled. It's not that being spontaneous cannot be done. It can. It just takes more planning because now someone depends so much on you. And in the case of our daughter and her recent bout of separation anxiety, she definitely depends a lot on us.
I think it's the freedom to do as you please that I miss. When you're by yourself and have no dependents, you can drop whatever you are doing at a moment's notice with no problem. When you get a spouse, it gets a little tougher. Obviously with a child, it gets a lot more tougher.
I'll probably feel the same way when I'm old and can no longer drive a car. It's that feeling of not having the independence to freely do or go as you please. Considering how I live a good distance from public transportation, I'm not sure how I would get things done now if I did not have a car.
Anyway, with nothing planned for the day, it was a nice feeling to do something spontaneous. Granted, the spontaneous plans involved hanging out with my in-laws. Too bad I suck at hanging out with my in-laws.
In the morning, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) asked if we were interested in coming over. Apparently, Karen's parents were also coming over as they had not seen Janine and her family in some time. I think the elusive Janine has not been seen by her parents for almost a month because they still had a birthday present for PJ. (For anyone curious, PJ's birthday was in July.) Up until Janine and PJ watched Briana for my friend's (Andrea) birthday, I don't think Karen and I saw them for a couple of weeks either.
As a means to tempt Karen and I... and our baby daughter (Briana) to come over, Janine baked banana bread. Well, if there's food... I'm there. And in case anyone is curious, the banana bread was delicious. Janine makes a lot of good food even though I do kid her about the bananas.
The whole banana thing stemmed from an incident when Karen and I were visiting. At the time, there was a banana tree holder on her kitchen counter. And naturally, there were bananas hanging in the holder. The only problem was that the bananas were not the normal yellow color. They were not even a green color. Nope, they were a solid shriveled black mush.
We even peeled (and I use the word "peeled" loosely because the skin sort of fell off) the black mushy banana to see what it looked like inside. Truth be told, it looked like the banana had a vertebral column. Needless to say, we joked about the banana and were curious as to why she even had a bunch of black mushy bananas. Her defensive argument was that they were good for banana bread.
Needless to say, I was a little curious as to whether the banana bread used to lure us over to her place was made with black mushy bananas. For anyone curious, I did not find out the answer.
If I had known that the banana bread was made with black mushy bananas, things would not have been any different. I would have still eaten the banana bread. Heck, I'll eat anything. I think a lot of people dismiss food without even tasting it because they have these preconceived notions in their head about the taste. It's unfortunate, but it happens. Trust me. I come from an ethnicity where there are a lot of strange visually unappealing foods that taste good, but your average American would probably never try them. That's why there is the term "American Chinese food" because it's Chinese food that the average American person would find appealing.
Anyway, it was good hanging out with my in-laws. I think my mother-in-law was all smiles today because she got to go out for a walk with all of her grandchildren.
Don't get me wrong. I love everything about my daughter. Heck, I am very thankful to even have a daughter considering Karen and I lost our first child (Braden). Since having a child, however, the days of spontaneously doing things have dwindled. It's not that being spontaneous cannot be done. It can. It just takes more planning because now someone depends so much on you. And in the case of our daughter and her recent bout of separation anxiety, she definitely depends a lot on us.
I think it's the freedom to do as you please that I miss. When you're by yourself and have no dependents, you can drop whatever you are doing at a moment's notice with no problem. When you get a spouse, it gets a little tougher. Obviously with a child, it gets a lot more tougher.
I'll probably feel the same way when I'm old and can no longer drive a car. It's that feeling of not having the independence to freely do or go as you please. Considering how I live a good distance from public transportation, I'm not sure how I would get things done now if I did not have a car.
Anyway, with nothing planned for the day, it was a nice feeling to do something spontaneous. Granted, the spontaneous plans involved hanging out with my in-laws. Too bad I suck at hanging out with my in-laws.
In the morning, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) asked if we were interested in coming over. Apparently, Karen's parents were also coming over as they had not seen Janine and her family in some time. I think the elusive Janine has not been seen by her parents for almost a month because they still had a birthday present for PJ. (For anyone curious, PJ's birthday was in July.) Up until Janine and PJ watched Briana for my friend's (Andrea) birthday, I don't think Karen and I saw them for a couple of weeks either.
As a means to tempt Karen and I... and our baby daughter (Briana) to come over, Janine baked banana bread. Well, if there's food... I'm there. And in case anyone is curious, the banana bread was delicious. Janine makes a lot of good food even though I do kid her about the bananas.
The whole banana thing stemmed from an incident when Karen and I were visiting. At the time, there was a banana tree holder on her kitchen counter. And naturally, there were bananas hanging in the holder. The only problem was that the bananas were not the normal yellow color. They were not even a green color. Nope, they were a solid shriveled black mush.
We even peeled (and I use the word "peeled" loosely because the skin sort of fell off) the black mushy banana to see what it looked like inside. Truth be told, it looked like the banana had a vertebral column. Needless to say, we joked about the banana and were curious as to why she even had a bunch of black mushy bananas. Her defensive argument was that they were good for banana bread.
Needless to say, I was a little curious as to whether the banana bread used to lure us over to her place was made with black mushy bananas. For anyone curious, I did not find out the answer.
If I had known that the banana bread was made with black mushy bananas, things would not have been any different. I would have still eaten the banana bread. Heck, I'll eat anything. I think a lot of people dismiss food without even tasting it because they have these preconceived notions in their head about the taste. It's unfortunate, but it happens. Trust me. I come from an ethnicity where there are a lot of strange visually unappealing foods that taste good, but your average American would probably never try them. That's why there is the term "American Chinese food" because it's Chinese food that the average American person would find appealing.
Anyway, it was good hanging out with my in-laws. I think my mother-in-law was all smiles today because she got to go out for a walk with all of her grandchildren.
I Suck At Celebrating My Friend's Birthday
Yesterday, Karen and I celebrated my friend's (Cass) birthday. Too bad I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. I especially suck considering the fact that his birthday was actually on Wednesday.
Anyway, August generally kicks off the birthday celebration tour within my circle of friends. From now till the end of the year (with the exception of November) and into January, every month will feature a birthday celebration from at least one of my friends. And as customary with birthday celebrations, there will be fun, merriment, and food.
For Cass, who I like to think will be the future Mayor of Quincy, his celebration consisted of a potluck party. And because Cass, like the rest of my friends, are silly the theme for the potluck party was balls. Truth be told, I do enjoy potluck parties.
In fact, I enjoy potluck more than dining out. In addition to the simple cost saving benefits, I find potluck parties a better means to hang out and enjoy time with friends. There is more time during potluck parties. The atmosphere is more comfortable because the potluck is at someone's place. There are less outside factors to worry about. To me, potlucks are a win-win from every angle.
Aside from that, I also enjoy challenges. In past potluck parties, I will admit that I did not fully participate as well as I should have, in part because I could not cook. I still can't cook, but things I make are more edible now. And if you ask, I will still be able to whoop my friend's (Hot Amy) butt in a macaroni and cheese competition. But since I'm trying to cook more, the idea of potlucks are very appealing to me because it plays to my ability to problem solve.
So when Cass said he wanted a ball theme potluck party for his birthday celebration, I was pretty intrigued and excited by the idea. Unfortunately, I had to resort to the Internet because my food skills are a little lacking. Eventually, I decided to make cheddar and bacon balls, which was surprisingly easy to make. Karen ended up making something called cake pops, which were very good. (As a side note, I even had to spontaneously make a holder for her cake pops out of a piece of scrap wood... and my trusty drill.)
Anyway, I totally had fun at Cass's birthday celebration. And really, it's impossible not to have any fun when hanging out with a bunch of friends. Joining in the festivities were my friends (Ellen, Marc, Kelley, Garv, Leeann, and Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry). I think Cass had a great time too, which is what was important for the day. Last year, during Cass's birthday celebration, Cass had to pick up his father from the hospital because his father cut his hand with a saw... and I also think Cass's car had to be towed because his gas indicator was broken. So I'm guessing yesterday was a much better celebration than last year by leaps and bounds.
Among the topics of conversations that came up was the fact that Garv wanted to plan a trip to Comic-Con 2011. I was actually quite surprised because I didn't think Comic-Con was something Garv was into. Marc naturally wanted to go, and has wanted to go for some time. So the two of them were throwing out ideas for the trip... most notably dressing up for the convention in something known as cosplay.
It turns out Marc and Kelley wanted to go as comic book superheroes the Question and the Huntress. Marc wanted Garv to dress up as well, which I totally agree with. If Garv wants to go, then he definitely needs the full experience... cosplay and all. Unfortunately, there are a very limited number of Asian superheroes. The one that came to my mind was Sunfire. Now that I think of it... there is also Jubilee, a Chinese-American teenage girl born in Beverly Hills with the power of fireworks, which I'm sure Garv would make a great fit for.
Needless to say, it was funny discussion. Add to it the fact that I still think things like Comic-Con are a great place for single women to meet single men... very single men. Of course, I have never been to Comic-Con, but I imagine the men to women ratio is probably favorable for women. And if you think about it, geek is chic now. And nothing says geek like Comic-Con. I'm sure there are those who disagree with me.
As well, we talked about DirectBuy, Bradley Cooper (the next Ryan Reynolds?), and fantasy football. Interestingly enough, it seems like the rules for the upcoming season were hammered out yesterday, which is funny because there was supposed to be a get-together dinner about it tomorrow.
I'm sure there were other comical discussions during the night. Unfortunately, I can't remember much of what happened following the fateful phone call that I received from Karen's parents during dinner. The ball themed potluck dinner, by the way, was very delicious. Everyone did an amazing job coming up with... balls. And I'm sure it's always fun to eat... balls. (Snicker.)
Anyway, our four month baby daughter (Briana) has recently developed the case of separation anxiety. Last week, Briana uncontrollably cried for my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) while Karen and I went to celebrate Andrea's birthday. Yesterday, she uncontrollably cried for Karen's parents who were watching her while Karen and I were at Cass and Ellen's.
In fact, Briana cried so much that she lost her voice. As Karen will tell you, Briana sounds like a smoker right now. Since being born prematurely, Briana has been a very good baby. She has only cried whenever she has been hungry. Even then, her cries for food were never bad. Yesterday, however, was the first time I ever saw her uncontrollably wail... and wail... and wail. It was definitely not a good feeling to see it unfold.
Needless to say, Karen and I picked up Briana, brought her back to Cass and Ellen's for a little while, before heading home. With Briana's recent bouts of separation anxiety, it looks like our list of babysitters have evaporated for the time being. I'm not even sure yet as to how to remedy this problem. The alternative of constantly staying home and not going out... ever... seems ridiculous (and unhealthy).
Anyway, August generally kicks off the birthday celebration tour within my circle of friends. From now till the end of the year (with the exception of November) and into January, every month will feature a birthday celebration from at least one of my friends. And as customary with birthday celebrations, there will be fun, merriment, and food.
For Cass, who I like to think will be the future Mayor of Quincy, his celebration consisted of a potluck party. And because Cass, like the rest of my friends, are silly the theme for the potluck party was balls. Truth be told, I do enjoy potluck parties.
In fact, I enjoy potluck more than dining out. In addition to the simple cost saving benefits, I find potluck parties a better means to hang out and enjoy time with friends. There is more time during potluck parties. The atmosphere is more comfortable because the potluck is at someone's place. There are less outside factors to worry about. To me, potlucks are a win-win from every angle.
Aside from that, I also enjoy challenges. In past potluck parties, I will admit that I did not fully participate as well as I should have, in part because I could not cook. I still can't cook, but things I make are more edible now. And if you ask, I will still be able to whoop my friend's (Hot Amy) butt in a macaroni and cheese competition. But since I'm trying to cook more, the idea of potlucks are very appealing to me because it plays to my ability to problem solve.
So when Cass said he wanted a ball theme potluck party for his birthday celebration, I was pretty intrigued and excited by the idea. Unfortunately, I had to resort to the Internet because my food skills are a little lacking. Eventually, I decided to make cheddar and bacon balls, which was surprisingly easy to make. Karen ended up making something called cake pops, which were very good. (As a side note, I even had to spontaneously make a holder for her cake pops out of a piece of scrap wood... and my trusty drill.)
Anyway, I totally had fun at Cass's birthday celebration. And really, it's impossible not to have any fun when hanging out with a bunch of friends. Joining in the festivities were my friends (Ellen, Marc, Kelley, Garv, Leeann, and Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry). I think Cass had a great time too, which is what was important for the day. Last year, during Cass's birthday celebration, Cass had to pick up his father from the hospital because his father cut his hand with a saw... and I also think Cass's car had to be towed because his gas indicator was broken. So I'm guessing yesterday was a much better celebration than last year by leaps and bounds.
Among the topics of conversations that came up was the fact that Garv wanted to plan a trip to Comic-Con 2011. I was actually quite surprised because I didn't think Comic-Con was something Garv was into. Marc naturally wanted to go, and has wanted to go for some time. So the two of them were throwing out ideas for the trip... most notably dressing up for the convention in something known as cosplay.
It turns out Marc and Kelley wanted to go as comic book superheroes the Question and the Huntress. Marc wanted Garv to dress up as well, which I totally agree with. If Garv wants to go, then he definitely needs the full experience... cosplay and all. Unfortunately, there are a very limited number of Asian superheroes. The one that came to my mind was Sunfire. Now that I think of it... there is also Jubilee, a Chinese-American teenage girl born in Beverly Hills with the power of fireworks, which I'm sure Garv would make a great fit for.
Needless to say, it was funny discussion. Add to it the fact that I still think things like Comic-Con are a great place for single women to meet single men... very single men. Of course, I have never been to Comic-Con, but I imagine the men to women ratio is probably favorable for women. And if you think about it, geek is chic now. And nothing says geek like Comic-Con. I'm sure there are those who disagree with me.
As well, we talked about DirectBuy, Bradley Cooper (the next Ryan Reynolds?), and fantasy football. Interestingly enough, it seems like the rules for the upcoming season were hammered out yesterday, which is funny because there was supposed to be a get-together dinner about it tomorrow.
I'm sure there were other comical discussions during the night. Unfortunately, I can't remember much of what happened following the fateful phone call that I received from Karen's parents during dinner. The ball themed potluck dinner, by the way, was very delicious. Everyone did an amazing job coming up with... balls. And I'm sure it's always fun to eat... balls. (Snicker.)
Anyway, our four month baby daughter (Briana) has recently developed the case of separation anxiety. Last week, Briana uncontrollably cried for my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) while Karen and I went to celebrate Andrea's birthday. Yesterday, she uncontrollably cried for Karen's parents who were watching her while Karen and I were at Cass and Ellen's.
In fact, Briana cried so much that she lost her voice. As Karen will tell you, Briana sounds like a smoker right now. Since being born prematurely, Briana has been a very good baby. She has only cried whenever she has been hungry. Even then, her cries for food were never bad. Yesterday, however, was the first time I ever saw her uncontrollably wail... and wail... and wail. It was definitely not a good feeling to see it unfold.
Needless to say, Karen and I picked up Briana, brought her back to Cass and Ellen's for a little while, before heading home. With Briana's recent bouts of separation anxiety, it looks like our list of babysitters have evaporated for the time being. I'm not even sure yet as to how to remedy this problem. The alternative of constantly staying home and not going out... ever... seems ridiculous (and unhealthy).
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
I Suck At Geek Dad
Last night, I finished reading Geek Dad by Ken Denmead. Now I suck at Geek Dad. For anyone curious, the book is about projects and activities that a "geeky" father can do with his children. Karen had stumbled upon the book one day and thought it would be a fitting book for me to read. (I am assuming that means she thinks I am a geek.)
According to my friend Wikipedia, Geek Dad has its roots in one of the best magazines ever: Wired. Wired editor Chris Anderson started a blog about the topic after a weekend with his son and wanted to share the experience. He brought in Ken Denmead as the geek leader who grew the blog. As a result, the blog was named one of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010" by Time Magazine and the book was subsequently written.
Needless to say, the book was a quick read, which is good because I have a backlog of books to get through. For anyone curious, here are the list of activities:
Make Your Own Cartoons
The Coolest Homemade Coloring Books (In Photoshop, use "Filter-Stylize-Find Edges" "Enhance-Convert to Black-and-White")
Create the Ultimate Board Game
Electronic Origami
Cyborg Jack-o-Lanterns
Windup Toy Finger Painting
Create a Superhero ABC Book
Model Building with Cake
Pirate Cartography
Parenting and Role-Playing Games
A Never-Ending Demolition Derby (with remote control cars and Legos)
Seeing the World from the Sky (by sending a video camera up in a balloon)
Best Slip 'N Slide Ever
Fireflies for Every Season (by using LEDs)
Video Games That Come to Life (An alternate suggestion was to have a water gun fight with Alka-Seltzer necklaces)
Fly a Kite at Night
Build an Outdoor Movie Theater
The "Magic" Swing (of interlaced phone books)
Smart Cuff Links (with Ethernet jacks)
Light-up Duct Tape Wallet
Crocheted Dice Bag of Holding
The Science of Composting
Home Hydroponics
Build a Binary Calendar
Portable Electronic Flash Cards (but you'll need a portable gaming device)
Wi-Fi Signal Booster (with a metal bowl)
Cool Lego Lighting from Repurposed Parts (from CDs and a computer)
Ice Cubes Fit For a Geek (in the shape of Legos)
Exploding Drink Practical Joke (using Mentos frozen in ice)
After reading the book, I am now a little curious about the blog itself. Perhaps one day I can try some of the activities on my baby daughter (Briana). We'll see. I'll turn her into a geek yet.
According to my friend Wikipedia, Geek Dad has its roots in one of the best magazines ever: Wired. Wired editor Chris Anderson started a blog about the topic after a weekend with his son and wanted to share the experience. He brought in Ken Denmead as the geek leader who grew the blog. As a result, the blog was named one of the 25 "Best Blogs of 2010" by Time Magazine and the book was subsequently written.
Needless to say, the book was a quick read, which is good because I have a backlog of books to get through. For anyone curious, here are the list of activities:
Make Your Own Cartoons
The Coolest Homemade Coloring Books (In Photoshop, use "Filter-Stylize-Find Edges" "Enhance-Convert to Black-and-White")
Create the Ultimate Board Game
Electronic Origami
Cyborg Jack-o-Lanterns
Windup Toy Finger Painting
Create a Superhero ABC Book
Model Building with Cake
Pirate Cartography
Parenting and Role-Playing Games
A Never-Ending Demolition Derby (with remote control cars and Legos)
Seeing the World from the Sky (by sending a video camera up in a balloon)
Best Slip 'N Slide Ever
Fireflies for Every Season (by using LEDs)
Video Games That Come to Life (An alternate suggestion was to have a water gun fight with Alka-Seltzer necklaces)
Fly a Kite at Night
Build an Outdoor Movie Theater
The "Magic" Swing (of interlaced phone books)
Smart Cuff Links (with Ethernet jacks)
Light-up Duct Tape Wallet
Crocheted Dice Bag of Holding
The Science of Composting
Home Hydroponics
Build a Binary Calendar
Portable Electronic Flash Cards (but you'll need a portable gaming device)
Wi-Fi Signal Booster (with a metal bowl)
Cool Lego Lighting from Repurposed Parts (from CDs and a computer)
Ice Cubes Fit For a Geek (in the shape of Legos)
Exploding Drink Practical Joke (using Mentos frozen in ice)
After reading the book, I am now a little curious about the blog itself. Perhaps one day I can try some of the activities on my baby daughter (Briana). We'll see. I'll turn her into a geek yet.
Monday, August 9, 2010
I Suck At Celebrating My Friend's Birthday
On Saturday, Karen and I celebrated my friend's (Andrea) birthday. Happy belated birthday Andrea! Andrea's birthday (and for anyone curious... Dustin Hoffman's) was not until Sunday (8/8). In celebration, Andrea wanted to have dinner at the Union Brew House located in Weymouth.
Too bad I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Before dinner, Karen and I dropped off our baby daughter (Briana) with my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ). Incidentally, PJ's cousin is dating a frequent patron of the Union Brew House who is the self-proclaimed Mayor of Weymouth. If I can't get my friend (Cass) to run for mayor of Quincy, I should at least try to get him to proclaim that he is the mayor... much like PJ's cousin's significant other.
Anyway, it has been a while since anyone has babysat our daughter. The reason is not because we don't trust anyone or anything like that. Heck, I'd probably let anyone watch our daughter. Karen and I simply haven't gone out alone. Briana is cramping our style. Just kidding.
Thinking that everything would be fine, we left Briana with Janine, PJ, their kids, and Janine's BFF (Gretchen). So off we went to celebrate at the Union Brew House. Karen and I were the first to arrive. For anyone curious, the Union Brew House is a tiny hole in the wall. I would say that the Brew House's "thing" is that is has 99 different types of beer available. 99 may have been one too many for this particular guy who was trying to pick up some women at a nearby table when Karen and I first arrived. For me, it was a little comical watching this guy. He was simply awful. He had no idea that the husband of one of the women had been sitting at the table. Yes, he was quite the catch.
Eventually everyone else showed up. Partaking in the festivities for the night were Andrea (the birthday girl of course), and my friends (Marc, Kelley, Kerry, Hot Amy) and Hot Amy's fiancee (Mark). It was good to see everyone. I don't think I have seen Hot Amy and Mark in quite some time. I believe they have been a little preoccupied with wedding plans. Apparently, Hot Amy has finally picked out a wedding dress. Whether true or not, Mark mentioned using the Mortal Kombat theme as the song to enter the reception area with. If Hot Amy and Mark use that song, I will be very impressed.
As a side note, the new Mortal Kombat movie trailer does look pretty exciting.
(The video below is a trailer for the Mortal Kombat rebirth.)
Kelley had shared the above with me some time ago. And for a movie based on a video game, I would have to say that the trailer does in fact make the movie look pretty exciting. (Historically, movies based on video games are never good.)
Regardless, it was a fun night hanging out with everyone. I think Andrea had a good time, which is really all that mattered for the night. Andrea, Marc, and Kelley were thinking of other movies for movie night. The 80s theme had progressed into a 90s theme. And although I don't think the movie made the cut, the movie "Threesome" was mentioned. (For anyone curious, "Threesome was made in 1994 and starred Lara Flynn Boyle and Stephen Baldwin.)
Unfortunately, Karen and I had to leave the festivities early. Remember... I do suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Apparently, things weren't going too well at Janine's with Briana. Briana was crying non-stop. She cried. Janine cried. Her kids cried. I felt pretty bad for Janine and them.
I am thinking that Briana is having attachment issues, which does not bode well for our upcoming babysitting gig later this week. Anyway, I hope Andrea enjoyed her day. Again happy belated birthday, Andrea!
Too bad I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Before dinner, Karen and I dropped off our baby daughter (Briana) with my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ). Incidentally, PJ's cousin is dating a frequent patron of the Union Brew House who is the self-proclaimed Mayor of Weymouth. If I can't get my friend (Cass) to run for mayor of Quincy, I should at least try to get him to proclaim that he is the mayor... much like PJ's cousin's significant other.
Anyway, it has been a while since anyone has babysat our daughter. The reason is not because we don't trust anyone or anything like that. Heck, I'd probably let anyone watch our daughter. Karen and I simply haven't gone out alone. Briana is cramping our style. Just kidding.
Thinking that everything would be fine, we left Briana with Janine, PJ, their kids, and Janine's BFF (Gretchen). So off we went to celebrate at the Union Brew House. Karen and I were the first to arrive. For anyone curious, the Union Brew House is a tiny hole in the wall. I would say that the Brew House's "thing" is that is has 99 different types of beer available. 99 may have been one too many for this particular guy who was trying to pick up some women at a nearby table when Karen and I first arrived. For me, it was a little comical watching this guy. He was simply awful. He had no idea that the husband of one of the women had been sitting at the table. Yes, he was quite the catch.
Eventually everyone else showed up. Partaking in the festivities for the night were Andrea (the birthday girl of course), and my friends (Marc, Kelley, Kerry, Hot Amy) and Hot Amy's fiancee (Mark). It was good to see everyone. I don't think I have seen Hot Amy and Mark in quite some time. I believe they have been a little preoccupied with wedding plans. Apparently, Hot Amy has finally picked out a wedding dress. Whether true or not, Mark mentioned using the Mortal Kombat theme as the song to enter the reception area with. If Hot Amy and Mark use that song, I will be very impressed.
As a side note, the new Mortal Kombat movie trailer does look pretty exciting.
(The video below is a trailer for the Mortal Kombat rebirth.)
Kelley had shared the above with me some time ago. And for a movie based on a video game, I would have to say that the trailer does in fact make the movie look pretty exciting. (Historically, movies based on video games are never good.)
Regardless, it was a fun night hanging out with everyone. I think Andrea had a good time, which is really all that mattered for the night. Andrea, Marc, and Kelley were thinking of other movies for movie night. The 80s theme had progressed into a 90s theme. And although I don't think the movie made the cut, the movie "Threesome" was mentioned. (For anyone curious, "Threesome was made in 1994 and starred Lara Flynn Boyle and Stephen Baldwin.)
Unfortunately, Karen and I had to leave the festivities early. Remember... I do suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Apparently, things weren't going too well at Janine's with Briana. Briana was crying non-stop. She cried. Janine cried. Her kids cried. I felt pretty bad for Janine and them.
I am thinking that Briana is having attachment issues, which does not bode well for our upcoming babysitting gig later this week. Anyway, I hope Andrea enjoyed her day. Again happy belated birthday, Andrea!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
I Suck At Wipeout
As if it weren't obvious that I am a geek, yesterday Karen and I cracked ourselves up over dinner. For dinner, Karen made pasta with vegetables. It was not just any pasta. It was bow-tie pasta.
Some of you might be wondering if the cause of our guffaw was that I had worn the bow-tie pasta like a regular bow-tie. As obvious as that sounds, I did not. (Although now that I think of it, I wonder how it would look.) Nope, our humor was lamer.
As everyone probably knows, the other name for bow-tie pasta is farfalle. Playing on the phonetic sound of the word, we started joking around by naming one of the pieces of bow-tie pasta after Karen's cousin's (Karlene) husband (Tommy). I had envisioned a pair of eyeballs sitting on top of the bow-tie pasta, much like the Geico wad of cash.
Needless to say, the idea cracked me up. I suppose Karlene for that matter, would also have the same last name. So in essence, she could have a bow-tie pasta representation of her as well. In fact, every member of Tommy's relatives could be represented within the box of pasta. Tommy does, after all, have a huge family.
Anyway, the idea made me chuckle. I guess there is a lot to like about Lowell after all... if you really enjoy pasta. (For anyone curious, both Karlene and Tommy are Lowellites. Or is it Lowellians?) And if anyone care, yes the dinner was good.
Despite my terrible sense of humor, yesterday was also the day that my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) came over. We had shifted our weekly get-together so that Karen and I could accommodate my mother's birthday the day before. Happy belated birthday again, mom!
On the agenda for the night was another episode of Wipeout. Now, I suck at Wipeout. But, I do love to watch the show. Something about watching people... wiping out... always brings a smile to my face. That, and probably Jill Wagner, which surprises me because she's not blonde.
Needless to say, it was a fun episode. The best part of it all, of course, is just hanging out with friends, laughing, and having a good time. Andrea is currently attempting to teach my baby daughter (Briana) how to get me to cave in and buy her things. It will never work...
Some of you might be wondering if the cause of our guffaw was that I had worn the bow-tie pasta like a regular bow-tie. As obvious as that sounds, I did not. (Although now that I think of it, I wonder how it would look.) Nope, our humor was lamer.
As everyone probably knows, the other name for bow-tie pasta is farfalle. Playing on the phonetic sound of the word, we started joking around by naming one of the pieces of bow-tie pasta after Karen's cousin's (Karlene) husband (Tommy). I had envisioned a pair of eyeballs sitting on top of the bow-tie pasta, much like the Geico wad of cash.
Needless to say, the idea cracked me up. I suppose Karlene for that matter, would also have the same last name. So in essence, she could have a bow-tie pasta representation of her as well. In fact, every member of Tommy's relatives could be represented within the box of pasta. Tommy does, after all, have a huge family.
Anyway, the idea made me chuckle. I guess there is a lot to like about Lowell after all... if you really enjoy pasta. (For anyone curious, both Karlene and Tommy are Lowellites. Or is it Lowellians?) And if anyone care, yes the dinner was good.
Despite my terrible sense of humor, yesterday was also the day that my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) came over. We had shifted our weekly get-together so that Karen and I could accommodate my mother's birthday the day before. Happy belated birthday again, mom!
On the agenda for the night was another episode of Wipeout. Now, I suck at Wipeout. But, I do love to watch the show. Something about watching people... wiping out... always brings a smile to my face. That, and probably Jill Wagner, which surprises me because she's not blonde.
Needless to say, it was a fun episode. The best part of it all, of course, is just hanging out with friends, laughing, and having a good time. Andrea is currently attempting to teach my baby daughter (Briana) how to get me to cave in and buy her things. It will never work...
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
I Suck At Celebrating My Mom's Birthday
Yesterday was my mother's birthday. Happy belated birthday, mom! Too bad I suck at celebrating my mom's birthday.
In celebration of my mother's birthday, Karen and I, and our baby daughter (Briana), took her out for dinner. Unfortunately, it was a late dinner because both Karen and I had to work late. Consequently, most of my mother's birthday was spent taking care of Briana, which I'm sure she was pretty ecstatic to do regardless.
For dinner, we ended up at our favorite restaurant, Not Your Average Joe's located in Norwell. My mother had never been there, so naturally we decided to take her there. It probably goes without saying that I enjoyed the meal. After all, it is my favorite restaurant.
And it just so happens that yesterday was one of the days benefiting the Norwell Public Library. For anyone curious, Not Your Average Joe's offers a means to raise funds for certain causes by donating 15% of every meal purchase on a given day, so long as the waitstaff know that the patrons want to participate in the cause. Tuesday happened to be one of those days (and apparently the best day thus far in terms of fund raising for the library according to the waitstaff).
All in all, I think my mother enjoyed the meal. She seemed to have a good time. She definitely enjoyed the bread.
In celebration of my mother's birthday, Karen and I, and our baby daughter (Briana), took her out for dinner. Unfortunately, it was a late dinner because both Karen and I had to work late. Consequently, most of my mother's birthday was spent taking care of Briana, which I'm sure she was pretty ecstatic to do regardless.
For dinner, we ended up at our favorite restaurant, Not Your Average Joe's located in Norwell. My mother had never been there, so naturally we decided to take her there. It probably goes without saying that I enjoyed the meal. After all, it is my favorite restaurant.
And it just so happens that yesterday was one of the days benefiting the Norwell Public Library. For anyone curious, Not Your Average Joe's offers a means to raise funds for certain causes by donating 15% of every meal purchase on a given day, so long as the waitstaff know that the patrons want to participate in the cause. Tuesday happened to be one of those days (and apparently the best day thus far in terms of fund raising for the library according to the waitstaff).
All in all, I think my mother enjoyed the meal. She seemed to have a good time. She definitely enjoyed the bread.
Monday, August 2, 2010
I Suck At Running
On Sunday, I did something that I have not done in awhile: I went out for a little run. Too bad I suck at running.
In the morning, Karen decided to take our baby daughter (Briana) to church. So with the free time, I chose to go out for a mile run. I would have ran further had I been in any semblance of shape (other than round).
To be honest, I've missed running. I have not run in god knows how long. Ever since Briana was born over four months ago, I have had trouble finding a routine or schedule that I could designate as a time to run or workout.
And boy do I miss those endorphins. The run was quite nice. For that brief moment (because I only ran a mile), I felt as though my head was clear of stress. It was a very relaxing feel, which is something I never thought I would ever say about distance running. Granted, my heart and lungs were probably in shock from the physical activity, but it was good. I even had time to visit my son (Braden) at the cemetery after the run.
Anyway, following the run, the rest of the day turned into a family day. More specifically, it turned into a day with Karen's family.
The day started with a visit to Karen's grandparents. Being the token Asian guy in the family, I get relegated to technical support duties when it comes to all things electronic. If only my Asian card were that good. Karen's grandmother had a problem with her computer that required my assistance. So off we went to visit them.
It turns out, Karen's grandmother did not have any technical issues at all. She simply received an attachment to her email that she could not open. The attachment was a Microsoft document and she did not have an application on her computer that was able to open Microsoft documents (at least, not to her knowledge). Needless to say, I opened the document for her.
From there, Karen and I (and Briana) went to visit her other grandmother, who currently resides in a nursing home in Boston. Apparently, Karen's parents had tried to organize a little family visit to the nursing home last week. As my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) could not make it, it was just Karen and her parents visiting Nana. I was just there to transport Briana. After all, it was Briana that everyone wanted to see at the nursing home.
It was good to see Nana. Since Briana was born over four months ago, Karen and I have not visited Nana as often as we probably should. Heck, I know I'd be bored to death if I had to live in a nursing home by myself. So it was good to make time and see her. And I think Nana really appreciated it too. She was all smiles to see Briana. Truth be told, so was Karen's mother.
Anyway, to complete the in-law tour of the day, Karen and I ended up at Janine's after the nursing home. It was comical to hear about Janine's 20th high school reunion that she attended the night before. It turns out that someone from her graduating class was arrested at the reunion. Apparently, the "perp" was a deadbeat dad and had posted on Facebook that he was attending the reunion. Facebook... it's not just a social networking application... it's a crime fighting tool! That's why I don't go on Facebook that often. I like to get away with my crimes...
All in all, it was a nice enjoyable family day.
In the morning, Karen decided to take our baby daughter (Briana) to church. So with the free time, I chose to go out for a mile run. I would have ran further had I been in any semblance of shape (other than round).
To be honest, I've missed running. I have not run in god knows how long. Ever since Briana was born over four months ago, I have had trouble finding a routine or schedule that I could designate as a time to run or workout.
And boy do I miss those endorphins. The run was quite nice. For that brief moment (because I only ran a mile), I felt as though my head was clear of stress. It was a very relaxing feel, which is something I never thought I would ever say about distance running. Granted, my heart and lungs were probably in shock from the physical activity, but it was good. I even had time to visit my son (Braden) at the cemetery after the run.
Anyway, following the run, the rest of the day turned into a family day. More specifically, it turned into a day with Karen's family.
The day started with a visit to Karen's grandparents. Being the token Asian guy in the family, I get relegated to technical support duties when it comes to all things electronic. If only my Asian card were that good. Karen's grandmother had a problem with her computer that required my assistance. So off we went to visit them.
It turns out, Karen's grandmother did not have any technical issues at all. She simply received an attachment to her email that she could not open. The attachment was a Microsoft document and she did not have an application on her computer that was able to open Microsoft documents (at least, not to her knowledge). Needless to say, I opened the document for her.
From there, Karen and I (and Briana) went to visit her other grandmother, who currently resides in a nursing home in Boston. Apparently, Karen's parents had tried to organize a little family visit to the nursing home last week. As my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) could not make it, it was just Karen and her parents visiting Nana. I was just there to transport Briana. After all, it was Briana that everyone wanted to see at the nursing home.
It was good to see Nana. Since Briana was born over four months ago, Karen and I have not visited Nana as often as we probably should. Heck, I know I'd be bored to death if I had to live in a nursing home by myself. So it was good to make time and see her. And I think Nana really appreciated it too. She was all smiles to see Briana. Truth be told, so was Karen's mother.
Anyway, to complete the in-law tour of the day, Karen and I ended up at Janine's after the nursing home. It was comical to hear about Janine's 20th high school reunion that she attended the night before. It turns out that someone from her graduating class was arrested at the reunion. Apparently, the "perp" was a deadbeat dad and had posted on Facebook that he was attending the reunion. Facebook... it's not just a social networking application... it's a crime fighting tool! That's why I don't go on Facebook that often. I like to get away with my crimes...
All in all, it was a nice enjoyable family day.
I Suck At Double Features
Aside from the milestone that our baby daughter (Briana) rolled over for the first time on her on own (while she was asleep), Saturday turned out to be quite the busy day.
The day started off with a visit from my friend (Aimee). Aimee has had some computer problems of late. And naturally, whenever someone I know is having computer problems, I like to joke and remind them to lay off the internet pornography for awhile. Anyway, she was having trouble starting her computer and had wondered if I had a boot disc that worked with her operating system.
It turns out, I did have a boot disc for her. Interestingly enough, I have a bunch of discs for various computer operating systems. I have no idea how I amassed such a collection, but I did. (Who am I kidding? I'm a geek so of course I have a collection of operating system discs.) Some day, I will have to go through my pile of randomly scattered discs and organize them a little better.
Needless to say, Aimee was thrilled to learn that I had the disc and consequently stopped on by to pick it up. It was good seeing Aimee again even if it were for a short period of time. It still seems, however, that my vision of being in her husband's (James) entourage while he embarks on a prolific mixed martial arts career will never happen... much like the vision of my friend (Cass) running for mayor of Quincy. Oh, the possibilities! If only I could convince them.
Following Aimee's visit, I did a quick little home improvement project. That project involved hanging a shelf in Briana's room. Truth be told, I was reluctant to hang the shelf for reasons which you'll read about. Unfortunately, I really did not have much of a say in the matter.
A while ago, Karen's parents gave her the shelf that hung in her room while she was growing up. Apparently, the shelf was made by her grandfather. Karen was quite excited about the shelf and thought about putting it in Briana's room. After all, Briana has gotten a lot of "stuff" since being born a little over four months ago. Having a shelf would then display all that "stuff". So naturally, Karen painted the shelf so that it would fit better in the room.
The painted shelf basically sat in Briana's room for a while... waiting... and waiting... to be hung on the wall. Thus, on Saturday I finally gave in and hung the shelf. For those who know me, they know that I may be a bit particular about things. I enjoy symmetry as much as the next guy.
So, you can imagine my reason for being hesitant to hang the shelf, because... well... the shelf was not exactly level (or square for that matter). The shelf consists of multiple horizontal rows and multiple vertical columns. And let's just say... the horizontal rows were not exactly parallel with one another.
Ever hang something that was not level to begin with? If you decide to hang the item based on a level reference point, the item will appear crooked. The other option is to hang the item on a crooked reference point to make the item look level. With a lot of hesitation, I opted for the latter so as to hide the crookedness of the shelf itself. Thinking about the shelf still makes me shake my head. I am hoping the shelf will have an "accident" someday.
Anyway, shortly after, my bff (Kerry) and my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) came over. It was a spur of the moment potluck dinner with a double feature of 80s flicks on the agenda. Needless to say, the potluck dinner was delicious.
Andrea marinaded chicken; Kerry made muffins and potato salad; Marc and Kelley made sangria and brownies; Karen made tomato and mozzarella... As for me? I took the easy way out and grilled. And sadly, I did not even do a good job of that as I had burned the chicken. (In my defense, our grill has been acting up of late.)
All in all, the potluck was delicious. Thanks again to everyone! We even came up with a new phrase: "frosting the brownie". Sounds so dirty, doesn't it? I do not exactly know how the term came about. I do know that Kerry had made homemade frosting and Kelley had made brownies. There was also talk about our friend's (Steve) line about "going straight for the pooper". The next thing you know, "frosting the brownie" was created. And in case anyone is curious, Andrea tried frosting the brownie (the food) and apparently was not too impressed with the taste.
Anyway, awhile ago there was a suggestion to have an 80s movie night. So we decided to have a double feature of 80s movies. Now, I suck at double features. But being a fan of the 80s (and movies in general), I loved the idea. Thus, we ended up watching Bull Durham and Road House.
(The video below is a scene from Bull Durham.)
(The video below is a trailer for Road House.)
Both movies were definitely fun to watch again. For Karen, it was her first time watching Bull Durham. Not having cable television growing up, she missed out on a lot of television.
Speaking of firsts, it was Kerry's first time watching the unedited version of Road House. I was surprised because the movie is one of her guilty pleasures. Luckily for Kerry, she got to watch the real version of the movie (and not the one shown on television) because Marc owns the movie. There's more skin... throat chunks included... in the unedited version. Marc is an avid fan of the movie. In fact, I think it ranks as one of his all time favorites.
Needless to say, it was a great night of hanging out. I'm looking forward to addition nights of 80s movies.
The day started off with a visit from my friend (Aimee). Aimee has had some computer problems of late. And naturally, whenever someone I know is having computer problems, I like to joke and remind them to lay off the internet pornography for awhile. Anyway, she was having trouble starting her computer and had wondered if I had a boot disc that worked with her operating system.
It turns out, I did have a boot disc for her. Interestingly enough, I have a bunch of discs for various computer operating systems. I have no idea how I amassed such a collection, but I did. (Who am I kidding? I'm a geek so of course I have a collection of operating system discs.) Some day, I will have to go through my pile of randomly scattered discs and organize them a little better.
Needless to say, Aimee was thrilled to learn that I had the disc and consequently stopped on by to pick it up. It was good seeing Aimee again even if it were for a short period of time. It still seems, however, that my vision of being in her husband's (James) entourage while he embarks on a prolific mixed martial arts career will never happen... much like the vision of my friend (Cass) running for mayor of Quincy. Oh, the possibilities! If only I could convince them.
Following Aimee's visit, I did a quick little home improvement project. That project involved hanging a shelf in Briana's room. Truth be told, I was reluctant to hang the shelf for reasons which you'll read about. Unfortunately, I really did not have much of a say in the matter.
A while ago, Karen's parents gave her the shelf that hung in her room while she was growing up. Apparently, the shelf was made by her grandfather. Karen was quite excited about the shelf and thought about putting it in Briana's room. After all, Briana has gotten a lot of "stuff" since being born a little over four months ago. Having a shelf would then display all that "stuff". So naturally, Karen painted the shelf so that it would fit better in the room.
The painted shelf basically sat in Briana's room for a while... waiting... and waiting... to be hung on the wall. Thus, on Saturday I finally gave in and hung the shelf. For those who know me, they know that I may be a bit particular about things. I enjoy symmetry as much as the next guy.
So, you can imagine my reason for being hesitant to hang the shelf, because... well... the shelf was not exactly level (or square for that matter). The shelf consists of multiple horizontal rows and multiple vertical columns. And let's just say... the horizontal rows were not exactly parallel with one another.
Ever hang something that was not level to begin with? If you decide to hang the item based on a level reference point, the item will appear crooked. The other option is to hang the item on a crooked reference point to make the item look level. With a lot of hesitation, I opted for the latter so as to hide the crookedness of the shelf itself. Thinking about the shelf still makes me shake my head. I am hoping the shelf will have an "accident" someday.
Anyway, shortly after, my bff (Kerry) and my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) came over. It was a spur of the moment potluck dinner with a double feature of 80s flicks on the agenda. Needless to say, the potluck dinner was delicious.
Andrea marinaded chicken; Kerry made muffins and potato salad; Marc and Kelley made sangria and brownies; Karen made tomato and mozzarella... As for me? I took the easy way out and grilled. And sadly, I did not even do a good job of that as I had burned the chicken. (In my defense, our grill has been acting up of late.)
All in all, the potluck was delicious. Thanks again to everyone! We even came up with a new phrase: "frosting the brownie". Sounds so dirty, doesn't it? I do not exactly know how the term came about. I do know that Kerry had made homemade frosting and Kelley had made brownies. There was also talk about our friend's (Steve) line about "going straight for the pooper". The next thing you know, "frosting the brownie" was created. And in case anyone is curious, Andrea tried frosting the brownie (the food) and apparently was not too impressed with the taste.
Anyway, awhile ago there was a suggestion to have an 80s movie night. So we decided to have a double feature of 80s movies. Now, I suck at double features. But being a fan of the 80s (and movies in general), I loved the idea. Thus, we ended up watching Bull Durham and Road House.
(The video below is a scene from Bull Durham.)
(The video below is a trailer for Road House.)
Both movies were definitely fun to watch again. For Karen, it was her first time watching Bull Durham. Not having cable television growing up, she missed out on a lot of television.
Speaking of firsts, it was Kerry's first time watching the unedited version of Road House. I was surprised because the movie is one of her guilty pleasures. Luckily for Kerry, she got to watch the real version of the movie (and not the one shown on television) because Marc owns the movie. There's more skin... throat chunks included... in the unedited version. Marc is an avid fan of the movie. In fact, I think it ranks as one of his all time favorites.
Needless to say, it was a great night of hanging out. I'm looking forward to addition nights of 80s movies.
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