This week at today's neighborhood drugstore (CVS), Oral-B Satin Floss is on sale. The floss is on sale for a whopping $1.99, with CVS providing $1 back in the form of an extra care buck (ECB). Now, I suck at Oral-B satin floss.
It just so happens that I have a $1 coupon for Oral-B loss that expires today. Using my genetic predisposition for mathematics, I figured that the floss would end up being free... and by free I mean the cost of Massachusetts sales tax on a taxable item worth $1.99. I like to use the term "free" instead of saying "state sales tax" because "free" is shorter and is only one syllable. I'm lazy that way.
Needless to say, hurray for free dental hygiene!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
I Suck At Cocoa Puffs
I'm cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs! Just kidding. Truth be told, I suck at Cocoa Puffs. In fact, I very rarely eat sugar cereals anymore. Part of that reason of course happens to be because I am married to a dietitian.
Yesterday, however, Karen and I did the unthinkable. We got ourselves... not one, but two boxes of Cocoa Puffs cereal. Of course, there was a reason behind it. This week at Shaw's, there was a Box Tops for Education promotion. Granted, our daughter (Briana) is only seventeen months and is not even close to being ready for school. Briana hasn't even learned how to share yet. Plus, she's very pushy. (So we donate the Box Tops.)
Regardless, the promotion stated that if you purchased 10 advertised items that were also part of the Box Tops for Education, there would be an additional discount taken off the price of each item. The catch was that you had to buy 10 items. Luckily for us, we happened to have coupons for Cocoa Puffs which were part of the promotion.
Anyway, thanks to Shaw's and their coupon doubling policy for coupons under $1, each box of Cocoa Puffs cereal ended up being free. Hooray! At the time, Karen rolled her eyes at me when she saw me cutting those sugar cereal coupons. Who's rolling their eyes now? Just kidding.
Needless to say, Karen is still not a big fan of sugar cereals. She is, however, more apt to purchase them especially when they are free. Yay for me!
Yesterday, however, Karen and I did the unthinkable. We got ourselves... not one, but two boxes of Cocoa Puffs cereal. Of course, there was a reason behind it. This week at Shaw's, there was a Box Tops for Education promotion. Granted, our daughter (Briana) is only seventeen months and is not even close to being ready for school. Briana hasn't even learned how to share yet. Plus, she's very pushy. (So we donate the Box Tops.)
Regardless, the promotion stated that if you purchased 10 advertised items that were also part of the Box Tops for Education, there would be an additional discount taken off the price of each item. The catch was that you had to buy 10 items. Luckily for us, we happened to have coupons for Cocoa Puffs which were part of the promotion.
Anyway, thanks to Shaw's and their coupon doubling policy for coupons under $1, each box of Cocoa Puffs cereal ended up being free. Hooray! At the time, Karen rolled her eyes at me when she saw me cutting those sugar cereal coupons. Who's rolling their eyes now? Just kidding.
Needless to say, Karen is still not a big fan of sugar cereals. She is, however, more apt to purchase them especially when they are free. Yay for me!
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
I Suck At Work
I suck at work. During the normal course of the work day, I very rarely get to email or instant message anymore. And the instant messaging that I actually do is with other coworkers about certain projects. So it came as a surprise to me yesterday when one of my former coworkers (Mike) from my previous company sent me a message via instant messenger.
Mike and I used to work in town together. At the company, we were the one of the few people who shared the same first names; Dave being the other common first name. Anyway, I left that company over three years ago. Mike, apparently, remained there... until recently.
Anyway, the gist of Mike's message was that he was finally leaving that company in town. And he was quite excited to embark on his new endeavor. Naturally, I congratulated him on his new opportunity. I was then surprised when Mike thanked me for everything I had done for him.
I was particularly touched by his actions because... well, to be honest, I never gave much thought about how my actions at work impacted others. Apparently, Mike had considered me a mentor at one time and thanked me for helping him get where he was at the company, which he is currently leaving. In my opinion, I did not do anything. Mike got to where he was based on his own merits. I only showed him the possibilities.
Regardless, his actions got me thinking that perhaps I do more than I realize. After all, my friend (Carlos) referred to me as "the Doctor" at my previous employer. I never knew why Carlos called me that, but perhaps it may have to do with how I carry myself, not just at work but in life in general. The thought that I do make an impact, enough to receive an instant message out of the blue, actually brought a smile to my face yesterday.
Mike and I used to work in town together. At the company, we were the one of the few people who shared the same first names; Dave being the other common first name. Anyway, I left that company over three years ago. Mike, apparently, remained there... until recently.
Anyway, the gist of Mike's message was that he was finally leaving that company in town. And he was quite excited to embark on his new endeavor. Naturally, I congratulated him on his new opportunity. I was then surprised when Mike thanked me for everything I had done for him.
I was particularly touched by his actions because... well, to be honest, I never gave much thought about how my actions at work impacted others. Apparently, Mike had considered me a mentor at one time and thanked me for helping him get where he was at the company, which he is currently leaving. In my opinion, I did not do anything. Mike got to where he was based on his own merits. I only showed him the possibilities.
Regardless, his actions got me thinking that perhaps I do more than I realize. After all, my friend (Carlos) referred to me as "the Doctor" at my previous employer. I never knew why Carlos called me that, but perhaps it may have to do with how I carry myself, not just at work but in life in general. The thought that I do make an impact, enough to receive an instant message out of the blue, actually brought a smile to my face yesterday.
Monday, August 29, 2011
I Suck At Friday Night Lights
With all the hoopla about tropical storm Irene, I decided to stay home on Sunday. Sadly, I might have gone a little stir crazy.
After doing some house cleaning, I made the decision to watch Friday Night Lights until I lost power from the storm. Interestingly enough, I never lost power yesterday. So, it was one big Friday Night Lights marathon for me. Hence, I suck at Friday Night Lights.
Anyway, I have been watching Friday Night Lights at a good clip, especially considering that I was on the fifth and final season yesterday. Needless to say, I finished the series yesterday.
Truth be told, I did enjoy the series. I am not sure, however, that I would be as passionate about the show like my friend (Garv) and/or my BFF (Kerry). But yeah, it was an enjoyable show to watch, particularly watching it at times with Kerry and my friend (Andrea). I probably enjoyed that part the most.
After doing some house cleaning, I made the decision to watch Friday Night Lights until I lost power from the storm. Interestingly enough, I never lost power yesterday. So, it was one big Friday Night Lights marathon for me. Hence, I suck at Friday Night Lights.
Anyway, I have been watching Friday Night Lights at a good clip, especially considering that I was on the fifth and final season yesterday. Needless to say, I finished the series yesterday.
Truth be told, I did enjoy the series. I am not sure, however, that I would be as passionate about the show like my friend (Garv) and/or my BFF (Kerry). But yeah, it was an enjoyable show to watch, particularly watching it at times with Kerry and my friend (Andrea). I probably enjoyed that part the most.
I Suck At Celebrating My Friend's Birthday
Within my circle of friends, August begins the birthday celebration cycle. The cycle generally runs from August to January. This past Saturday, Karen, our seventeen month old daughter (Briana), and I celebrated my friend's (Cass) birthday. Too bad I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday.
For his celebration, Cass wanted to have a peanut butter themed pot luck. For anyone curious, the previous year's theme was balls. I'll have to admit, I do look forward to these pot lucks. In particular, I look forward to Cass's themes because they are peculiar and interesting.
Needless to say, I had to turn to my friend Google for possible recipes involving peanut butter. What I ultimately decided upon was southern peanut soup. I figured the item was different. And to me, I was a bit curious myself as to how the soup would taste.
It turns out, Cass really enjoyed the soup, which was good since it was his birthday celebration after all. Also joining in on the festivities for the night were my friends (Ellen, Marc, Kelley, Andrea, Garv, Aimee and her two children) and my BFF (Kerry).
I had a good time hanging out with everyone. With Briana running around, it did make it difficult to fully participate in some conversations. Either Karen or I would have to make sure Briana was not doing things that she shouldn't have been doing. And naturally, that meant that one of us had to be with our curious daughter while the other one was hanging out. That seems to be commonplace these days.
One the conversations that I was privy to was about Verizon, in particular the union, because Ellen recently returned back from maternity leave to go back to Verizon shortly after the strike ended. For anyone curious, Ellen is not in the union. So it was good that she was able to return after the strike, as opposed to working long hours on her first few days back to work.
It should come as no surprise that I am not a big supporter of unions. I think in the past, unions did serve a purpose which was to stop the exploitation of workers. And yes, there are cases that workers were grossly mistreated in the past.
In today's society, however, I fail to see why unions are still needed. For example, I fail to see how the Verizon union whose members receive full medical benefits (ie. don't have to pay for health insurance) are being exploited. If they are being exploited, then I would say a good chunk of all of the workers in America are being exploited because they have to pay for health insurance. It makes no sense, unless of course you happen to be in a union.
On a side note, during the Verizon strike I remember seeing someone outside of a Verizon store picketing with a sign that read "We have families". I thought that was pretty selfish closed-minded thinking, because I thought that the people who have to cover the work while the union is on strike... also have families, I'm sure. Of course, I'm sure that reasoning would have been lost on that particular person who was picketing.
Needless to say, I am not a big fan of unions. Luckily, the other topics of conversation that I was a part of were not as political. Among them were Friday Night Lights, of course. Garv and Kerry seem to be hardcore fans of the show. Of course, Garv is a hardcore fan of Taylor Swift too, so take what you will from that.
All in all, it was a good time seeing everyone.
For his celebration, Cass wanted to have a peanut butter themed pot luck. For anyone curious, the previous year's theme was balls. I'll have to admit, I do look forward to these pot lucks. In particular, I look forward to Cass's themes because they are peculiar and interesting.
Needless to say, I had to turn to my friend Google for possible recipes involving peanut butter. What I ultimately decided upon was southern peanut soup. I figured the item was different. And to me, I was a bit curious myself as to how the soup would taste.
It turns out, Cass really enjoyed the soup, which was good since it was his birthday celebration after all. Also joining in on the festivities for the night were my friends (Ellen, Marc, Kelley, Andrea, Garv, Aimee and her two children) and my BFF (Kerry).
I had a good time hanging out with everyone. With Briana running around, it did make it difficult to fully participate in some conversations. Either Karen or I would have to make sure Briana was not doing things that she shouldn't have been doing. And naturally, that meant that one of us had to be with our curious daughter while the other one was hanging out. That seems to be commonplace these days.
One the conversations that I was privy to was about Verizon, in particular the union, because Ellen recently returned back from maternity leave to go back to Verizon shortly after the strike ended. For anyone curious, Ellen is not in the union. So it was good that she was able to return after the strike, as opposed to working long hours on her first few days back to work.
It should come as no surprise that I am not a big supporter of unions. I think in the past, unions did serve a purpose which was to stop the exploitation of workers. And yes, there are cases that workers were grossly mistreated in the past.
In today's society, however, I fail to see why unions are still needed. For example, I fail to see how the Verizon union whose members receive full medical benefits (ie. don't have to pay for health insurance) are being exploited. If they are being exploited, then I would say a good chunk of all of the workers in America are being exploited because they have to pay for health insurance. It makes no sense, unless of course you happen to be in a union.
On a side note, during the Verizon strike I remember seeing someone outside of a Verizon store picketing with a sign that read "We have families". I thought that was pretty selfish closed-minded thinking, because I thought that the people who have to cover the work while the union is on strike... also have families, I'm sure. Of course, I'm sure that reasoning would have been lost on that particular person who was picketing.
Needless to say, I am not a big fan of unions. Luckily, the other topics of conversation that I was a part of were not as political. Among them were Friday Night Lights, of course. Garv and Kerry seem to be hardcore fans of the show. Of course, Garv is a hardcore fan of Taylor Swift too, so take what you will from that.
All in all, it was a good time seeing everyone.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
I Suck At VO5 Shampoo
Before heading off to hang out with my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) for our usual weekly get together, Karen, our seventeen month old daughter (Briana), and I made a brief pit stop at today's neighborhood drugstore: CVS.
On the shopping list: VO5 Shampoo. Now, I suck at VO5 shampoo. Karen and I generally buy whatever shampoo or conditioner is on sale. I don't have a lot of hair as it is, so the brand of shampoo doesn't really matter much to me.
It just so happens that this week, VO5 shampoo is on sale at CVS for a whopping $0.77. That's not a bad price. Luckily for me, it also happens to be the case that we had a coupon, complements of CVS's own big "red machine", for $2 off when 2 shampoos or conditioners are purchased.
Needless to say, it didn't require any of my genetically predisposed mathematical skills to realize that this meant that the VO5 shampoo would be free this week. And as an added bonus, the coupon would result in an overage to be used on any other product. In our case, we used the overage on candy, of course! Yum!
All in all, it was a good shopping experience.
On the shopping list: VO5 Shampoo. Now, I suck at VO5 shampoo. Karen and I generally buy whatever shampoo or conditioner is on sale. I don't have a lot of hair as it is, so the brand of shampoo doesn't really matter much to me.
It just so happens that this week, VO5 shampoo is on sale at CVS for a whopping $0.77. That's not a bad price. Luckily for me, it also happens to be the case that we had a coupon, complements of CVS's own big "red machine", for $2 off when 2 shampoos or conditioners are purchased.
Needless to say, it didn't require any of my genetically predisposed mathematical skills to realize that this meant that the VO5 shampoo would be free this week. And as an added bonus, the coupon would result in an overage to be used on any other product. In our case, we used the overage on candy, of course! Yum!
All in all, it was a good shopping experience.
I Suck At Fixing The Toilet
On Monday morning, Karen woke me up to tell me that she thought the toilet was leaking. Sure enough, there did seem to be water coming from beneath the toilet bowl. Too bad I suck at fixing the toilet.
Well, truth be told, I hate fixing toilets. It's not that I can't fix them. I just find plumbing in general to be dirty. And of course, when you're dealing with an instrument of human waste disposal, the thought of plumbing only becomes dirtier.
Anyway, fixing the toilet was not that bad. As the water was coming from beneath the toilet bowl, I figured the issue was that the wax ring needed replacing. So off to Home Depot I went to get the wax ring (with flange).
As a result, I turned off the water to the toilet, removed it from its current location, and scraped off the old wax ring that was on the flange. I hate removing the old wax ring. Visually, the wax ring is so not appealing. It's like a brown glob of wax. I don't even like touching it with gloves on. Perhaps I have texture issues.
When all was said and done, I reassembled the toilet on top of the new wax ring. So far, so good. After a few flushes there is no more leaks. Yay. Sadly, the toilet was the highlight of my day.
Well, truth be told, I hate fixing toilets. It's not that I can't fix them. I just find plumbing in general to be dirty. And of course, when you're dealing with an instrument of human waste disposal, the thought of plumbing only becomes dirtier.
Anyway, fixing the toilet was not that bad. As the water was coming from beneath the toilet bowl, I figured the issue was that the wax ring needed replacing. So off to Home Depot I went to get the wax ring (with flange).
As a result, I turned off the water to the toilet, removed it from its current location, and scraped off the old wax ring that was on the flange. I hate removing the old wax ring. Visually, the wax ring is so not appealing. It's like a brown glob of wax. I don't even like touching it with gloves on. Perhaps I have texture issues.
When all was said and done, I reassembled the toilet on top of the new wax ring. So far, so good. After a few flushes there is no more leaks. Yay. Sadly, the toilet was the highlight of my day.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
I Suck At The Cheesecake Factory
Sunday was a day of seeing people who I haven't seen in awhile. The day began with lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. Now, I suck at the Cheesecake Factory. I haven't been to the Cheesecake Factory in awhile. I would not have even gone Sunday were it not for the fact that Karen was meeting up with only my friend (Christine).
Normally, Karen meets up with her friends at the Cheesecake Factory in Burlington and have sort of a girls day out. But on Sunday, it was just Christine. As a result, I got the lucky invite to dine out at the Cheesecake Factory located in Braintree instead. Why go all the way to Burlington when you don't have to, right?
Needless to say, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory was delicious. In order to get my DHA, I had the Fish and Chips. Yum! It was definitely good to see Christine again. I don't remember the last time I saw her, proof that it has been a long while. Christine seemed happy. She was starting a new job. As well, she had a date later in the week. So lunch was a celebration of sorts.
Following lunch, all of us headed into the mall for some shopping. Interestingly enough, there was some commotion just as we were leaving because someone was having a seizure or stroke in the women's room. I have witnessed my shares of seizures. Well, I have only seen two, but they are definitely not fun to watch, especially since you really can't do anything for them other than to make sure the person doesn't hurt themselves.
Anyway, shopping went well. Christine ended up buying my daughter (Briana) a little ball from the Disney store. She said it was a birthday present since she missed Briana's birthday. In case anyone is curious, Briana is seventeen months old. So it has been at least over seven months that I have not seen Christine.
All in all, it was definitely good catching up with Christine. And of course, our shopping was not done after seeing Christine. Karen and I also went to pick up a potty for Briana from Babies R Us. Briana is gonna potty like it's 19-99...
And like I mentioned earlier, Sunday was a day of seeing people who I haven't seen in awhile. Continuing with that trend, Karen, Briana and I went to visit my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) later that night.
As always, Briana had a blast seeing her auntie and uncle, and her cousins (PJ and Kaleigh). So all in all, it was a good way to end the day.
Normally, Karen meets up with her friends at the Cheesecake Factory in Burlington and have sort of a girls day out. But on Sunday, it was just Christine. As a result, I got the lucky invite to dine out at the Cheesecake Factory located in Braintree instead. Why go all the way to Burlington when you don't have to, right?
Needless to say, lunch at the Cheesecake Factory was delicious. In order to get my DHA, I had the Fish and Chips. Yum! It was definitely good to see Christine again. I don't remember the last time I saw her, proof that it has been a long while. Christine seemed happy. She was starting a new job. As well, she had a date later in the week. So lunch was a celebration of sorts.
Following lunch, all of us headed into the mall for some shopping. Interestingly enough, there was some commotion just as we were leaving because someone was having a seizure or stroke in the women's room. I have witnessed my shares of seizures. Well, I have only seen two, but they are definitely not fun to watch, especially since you really can't do anything for them other than to make sure the person doesn't hurt themselves.
Anyway, shopping went well. Christine ended up buying my daughter (Briana) a little ball from the Disney store. She said it was a birthday present since she missed Briana's birthday. In case anyone is curious, Briana is seventeen months old. So it has been at least over seven months that I have not seen Christine.
All in all, it was definitely good catching up with Christine. And of course, our shopping was not done after seeing Christine. Karen and I also went to pick up a potty for Briana from Babies R Us. Briana is gonna potty like it's 19-99...
And like I mentioned earlier, Sunday was a day of seeing people who I haven't seen in awhile. Continuing with that trend, Karen, Briana and I went to visit my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) later that night.
As always, Briana had a blast seeing her auntie and uncle, and her cousins (PJ and Kaleigh). So all in all, it was a good way to end the day.
I Suck At Chores
In addition to being my friend's (Hot Amy) birthday, Saturday was a day of chores. (Happy birthday Hot Amy!) For some time, my house has been a mess. I can usually let the house cleaning go for quite awhile. After all, I have a higher tolerance for chaos and disorder than Karen.
Unfortunately, Saturday I felt like I had to bring some order back into the house. After all, our lawn is overgrowing with weeds; Our vegetable garden is a tangled mess; Our dishes were dirty; We had loads of laundry; and with a seventeen month old (Briana) leaving crumbs everywhere, our entire house needed to be vacuumed; Too bad I suck at doing chores.
Needless to say, with a long list of to-do's, Karen and I started early. We can generally accomplish more when Briana is asleep. When Briana the Energizer bunny is awake, she gets into everything and keeps going and going and going... Hence, the disarray.
It turned out to be a very productive day. Everything on the to-do list was accomplished, which felt like a relief. Granted, the cleanliness did not last long as Briana ran amok when she was awake. But it was fun while it lasted.
And naturally, to unwind after everything, I began Friday Night Lights season 4. My friend (Andrea) was kind enough to drop off the dvds as she and Karen were going out for Hot Amy's birthday celebration.
Unfortunately, Saturday I felt like I had to bring some order back into the house. After all, our lawn is overgrowing with weeds; Our vegetable garden is a tangled mess; Our dishes were dirty; We had loads of laundry; and with a seventeen month old (Briana) leaving crumbs everywhere, our entire house needed to be vacuumed; Too bad I suck at doing chores.
Needless to say, with a long list of to-do's, Karen and I started early. We can generally accomplish more when Briana is asleep. When Briana the Energizer bunny is awake, she gets into everything and keeps going and going and going... Hence, the disarray.
It turned out to be a very productive day. Everything on the to-do list was accomplished, which felt like a relief. Granted, the cleanliness did not last long as Briana ran amok when she was awake. But it was fun while it lasted.
And naturally, to unwind after everything, I began Friday Night Lights season 4. My friend (Andrea) was kind enough to drop off the dvds as she and Karen were going out for Hot Amy's birthday celebration.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
I Suck At Hanging Pictures
With my energizer bunny/seventeen month old daughter (Briana) running rampant around the house while she is awake, I don't really get to accomplish many home improvement projects. In general, I have to wait till she either takes a nap or goes to bed before I can begin any project.
As a result, I decided to hang some pictures around the house last night. Too bad I suck at hanging pictures. It's not that I can't hang pictures. I just get very meticulous when hanging them.
For Mother's Day, Karen received two black and white portraits of Briana. The pictures were taken by some fancy schmancy professional photographer in Hingham whose pictures have appeared in some magazine or something. The idea was obviously the brainchild of my favorite sister-in-law (Janine), who happens to live in Hingham.
Needless to say, Karen really enjoyed the pictures of Briana. And what is there not to enjoy when you think your own offspring/minion is the cutest thing in the world? Unfortunately, Karen wanted to wait on getting frames for the pictures because she wanted my input. And so we waited... and waited... and waited. Time just sort of passed by at a pretty quick rate, which seems commonplace when raising a seventeen month old.
The next thing we know, it's tax free weekend in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Figuring that we might as well save on the state sales tax, we remembered to go out and purchase frames for those Mother's Day pictures.
Tax free weekend was last weekend. Today is Thursday. So it took a few days to actually hang the pictures up. And naturally, with my meticulous nature, it took me quite some time to even assemble the frames last night and mark the spot on the walls to where the pictures were going to be hung.
So there I was last night, with mounds upon mounds of tools sprawled out across the floor after Briana went to bed. I had the laser level going. I had a regular torpedo level. Hammer. Nails. Pliers. Screwdriver. Tape measure. Pencil. And interestingly enough, I used them all. After all, attaching the mounting bracket to a frame is not as easy as you would think because those nails are tiny. Holding the tiny nails in place while you pound them in can be difficult.
Anyway, when all was said and done, the two black and white portraits of Briana were hung by our stairs. Briana was quite excited to see them this morning when I carried her down the stairs for breakfast. She gasped and looked at me with that surprised/excited expression. She's such a ham.
For that matter, Karen enjoyed the pictures too last night. Sure it only took a few months to actually get the pictures hanging, but it was worth it just to see Briana's expression.
As a result, I decided to hang some pictures around the house last night. Too bad I suck at hanging pictures. It's not that I can't hang pictures. I just get very meticulous when hanging them.
For Mother's Day, Karen received two black and white portraits of Briana. The pictures were taken by some fancy schmancy professional photographer in Hingham whose pictures have appeared in some magazine or something. The idea was obviously the brainchild of my favorite sister-in-law (Janine), who happens to live in Hingham.
Needless to say, Karen really enjoyed the pictures of Briana. And what is there not to enjoy when you think your own offspring/minion is the cutest thing in the world? Unfortunately, Karen wanted to wait on getting frames for the pictures because she wanted my input. And so we waited... and waited... and waited. Time just sort of passed by at a pretty quick rate, which seems commonplace when raising a seventeen month old.
The next thing we know, it's tax free weekend in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Figuring that we might as well save on the state sales tax, we remembered to go out and purchase frames for those Mother's Day pictures.
Tax free weekend was last weekend. Today is Thursday. So it took a few days to actually hang the pictures up. And naturally, with my meticulous nature, it took me quite some time to even assemble the frames last night and mark the spot on the walls to where the pictures were going to be hung.
So there I was last night, with mounds upon mounds of tools sprawled out across the floor after Briana went to bed. I had the laser level going. I had a regular torpedo level. Hammer. Nails. Pliers. Screwdriver. Tape measure. Pencil. And interestingly enough, I used them all. After all, attaching the mounting bracket to a frame is not as easy as you would think because those nails are tiny. Holding the tiny nails in place while you pound them in can be difficult.
Anyway, when all was said and done, the two black and white portraits of Briana were hung by our stairs. Briana was quite excited to see them this morning when I carried her down the stairs for breakfast. She gasped and looked at me with that surprised/excited expression. She's such a ham.
For that matter, Karen enjoyed the pictures too last night. Sure it only took a few months to actually get the pictures hanging, but it was worth it just to see Briana's expression.
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
I Suck At Not Your Average Joe's
It has been quite some time since Karen and I (and our seventeen month old daughter, Briana) grabbed a bite to eat at Not Your Average Joe's. I love Not Your Average Joe's. In general, I find the food there very delicious.
I guess you could say that I suck at Not Your Average Joe's because I haven't been there in awhile. Yesterday to my surprise, Karen asked if we wanted to go out for dinner to Not Your Average Joe's. She didn't have to ask me twice.
Apparently, the occasion was due to the fact that Karen received a gift card from one of her friends (Shirley) and current boss of our friend (Hot Amy) for helping out with a family matter. It was very nice and very thoughtful of Shirley. So thank you, Shirley!
Anyway, it felt good to go to the restaurant again. Sadly, our favorite waitperson (Renee) was not working yesterday. It has been some time. So hopefully Renee still works there.
Nevertheless, I had a good time at Not Your Average Joe's and the food did not disappoint. One of the specials on the menu was "free form lasagna". Now I normally wouldn't order lasagna at a restaurant. Intrigued by the term "free form", I decided to give the lasagna a try.
The lasagna was absolutely delicious. I was expecting a big glob of lasagna ingredients on a plate. (Hence, the "free form".) For anyone curious, I had actually envisioned a high school lunch lady scooping a big heaping mound of slop and plopping it on a tray. But I was so wrong. The lasagna was actually shaped like a rectangle... on a rectangular plate. The free form lasagna almost reminded me of a crepe or wrap folded over. I thought it was quite visually appealing, and it tasted great. It was chock full of vegetables and spinach. Yum!
Briana even enjoyed parts of the lasagna. Of course, she seems to enjoy eating anything edible... or non-edible for that matter. Needless to say, I would definitely recommend the free from lasagna.
All in all, it was good to get out of the house and enjoy dinner at Not Your Average Joe's yesterday. Thank you again, Shirley!
I guess you could say that I suck at Not Your Average Joe's because I haven't been there in awhile. Yesterday to my surprise, Karen asked if we wanted to go out for dinner to Not Your Average Joe's. She didn't have to ask me twice.
Apparently, the occasion was due to the fact that Karen received a gift card from one of her friends (Shirley) and current boss of our friend (Hot Amy) for helping out with a family matter. It was very nice and very thoughtful of Shirley. So thank you, Shirley!
Anyway, it felt good to go to the restaurant again. Sadly, our favorite waitperson (Renee) was not working yesterday. It has been some time. So hopefully Renee still works there.
Nevertheless, I had a good time at Not Your Average Joe's and the food did not disappoint. One of the specials on the menu was "free form lasagna". Now I normally wouldn't order lasagna at a restaurant. Intrigued by the term "free form", I decided to give the lasagna a try.
The lasagna was absolutely delicious. I was expecting a big glob of lasagna ingredients on a plate. (Hence, the "free form".) For anyone curious, I had actually envisioned a high school lunch lady scooping a big heaping mound of slop and plopping it on a tray. But I was so wrong. The lasagna was actually shaped like a rectangle... on a rectangular plate. The free form lasagna almost reminded me of a crepe or wrap folded over. I thought it was quite visually appealing, and it tasted great. It was chock full of vegetables and spinach. Yum!
Briana even enjoyed parts of the lasagna. Of course, she seems to enjoy eating anything edible... or non-edible for that matter. Needless to say, I would definitely recommend the free from lasagna.
All in all, it was good to get out of the house and enjoy dinner at Not Your Average Joe's yesterday. Thank you again, Shirley!
Monday, August 15, 2011
I Suck At Buying A Grill
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts had a tax free weekend this past weekend. In the past, Karen and I have generally waited for this weekend to make what is for us... a big ticket item purchase. This weekend was no different.
On the agenda for this weekend: buying a new grill. Now, I suck at buying a grill. Our previous grill had to be replaced because the knobs literally melted off. I have no idea how that happened. One fateful day last year, when I was cooking on the grill, I went to turn the knob that controlled the flame intensity... and the knob oozed right off. It was interesting.
Thankfully, my town recycles metal. In the meantime, I have been without a grill for what seems like an eternity. It has been especially difficult during this summer because Karen and I generally grill a lot of food.
Granted, I could have purchased a grill at any time since that knob incident. But for anyone who doesn't know me, I like to analyze things... sometimes a little bit too much. (Not to quote my favorite brother-in-law, but "that's what I do".) So naturally, I looked into various grills. And for anyone curious, my previous grill was a present, so I did not need to do any research for it.
For the longest time, I kept debating about getting a Weber grill. Every review I had come across mentioned Weber as being one of the best manufacturers of grills. The products are supposed to be well-built. The down side, of course, is cost. Weber grills are generally more expensive than other grills. I am guessing it is because of its quality brand.
And naturally, I kept my eyes open for any sales on Weber grills this past year. Unfortunately, I never found a deal. So with the upcoming tax free weekend, I decided to just bite the bullet and buy a Weber grill.
I decided to purchase the Weber grill at the local Curry Hardware only because they had the best deal going. They were giving an additional 6.25% discount on all items purchased during the tax free weekend. Plus, I had a $5 reward coupon that came in the mail. Thus, it only made sense to get the grill at Curry Hardware.
So off I went to purchase the Weber grill. Unfortunately, I came to learn that Curry Hardware actually assembles the grills on site. As a result, when you buy the grill, you take the grill right from the store already assembled. Normally, that's not a bad thing, because who really likes to waste time assembling a grill? For me, however, buying the grill already assembled was a problem because I drive a tiny car. As it turns out, even buying the grill in its original manufactured box would have been a problem for my tiny car.
Unable to find an able-bodied friend or relative who owned an SUV or a truck, I then debated about the Weber grill. I returned home to mull over the available options.
After much deliberation, I returned to Curry Hardware to get the smaller portable Weber grill known as the Q 200. The Q 200 may not have been the hulking stand alone behemoth like the other grills, but at least it fit in my car. And realistically, I don't grill for that many people. So the size of the Q 200 probably is enough for my family anyway.
And as it turns out, when I was putting the Weber Q 200 in the trunk of my car after the purchase, some random stranger approached me and complemented me on the grill. He was absolutely in love with the Q 200 and told me how great the product was. I thought it was pretty random, and nice at the same time. After all, it eased my mind to know that I was getting a quality product, even if it was not what I had originally set out to purchase. Of course, this random stranger could have been planted in the parking lot just for these occasions...
All in all, it was a good tax free weekend. And now I can grill again! Sweet!
On the agenda for this weekend: buying a new grill. Now, I suck at buying a grill. Our previous grill had to be replaced because the knobs literally melted off. I have no idea how that happened. One fateful day last year, when I was cooking on the grill, I went to turn the knob that controlled the flame intensity... and the knob oozed right off. It was interesting.
Thankfully, my town recycles metal. In the meantime, I have been without a grill for what seems like an eternity. It has been especially difficult during this summer because Karen and I generally grill a lot of food.
Granted, I could have purchased a grill at any time since that knob incident. But for anyone who doesn't know me, I like to analyze things... sometimes a little bit too much. (Not to quote my favorite brother-in-law, but "that's what I do".) So naturally, I looked into various grills. And for anyone curious, my previous grill was a present, so I did not need to do any research for it.
For the longest time, I kept debating about getting a Weber grill. Every review I had come across mentioned Weber as being one of the best manufacturers of grills. The products are supposed to be well-built. The down side, of course, is cost. Weber grills are generally more expensive than other grills. I am guessing it is because of its quality brand.
And naturally, I kept my eyes open for any sales on Weber grills this past year. Unfortunately, I never found a deal. So with the upcoming tax free weekend, I decided to just bite the bullet and buy a Weber grill.
I decided to purchase the Weber grill at the local Curry Hardware only because they had the best deal going. They were giving an additional 6.25% discount on all items purchased during the tax free weekend. Plus, I had a $5 reward coupon that came in the mail. Thus, it only made sense to get the grill at Curry Hardware.
So off I went to purchase the Weber grill. Unfortunately, I came to learn that Curry Hardware actually assembles the grills on site. As a result, when you buy the grill, you take the grill right from the store already assembled. Normally, that's not a bad thing, because who really likes to waste time assembling a grill? For me, however, buying the grill already assembled was a problem because I drive a tiny car. As it turns out, even buying the grill in its original manufactured box would have been a problem for my tiny car.
Unable to find an able-bodied friend or relative who owned an SUV or a truck, I then debated about the Weber grill. I returned home to mull over the available options.
After much deliberation, I returned to Curry Hardware to get the smaller portable Weber grill known as the Q 200. The Q 200 may not have been the hulking stand alone behemoth like the other grills, but at least it fit in my car. And realistically, I don't grill for that many people. So the size of the Q 200 probably is enough for my family anyway.
And as it turns out, when I was putting the Weber Q 200 in the trunk of my car after the purchase, some random stranger approached me and complemented me on the grill. He was absolutely in love with the Q 200 and told me how great the product was. I thought it was pretty random, and nice at the same time. After all, it eased my mind to know that I was getting a quality product, even if it was not what I had originally set out to purchase. Of course, this random stranger could have been planted in the parking lot just for these occasions...
All in all, it was a good tax free weekend. And now I can grill again! Sweet!
Saturday, August 13, 2011
I Suck At Storage Wars
Friday was the final beach day of my Onset vacation. I have never been one for hanging out at the beach. This year was different because I wanted to enjoy every moment with my sixteen month old daughter (Briana) at the beach. As it was her first time at the beach, I wanted to be there for her.
Anyway, it was a good beach day. I don't think Briana has quite grasped the concept of the beach yet. She seemed more interested in the sea gulls, the life guard tower, and sand. I, of course, was more interested in catching fish, making sand angels, and building sand castles. It was mission accomplished for me. Interestingly enough, there were a group of children who visited the beach and they likewise had similar interests in catching fish and building sand castles. I don't know what that says about me. All in all though, I would say Briana enjoyed her week at the beach.
Following the beach, I got sucked into a television series thanks to my friend (Andrea). Andrea introduced the A&E show, Storage Wars to Karen and me. Now, I suck at Storage Wars. I have never watched an episode of the series. I had seen commercials for the show but was never really interested because I thought... it looked stupid. After all, how entertaining can a show be about people who bid on storage lockers?
To my surprise, the show sucked me right in. Of course, it didn't help that on Friday, there was a marathon of back to back episodes on. It was insane as to how hooked I was on the show. Granted, I may have been a little dehydrated and not thinking straight due to the sun, but I just sat there on the couch watching episode after episode of Storage Wars. Thanks Andrea!
Anyway, it was a good beach day. I don't think Briana has quite grasped the concept of the beach yet. She seemed more interested in the sea gulls, the life guard tower, and sand. I, of course, was more interested in catching fish, making sand angels, and building sand castles. It was mission accomplished for me. Interestingly enough, there were a group of children who visited the beach and they likewise had similar interests in catching fish and building sand castles. I don't know what that says about me. All in all though, I would say Briana enjoyed her week at the beach.
Following the beach, I got sucked into a television series thanks to my friend (Andrea). Andrea introduced the A&E show, Storage Wars to Karen and me. Now, I suck at Storage Wars. I have never watched an episode of the series. I had seen commercials for the show but was never really interested because I thought... it looked stupid. After all, how entertaining can a show be about people who bid on storage lockers?
To my surprise, the show sucked me right in. Of course, it didn't help that on Friday, there was a marathon of back to back episodes on. It was insane as to how hooked I was on the show. Granted, I may have been a little dehydrated and not thinking straight due to the sun, but I just sat there on the couch watching episode after episode of Storage Wars. Thanks Andrea!
Friday, August 12, 2011
I Suck At The Lobster Pot
Thursday was a day of dining out.
In the morning, my friends (Marc, Kelley, Andrea), my BFF (Kerry), Karen, my sixteen month old daughter (Briana) and I went out for breakfast as a group. We haven't done breakfast together this week, so we figured that Thursday was as good a day as any.
The local place we went for breakfast was called Persy's Place. To be honest, I was not that impressed with Persy's Place. I had ordered the pancake sampler, choosing the blueberry pancake as my pancake. I thought the blueberry pancake just did not taste good. In fact, I enjoyed Karen's chocolate chip pancake much better. At first, I thought it was just me. But it turns out that Kerry was not too impressed either with her order, which was a short stack of blueberry pancakes. Maybe it's the blueberry pancakes. All in all, I was disappointed with Persy's Place.
Following breakfast, all of us basically headed off to the beach for some fun in the sun. Sadly, I think I may have had too much fun because I think I may have burned the top of my back. I have that stiff tight feeling around my shoulders. Bummer.
Anyway, Kerry's friend (Steve) was able to join us for some beach fun. Steve was able to come down after work and hang out. I think ever since the photo scavenger hunt that I organized last year, Marc, Kelley and Andrea have grown pretty fond of Steve. Nothing brings a group together like taking silly pictures, right?
Naturally, we decided to go out for dinner. Among the reasons for the group dinner was that Kelley had to get lobster. I'm not exactly sure how that tradition started, but I think it may have something to do with their Onset vacation from last year. So our quest for Kelley's lobster began.
Before we left of course, I called my friend (Cass) to wish him a happy birthday. So happy birthday Cass!
Anyway, the first place we tried was called Lindsey's Family Restaurant. The visit lasted for all of five minutes (from the car to the front of the building) because the place was absolutely packed. Rather than wait, we opted to try another place.
So next on the lobster tour was Barnacle Bill's Seafood. That visit lasted even shorter than Lindsey's as I drove into the parking lot and pretty much drove out of it. The consensus was that people in the other car did not want to eat in the car. There was a brief pause in the parking lot whereby a random stranger returning to her car from Barnacle Bill's told us that the Lobster Pot, which was also a nearby restaurant, had great food. Of course, I had to ask her the reason as to why if the Lobster Pot had such great food, why was she at Barnacle Bill's in the first place. (For anyone curious, she mentioned that it had to do with her kids tastes.)
Anyway, we finally ended up at The Lobster Pot. Now, I suck at the Lobster Pot. Luckily, all three restaurants were pretty close to one another.
I'm actually glad we ended up at the Lobster Pot because the food was delicious. I think I may have enjoyed Andrea's meal more than mine though. Andrea had fried scallops. I had a crab roll. But those scallops were amazing. They were not greasy at all. Karen had the "fish on a bun", which was basically a haddock sandwich. Briana apparently enjoyed the "fish on a bun" too, which was good considering her recent fickleness with protein. Go DHA!
All in all, I enjoyed the Lobster Pot. I can see why the Phantom Gourmet enjoyed it as well. For anyone curious, Kelley did end up with her lobster dinner. I thought it was funny how you could choose the lobster that you wanted to eat, much like how some steak places do that with steak. (And there were some big lobsters too.)
In the morning, my friends (Marc, Kelley, Andrea), my BFF (Kerry), Karen, my sixteen month old daughter (Briana) and I went out for breakfast as a group. We haven't done breakfast together this week, so we figured that Thursday was as good a day as any.
The local place we went for breakfast was called Persy's Place. To be honest, I was not that impressed with Persy's Place. I had ordered the pancake sampler, choosing the blueberry pancake as my pancake. I thought the blueberry pancake just did not taste good. In fact, I enjoyed Karen's chocolate chip pancake much better. At first, I thought it was just me. But it turns out that Kerry was not too impressed either with her order, which was a short stack of blueberry pancakes. Maybe it's the blueberry pancakes. All in all, I was disappointed with Persy's Place.
Following breakfast, all of us basically headed off to the beach for some fun in the sun. Sadly, I think I may have had too much fun because I think I may have burned the top of my back. I have that stiff tight feeling around my shoulders. Bummer.
Anyway, Kerry's friend (Steve) was able to join us for some beach fun. Steve was able to come down after work and hang out. I think ever since the photo scavenger hunt that I organized last year, Marc, Kelley and Andrea have grown pretty fond of Steve. Nothing brings a group together like taking silly pictures, right?
Naturally, we decided to go out for dinner. Among the reasons for the group dinner was that Kelley had to get lobster. I'm not exactly sure how that tradition started, but I think it may have something to do with their Onset vacation from last year. So our quest for Kelley's lobster began.
Before we left of course, I called my friend (Cass) to wish him a happy birthday. So happy birthday Cass!
Anyway, the first place we tried was called Lindsey's Family Restaurant. The visit lasted for all of five minutes (from the car to the front of the building) because the place was absolutely packed. Rather than wait, we opted to try another place.
So next on the lobster tour was Barnacle Bill's Seafood. That visit lasted even shorter than Lindsey's as I drove into the parking lot and pretty much drove out of it. The consensus was that people in the other car did not want to eat in the car. There was a brief pause in the parking lot whereby a random stranger returning to her car from Barnacle Bill's told us that the Lobster Pot, which was also a nearby restaurant, had great food. Of course, I had to ask her the reason as to why if the Lobster Pot had such great food, why was she at Barnacle Bill's in the first place. (For anyone curious, she mentioned that it had to do with her kids tastes.)
Anyway, we finally ended up at The Lobster Pot. Now, I suck at the Lobster Pot. Luckily, all three restaurants were pretty close to one another.
I'm actually glad we ended up at the Lobster Pot because the food was delicious. I think I may have enjoyed Andrea's meal more than mine though. Andrea had fried scallops. I had a crab roll. But those scallops were amazing. They were not greasy at all. Karen had the "fish on a bun", which was basically a haddock sandwich. Briana apparently enjoyed the "fish on a bun" too, which was good considering her recent fickleness with protein. Go DHA!
All in all, I enjoyed the Lobster Pot. I can see why the Phantom Gourmet enjoyed it as well. For anyone curious, Kelley did end up with her lobster dinner. I thought it was funny how you could choose the lobster that you wanted to eat, much like how some steak places do that with steak. (And there were some big lobsters too.)
I Suck At The Cape Cod Baseball League
On Wednesday, Karen and I decided to do something a little different besides hanging out at the beach. We decided to take a little ride to the Tihonet Village Market.
According to the company website, "The Tihonet Village Market is an old-fashioned country store specializing in locally grown and created items. Stop in for lunch at our deli, a fresh-baked treat, fresh local produce, and unique gifts. The Market is owned and operated by the A.D. Makepeace Company, a 150-year-old family-run company that has become the world's largest cranberry grower."
Karen happened upon an advertisement for the market while flipping through a local magazine. And since both Karen and I are fans of locally grown produce and all of that, we decided to take a road trip to the market.
Needless to say, the food there was absolutely delicious. Karen had the "Agawam" signature sandwich, while I had the "Screen House" on fresh home-made cranberry walnut bread. The sandwiches were huge and very delicious. I would recommend the Tihonet Village Market to anyone in Onset.
It's too bad our sixteen month old daughter (Briana) was asleep during the whole trip because she probably would have liked the sandwiches too. Well, that is assuming that she would have eaten it, or parts of it. Briana has been quite particular about meat lately. Perhaps next time she can experience it.
Anyway, following the Tihonet Village Market, we returned back to the beach house where we waited for our next meal: dinner. It turned out that this meal, by far, was the biggest grilled meal that my friends (Marc, Kelley, Andrea), my BFF (Kerry), Karen and I had together this week. At the rental house, I have mainly grilled all week, but I was happy to hand those duties off to Kelley on Wednesday.
After all, on the menu for the grill was steak tips and zucchini, with mashed potatoes and corn as sides. It was good. We actually ate fairly early because we had planned to go catch a Cape Cod Baseball League game.
Now, I suck at the Cape Cod Baseball League. I have never attended a Cape Cod Baseball League game. My only experience with the Cape Cod Baseball League was hearing about it from my college baseball coach who mentioned the league as one of the leagues he played in when he was young. So I was quite curious about attending the game.
The game happened to be between the Wareham Gatemen and the Falmouth Commodores. It was not just any regular game, it was the Western Division Finals. I must say, the game was great. The ballpark, which I assumed is used by the schools of Wareham, was amazing.
Anyway, the game was pretty memorable. I say that because we were able to take home a souvenir foul ball from the game. It just so happened that Karen, Briana, Marc and I were chatting behind one of the fences. As I had my back to the action, I heard the gasp of fans as one of the balls was popped foul. The next thing I know, Karen shields Briana, which is a good thing because the ball ricocheted off the back of her leg. And due to the kindness of strangers, the person who actually got the foul ball handed it to Briana. So Briana got to take home a souvenir from her first ever baseball game.
For anyone curious, the Wareham Gatemen ended up losing the game 3-1. I was quite surprised by that result because Wareham was leading 1-0 through 8 innings. We left after the 8th inning because Briana was tired (and it was late since the game was delayed by lightning). As well, the 8th inning was when the league did its raffle drawing. Marc, incidentally, won a raffle prize: a free Papa Gino's pizza.
Needless to say, it was a fun time. I'm glad we were able to go.
According to the company website, "The Tihonet Village Market is an old-fashioned country store specializing in locally grown and created items. Stop in for lunch at our deli, a fresh-baked treat, fresh local produce, and unique gifts. The Market is owned and operated by the A.D. Makepeace Company, a 150-year-old family-run company that has become the world's largest cranberry grower."
Karen happened upon an advertisement for the market while flipping through a local magazine. And since both Karen and I are fans of locally grown produce and all of that, we decided to take a road trip to the market.
Needless to say, the food there was absolutely delicious. Karen had the "Agawam" signature sandwich, while I had the "Screen House" on fresh home-made cranberry walnut bread. The sandwiches were huge and very delicious. I would recommend the Tihonet Village Market to anyone in Onset.
It's too bad our sixteen month old daughter (Briana) was asleep during the whole trip because she probably would have liked the sandwiches too. Well, that is assuming that she would have eaten it, or parts of it. Briana has been quite particular about meat lately. Perhaps next time she can experience it.
Anyway, following the Tihonet Village Market, we returned back to the beach house where we waited for our next meal: dinner. It turned out that this meal, by far, was the biggest grilled meal that my friends (Marc, Kelley, Andrea), my BFF (Kerry), Karen and I had together this week. At the rental house, I have mainly grilled all week, but I was happy to hand those duties off to Kelley on Wednesday.
After all, on the menu for the grill was steak tips and zucchini, with mashed potatoes and corn as sides. It was good. We actually ate fairly early because we had planned to go catch a Cape Cod Baseball League game.
Now, I suck at the Cape Cod Baseball League. I have never attended a Cape Cod Baseball League game. My only experience with the Cape Cod Baseball League was hearing about it from my college baseball coach who mentioned the league as one of the leagues he played in when he was young. So I was quite curious about attending the game.
The game happened to be between the Wareham Gatemen and the Falmouth Commodores. It was not just any regular game, it was the Western Division Finals. I must say, the game was great. The ballpark, which I assumed is used by the schools of Wareham, was amazing.
Anyway, the game was pretty memorable. I say that because we were able to take home a souvenir foul ball from the game. It just so happened that Karen, Briana, Marc and I were chatting behind one of the fences. As I had my back to the action, I heard the gasp of fans as one of the balls was popped foul. The next thing I know, Karen shields Briana, which is a good thing because the ball ricocheted off the back of her leg. And due to the kindness of strangers, the person who actually got the foul ball handed it to Briana. So Briana got to take home a souvenir from her first ever baseball game.
For anyone curious, the Wareham Gatemen ended up losing the game 3-1. I was quite surprised by that result because Wareham was leading 1-0 through 8 innings. We left after the 8th inning because Briana was tired (and it was late since the game was delayed by lightning). As well, the 8th inning was when the league did its raffle drawing. Marc, incidentally, won a raffle prize: a free Papa Gino's pizza.
Needless to say, it was a fun time. I'm glad we were able to go.
I Suck At Friday Night Lights
Tuesday was my stark realization that I have eaten way too much protein this vacation week. That fact came to my attention when I looked at my fingernails. Whenever I eat too much protein (or meat, in particular), my fingernails seem to quickly grow.
And naturally, I am not a big fan of having my nails long. Call me old-fashioned. As a result, I had to immediately clip my nails after noticing how long they were.
Aside from that, Tuesday was pretty much a low key day at the beach. The only other highlight for Tuesday was that my friend (Andrea) and I completed watching season 2 of Friday Night Lights on dvd. Yes, I suck at Friday Night Lights.
Friday Night Lights has been like a drug this vacation week. I can't stop watching episode after episode, which explains how I was able to finish the entire second season (albeit a short season due to the writer's strike) within four days.
Anyway, it was definitely exhausting to watch the episodes into the wee hours of night, but it was fun especially when you can watch it with a friend.
And naturally, I am not a big fan of having my nails long. Call me old-fashioned. As a result, I had to immediately clip my nails after noticing how long they were.
Aside from that, Tuesday was pretty much a low key day at the beach. The only other highlight for Tuesday was that my friend (Andrea) and I completed watching season 2 of Friday Night Lights on dvd. Yes, I suck at Friday Night Lights.
Friday Night Lights has been like a drug this vacation week. I can't stop watching episode after episode, which explains how I was able to finish the entire second season (albeit a short season due to the writer's strike) within four days.
Anyway, it was definitely exhausting to watch the episodes into the wee hours of night, but it was fun especially when you can watch it with a friend.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
I Suck At Nantucket
The planned excursion for Monday was the island of Nantucket. Now, I suck at Nantucket. I have never been to Nantucket. The only thing I know about Nantucket was that it was the location for the 1990s NBC show "Wings".
Regardless, Karen and I decided to give Nantucket a try and hope that our sixteen month old daughter (Briana) would do well during the excursion. Plus, Monday also happened to be our friend's (Andrea) birthday. As Andrea wanted to go to Nantucket to celebrate her birthday, all of us including my friends (Marc, Kelley) and my BFF (Kerry) did our best to make her wishes come true.
In the morning, however, we did have a slight hiccup. We ended up taking the regular ferry over to Nantucket instead of the high speed ferry as originally planned. I personally didn't mind it. After all, it gave me time to work on my creative side. After all of us devoured an entire bag of Starburst candy, I decided to craft a necklace from the candy wrappers, complete with a Starburst wrapper charm. The Starburst bag itself was used to house the necklace (much like the box used when purchasing a necklace from a jewelry store). As it was Andrea's birthday, I gave her my creation. And to Andrea's credit, she did wear the necklace for the entire ride.
There was a lot of time to kill during the ferry ride. I still think it would have been cool to get everyone on the ferry to sing Happy Birthday to Andrea. Unfortunately, I could not convince anyone else to go along with my scheme.
Anyway, we split up once we arrived in Nantucket. Marc, Kelley, Andrea and Kerry headed off to the vineyard for some libations. Karen, Briana and I did the usual tourist activities. (For anyone curious, Marc, Kelley, Andrea and Kerry saw Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live fame at the vineyard.)
Although probably not as exciting as seeing a celebrity, Karen and I did the family thing and took Briana to Brant Point in Nantucket to see the lighthouse. The lighthouse was pretty nice and the beach there was great. Briana actually took quite the nap while at the beach. When she did wake up from her nap, she amassed quite the collection of sea shells.
Needless to say, Brant Point was nice and relaxing. We eventually met back up with the rest of the group later in the day, grabbing a bite to eat at a restaurant called Cy's. The food was pretty good there. And since there was some time to kill before the next ferry departed, we decided to take a stroll around the square. And yes, things like clothes are ridiculously priced there in my opinion, which is understandable since it is an island after all. I got a kick out of the real estate listings. There was one house on sale for $21.5 million. I'm thinking that after the 21 million, is the extra half a million really a deal breaker?
Anyway, Nantucket was very scenic. I would have loved to explore more of the island. Perhaps next time if I do get to go again, I'd rent a bike so that I could explore more. It seems like everyone has bikes there. Bikes... and dogs. The place seems very family friendly. I wonder if most of the people from Nantucket are in good shape from all that biking.
Regardless, I had a great time at Nantucket with everyone. But all good things must come to an end. Consequently, we took the high speed ferry back, which was also my first time taking the high speed ferry. The pros about taking the high speed ferry: comfortable seats, air conditioning, time saved; The cons: not many places to walk around especially when you have a curious sixteen month old who wants to go exploring. I must have walked the entire ferry at least 20 times.
As a side note, a random stranger stopped me on the high speed ferry and complemented me on my t-shirt. Apparently, the stranger got a kick out of what was written on the front of the shirt. My t-shirt read "No I will not fix your computer" across the front. The t-shirt was a present from my mother-in-law because she knew I worked with computers and was prone to being asked to fix all things computer related in the family.
Interestingly enough, it was actually the second time during the day that my t-shirt came up. It just so happened that when Karen and I went to purchase the tickets for the high speed ferry that the employees for the ferry company (Hy-line) were complaining about the computers. Apparently after they were complaining about the computers, I walked in... with the t-shirt, which made the employees chuckle.
Anyway, it was a fun day. I hope Andrea enjoyed her birthday with all of us. I know I had fun.
Regardless, Karen and I decided to give Nantucket a try and hope that our sixteen month old daughter (Briana) would do well during the excursion. Plus, Monday also happened to be our friend's (Andrea) birthday. As Andrea wanted to go to Nantucket to celebrate her birthday, all of us including my friends (Marc, Kelley) and my BFF (Kerry) did our best to make her wishes come true.
In the morning, however, we did have a slight hiccup. We ended up taking the regular ferry over to Nantucket instead of the high speed ferry as originally planned. I personally didn't mind it. After all, it gave me time to work on my creative side. After all of us devoured an entire bag of Starburst candy, I decided to craft a necklace from the candy wrappers, complete with a Starburst wrapper charm. The Starburst bag itself was used to house the necklace (much like the box used when purchasing a necklace from a jewelry store). As it was Andrea's birthday, I gave her my creation. And to Andrea's credit, she did wear the necklace for the entire ride.
There was a lot of time to kill during the ferry ride. I still think it would have been cool to get everyone on the ferry to sing Happy Birthday to Andrea. Unfortunately, I could not convince anyone else to go along with my scheme.
Anyway, we split up once we arrived in Nantucket. Marc, Kelley, Andrea and Kerry headed off to the vineyard for some libations. Karen, Briana and I did the usual tourist activities. (For anyone curious, Marc, Kelley, Andrea and Kerry saw Seth Meyers of Saturday Night Live fame at the vineyard.)
Although probably not as exciting as seeing a celebrity, Karen and I did the family thing and took Briana to Brant Point in Nantucket to see the lighthouse. The lighthouse was pretty nice and the beach there was great. Briana actually took quite the nap while at the beach. When she did wake up from her nap, she amassed quite the collection of sea shells.
Needless to say, Brant Point was nice and relaxing. We eventually met back up with the rest of the group later in the day, grabbing a bite to eat at a restaurant called Cy's. The food was pretty good there. And since there was some time to kill before the next ferry departed, we decided to take a stroll around the square. And yes, things like clothes are ridiculously priced there in my opinion, which is understandable since it is an island after all. I got a kick out of the real estate listings. There was one house on sale for $21.5 million. I'm thinking that after the 21 million, is the extra half a million really a deal breaker?
Anyway, Nantucket was very scenic. I would have loved to explore more of the island. Perhaps next time if I do get to go again, I'd rent a bike so that I could explore more. It seems like everyone has bikes there. Bikes... and dogs. The place seems very family friendly. I wonder if most of the people from Nantucket are in good shape from all that biking.
Regardless, I had a great time at Nantucket with everyone. But all good things must come to an end. Consequently, we took the high speed ferry back, which was also my first time taking the high speed ferry. The pros about taking the high speed ferry: comfortable seats, air conditioning, time saved; The cons: not many places to walk around especially when you have a curious sixteen month old who wants to go exploring. I must have walked the entire ferry at least 20 times.
As a side note, a random stranger stopped me on the high speed ferry and complemented me on my t-shirt. Apparently, the stranger got a kick out of what was written on the front of the shirt. My t-shirt read "No I will not fix your computer" across the front. The t-shirt was a present from my mother-in-law because she knew I worked with computers and was prone to being asked to fix all things computer related in the family.
Interestingly enough, it was actually the second time during the day that my t-shirt came up. It just so happened that when Karen and I went to purchase the tickets for the high speed ferry that the employees for the ferry company (Hy-line) were complaining about the computers. Apparently after they were complaining about the computers, I walked in... with the t-shirt, which made the employees chuckle.
Anyway, it was a fun day. I hope Andrea enjoyed her birthday with all of us. I know I had fun.
I Suck At The Cape Cod Children's Museum
With the downpour on Sunday, Karen and I decided to take our sixteen month old daughter (Briana) out to Mashpee. What is in Mashpee besides Native American culture? For anyone curious, according to Wikipedia "the town's name is an Anglicization of a native name, mass-nippe, where mass is 'great', or 'greater' (see Massachusetts), and nippe is 'water.' The name has been translated as 'the greater cove' or 'great pond' or 'land near great cove', where the water being referenced is Wakeby Lake, which is greater at one end."
It so happens that the Cape Cod Children's Museum is in Mashpee. So while Karen and I were on vacation, we decided to pay the museum a little visit during the downpour.
Now, I suck at the Cape Cod Children's Museum, but it was a good thing that we got there bright and early. Had we arrived any later, we would have had to wait in line to get in, which probably was not the best considering it was raining outside.
Like any children's museum, this place was chock full of children of all ages. There were plenty of activities to choose from. I'm not sure which activity Briana enjoyed the most. She seemed to enjoy getting her little hands on everything that she could. Heck, I even enjoyed getting my little hands on everything I could.
And naturally, there was the usual non-attentive parent at the museum who thought that just because the museum is a children's museum that it instantly means free day care. An announcement to find the parent of some child had to be made over the loud speaker because the parent was too busy reading an e-reader to pay any attention to his child. Interestingly enough, after the parent went to pick up his child, the same parent promptly went back to letting his kid run amok again while he returned to reading. I am thinking father of the year award.
Regardless, the children's museum was good. I think Briana enjoyed it, which is really what mattered the most to me. Karen seems to really get a kick out of the pirate picture that we took of Briana there too. She held Briana high enough so that her head stuck out through the pirate head cutout. It was cute.
It so happens that the Cape Cod Children's Museum is in Mashpee. So while Karen and I were on vacation, we decided to pay the museum a little visit during the downpour.
Now, I suck at the Cape Cod Children's Museum, but it was a good thing that we got there bright and early. Had we arrived any later, we would have had to wait in line to get in, which probably was not the best considering it was raining outside.
Like any children's museum, this place was chock full of children of all ages. There were plenty of activities to choose from. I'm not sure which activity Briana enjoyed the most. She seemed to enjoy getting her little hands on everything that she could. Heck, I even enjoyed getting my little hands on everything I could.
And naturally, there was the usual non-attentive parent at the museum who thought that just because the museum is a children's museum that it instantly means free day care. An announcement to find the parent of some child had to be made over the loud speaker because the parent was too busy reading an e-reader to pay any attention to his child. Interestingly enough, after the parent went to pick up his child, the same parent promptly went back to letting his kid run amok again while he returned to reading. I am thinking father of the year award.
Regardless, the children's museum was good. I think Briana enjoyed it, which is really what mattered the most to me. Karen seems to really get a kick out of the pirate picture that we took of Briana there too. She held Briana high enough so that her head stuck out through the pirate head cutout. It was cute.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
I Suck At Onset
Starting today, Karen, my sixteen month old daughter (Briana) and I will be in scenic Onset for the entire week. Yes, it's true. I suck at Onset. The last time Karen and I were in Onset was over two years ago.
At that time, it was just Karen and I along with our friend (Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry). I had a great time. After all, what could be better than hanging out with friends and having fun for a week... and eating as much ice cream as humanly possible within a one week period.
Well, fast forward two years. This time around, Kerry was able to get the two adjoining houses during the same week from the same renter she used two years ago (and last year as well). Thus, in one of the houses was Kerry and my friends (Marc and Kelley); In the other house was Karen, Briana, Andrea and I.
Apparently, this was the week to come to Onset. After all, the annual blues festival was being held today in Onset. For anyone curious, it was the 19th annual blues festival. At the same time, the Pan Mass Challenge was taking place in Onset. And who was riding this year in the Pan Mass Challenge? None other than the most famous cyclist in U.S. history, Lance Armstrong.
Needless to say, seeing Lance Armstrong ride down the streets of Onset made Kerry's day. (Kerry is a fan of all things Tour de France) Personally, I think all riders look the same.
Anyway, it was a good start to the vacation week. After grabbing a bite to eat at Marc Anthony's, we hung out at the beach. For Briana, this was her first time at the beach. So I was curious as to how she would react to the sand and all of that. She seemed to enjoy it well enough, especially the sand. And really, what's not to like with the sun and cool breeze on the beach?
And as an added bonus, the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority happened to be on the beach. For anyone curious, sororities are nothing like television. Like television's depiction of cheerleaders, sorority girls are not what one would normally expect. Well, they are not what I would expect. I expect shiny objects. I was so wrong.
Following the veg out period at the beach, a few of us headed to the grocery store before grilling some burgers and hot dogs. And by grilling, I mean having the owner of our adjoining houses grill our burgers and dogs. It was pure coincidence that they were using the grill when we were getting hungry. So we were lucky enough to have them grill our food for us. What service!
After dinner, I spent the rest of the night at the house while everyone else went out for ice cream. I was actually glad that Karen got to go out with everyone. She doesn't get to go out with everyone when it's just her. So it was nice that she was able to do it tonight.
So while they were out getting ice cream, I did what any normal closet fan would do. I watched Friday Night Lights... season 2. I'm not sure if Briana quite likes the show since she was crying practically for the entire first episode. Granted, she was put down to go to bed before I started watching the dvd. Yes, my daughter does not like going to sleep. She will cry, wail and scream herself to sleep. Of course, I would never admit it, but it breaks my heart at times to hear her cry and scream.
But once she does go down, she is good. I sometimes think that Briana thinks she is missing out on what is going on by going to bed. If she only knew the truth... that her daddy is watching countless episodes of Friday Night Lights back to back. Oh well. I guess she is like me that way (since it's well past three in the morning and I am still up). She just likes to be up.
Anyway, today was a great day. It was a nice start to the vacation.
At that time, it was just Karen and I along with our friend (Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry). I had a great time. After all, what could be better than hanging out with friends and having fun for a week... and eating as much ice cream as humanly possible within a one week period.
Well, fast forward two years. This time around, Kerry was able to get the two adjoining houses during the same week from the same renter she used two years ago (and last year as well). Thus, in one of the houses was Kerry and my friends (Marc and Kelley); In the other house was Karen, Briana, Andrea and I.
Apparently, this was the week to come to Onset. After all, the annual blues festival was being held today in Onset. For anyone curious, it was the 19th annual blues festival. At the same time, the Pan Mass Challenge was taking place in Onset. And who was riding this year in the Pan Mass Challenge? None other than the most famous cyclist in U.S. history, Lance Armstrong.
Needless to say, seeing Lance Armstrong ride down the streets of Onset made Kerry's day. (Kerry is a fan of all things Tour de France) Personally, I think all riders look the same.
Anyway, it was a good start to the vacation week. After grabbing a bite to eat at Marc Anthony's, we hung out at the beach. For Briana, this was her first time at the beach. So I was curious as to how she would react to the sand and all of that. She seemed to enjoy it well enough, especially the sand. And really, what's not to like with the sun and cool breeze on the beach?
And as an added bonus, the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority happened to be on the beach. For anyone curious, sororities are nothing like television. Like television's depiction of cheerleaders, sorority girls are not what one would normally expect. Well, they are not what I would expect. I expect shiny objects. I was so wrong.
Following the veg out period at the beach, a few of us headed to the grocery store before grilling some burgers and hot dogs. And by grilling, I mean having the owner of our adjoining houses grill our burgers and dogs. It was pure coincidence that they were using the grill when we were getting hungry. So we were lucky enough to have them grill our food for us. What service!
After dinner, I spent the rest of the night at the house while everyone else went out for ice cream. I was actually glad that Karen got to go out with everyone. She doesn't get to go out with everyone when it's just her. So it was nice that she was able to do it tonight.
So while they were out getting ice cream, I did what any normal closet fan would do. I watched Friday Night Lights... season 2. I'm not sure if Briana quite likes the show since she was crying practically for the entire first episode. Granted, she was put down to go to bed before I started watching the dvd. Yes, my daughter does not like going to sleep. She will cry, wail and scream herself to sleep. Of course, I would never admit it, but it breaks my heart at times to hear her cry and scream.
But once she does go down, she is good. I sometimes think that Briana thinks she is missing out on what is going on by going to bed. If she only knew the truth... that her daddy is watching countless episodes of Friday Night Lights back to back. Oh well. I guess she is like me that way (since it's well past three in the morning and I am still up). She just likes to be up.
Anyway, today was a great day. It was a nice start to the vacation.
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