On Saturday, my BFF (Kerry) invited my friends and I up to Salem. If seeing my BFF weren't a good enough reason, sweetening the deal was the fact that Kerry was making dinner for everyone. And everyone knows I sure do love to eat.
Anyway, one of Kerry's specialties, aside from grilled cheese and baking, is pulled pork. Now I suck at pulled pork. My friend (Marc) thoroughly enjoys her pulled pork. I'm not exactly sure how the plans got set into motion, but Kerry decided to invite a bunch of us to have a pulled pork dinner.
And it just so happens that my friend (Joanna) was also back in Massachusetts. Hooray! Joanna lives in Oregon. As she could not come back for Christmas, she chose to fly back this past weekend instead. It was actually a nice coincidence because the week before, Karen and I thought about Joanna because we saw her picture hanging at the 99 Restaurant in Quincy.
Anyway, Karen, my twenty two month old daughter (Briana) and I picked up Joanna and my friend (Jen) in Quincy. It made for a nice ride up to Salem because I don't get to see Jen or Joanna that much. And apparently, Briana seems to love Joanna. She kept playing with Joanna in the back seat. (She tried to steal her iPhone the last time too.)
Needless to say, it was good to hang out and see everyone on Saturday. In addition to us, my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) were also joining the shindig. Sadly, Kerry's friend (Sam) could not join the festivities. Sam "I love [insert food here]" was a little under the weather. I poke fun at Sam only because when I first met her, she said that she loved every single food that was being served, even the obscure ones like quinoa. I thought that was pretty funny.
The pulled pork dinner was good. Interestingly enough, Karen and I discovered that Trader Joe's makes a deliciously sweet corn bread. It was awesome as far as corn bread goes. Well, Karen and I enjoyed it. Of course, I enjoyed everything: the pork, the green beans, the mashed potatoes, etc. As a tidbit of information, I found out that Jen loves green beans. She was hoping that green beans would be served... and what do you know? They were!
Before we dove into the ice cream for dessert, we had fun just hanging out amid the free MMA fight that night. Among the topics of discussion that I remember: the SodaStream soda maker and strokes. For anyone curious, Jen's brother (Bill) got a fully operational popcorn maker. I think it was either the popcorn maker or the SodaStream... and popcorn won. As for strokes, that topic came about because it was a concern for Andrea. Andrea was afraid that she may be exhibiting warning signs for strokes. Of course, I think it's the booze that's causing her slurred speech, but that's just me. Just kidding.
All in all, it was a great night. Surprisingly enough, Briana was actually good for the entire night. I had my doubts, but she was good. Briana crashed on the ride home, but she didn't miss much... just a discussion about the Amazing Race and Jen's warm behind. The former was about how Joanna was my original choice as a partner for the show. One of the reasons was that Joanna knew how to drive standard. Sadly, I don't know how to drive standard. As for the latter, that had to do with the seat warming option in our car. Fun stuff.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
I Suck At Wild Willy's Burgers
On Prince Spaghetti Wednesday, Karen, my twenty two month old daughter (Briana) and I met up with our friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea). On the agenda for the night: Wild Willy's Burgers located in Quincy.
Now, I suck at Wild Willy's Burgers. I've never been. So based on Marc's suggestion, all of us decided to grab a bite to eat at Wild Willy's on Wednesday. For anyone curious, I had the "Buffalo Bill". And for any Silence of the Lambs fans out there, I did not tuck or do the dance.
Anyway, the "Buffalo Bill" is a burger made from... you guessed it... buffalo. It was good. Of course, I was starving, so anything probably would have tasted good to me that day. And yes, in addition to devouring the burger, I devoured the remains of Andrea's burger and Karen's burger... and their fries too. That's how hungry I was. Hey, I didn't get my current body shape from portion control.
Aside from Wild Willy's, I'm afraid I don't recall too much from the night. My twenty two month old daughter (Briana) was not exactly behaving well on Wednesday. Sure, she kept purposely spraying herself in the face with a spray bottle, but that's not what I meant about behaving badly. Briana just wasn't herself that night.
As a result, Karen and I actually had to cut the night short. We did, however, get to catch part of the Nerdist, in which Nathan Fillion of Castle/Dr. Horrible/Serenity fame appeared. The parts we saw were pretty comical.
All in all, it was good to see everyone while it lasted.
Now, I suck at Wild Willy's Burgers. I've never been. So based on Marc's suggestion, all of us decided to grab a bite to eat at Wild Willy's on Wednesday. For anyone curious, I had the "Buffalo Bill". And for any Silence of the Lambs fans out there, I did not tuck or do the dance.
Anyway, the "Buffalo Bill" is a burger made from... you guessed it... buffalo. It was good. Of course, I was starving, so anything probably would have tasted good to me that day. And yes, in addition to devouring the burger, I devoured the remains of Andrea's burger and Karen's burger... and their fries too. That's how hungry I was. Hey, I didn't get my current body shape from portion control.
Aside from Wild Willy's, I'm afraid I don't recall too much from the night. My twenty two month old daughter (Briana) was not exactly behaving well on Wednesday. Sure, she kept purposely spraying herself in the face with a spray bottle, but that's not what I meant about behaving badly. Briana just wasn't herself that night.
As a result, Karen and I actually had to cut the night short. We did, however, get to catch part of the Nerdist, in which Nathan Fillion of Castle/Dr. Horrible/Serenity fame appeared. The parts we saw were pretty comical.
All in all, it was good to see everyone while it lasted.
Monday, January 23, 2012
I Suck At The AFC Championships
My Sunday began with a little visit to Nana. Karen's Nana resides in a nursing home in the mean streets of South Boston. As Karen has been ill for what seemed like forever, we did not get a chance to see Nana during the holidays. I joke with Karen saying that she had the case of the Amys... so named because my friend (Hot Amy) is notorious for being sick. Hot Amy is also notorious for being a bad dancer and being prone to losing competitions, but I have yet to figure out a way to use her name in those contexts.
Regardless, as Karen has seemingly gotten rid of her virus, we decided to visit Nana and bring her a little overdue Christmas present. The visit was good. I think our twenty two month old daughter (Briana) had a field day. She was the center of attention, not just from my mother-in-law, my father-in-law and nana, but a bunch of random elderly people, random staff members, you name it. She loved it. (She is so going to be in for a rude awakening when the next baby comes.)
After the visit, we decided to have lunch with my in-laws at the 99 Restaurant located in Quincy. My father-in-law originally planned to have pastrami at the nursing home, but apparently was overruled by my mother-in-law. Feeling bad, I suggested going out for lunch instead. Hence, we ended up at the 99 since my father-in-law likes the place.
Anyway, lunch was good. I had the fish and chips. But that really isn't the best part of the lunch. The best part of the lunch was that I got to see my friend (Joanna). I did not see her in person. The 99 is decorated with pictures of local high school sports teams hanging on its walls. It just so happens that Joanna's swim team from her senior year is pictured in the corner. Naturally, I got a kick out of it.
Karen used to be pictured at the same 99 for cross country. I remember that picture well because there was an autograph on it from one of her teammates which I thought was a riot. Someone actually signed their picture? Sadly, Karen's cross country picture has been removed. I'm still waiting for my picture to some day appear. Come on 99, what about the class of 1992?
After a busy day, I headed off to my friends' (Marc and Kelley) to watch the AFC Championship game. Also in attendance were my friend (Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry). It was a good day to be a New England Patriots fan on Sunday as they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-20. Too bad I suck at the AFC Championships. Although truthfully, I would say Billy Cundiff, the kicker for the Ravens probably feels like he sucks since he missed that easy chip shot of a field goal. And I must give kudos to Tom Brady for admitting on national television that he sucked too that day... because he did.
Nevertheless, it was fun to hang out with everyone especially my BFF. Among some of the topics I remember from Sunday were the troubles Kerry had attempting to scuba dive, her joy for zip lining, and her apparent desire to find a significant other who does not have any eating issues. I only remember the last one because I thought that was quite ironic since Kerry has a very limited palate. And of course, I could not forget that Marc had us watch a YouTube clip featuring movie lines to the song of Lionel Ritchie's "Hello".
(The video below is that aforementioned "Hello" video.)
"Hello. Is it me you're looking for? I can see it in your eyes..."
Classic. Anyway, it was a very enjoyable Sunday.
Regardless, as Karen has seemingly gotten rid of her virus, we decided to visit Nana and bring her a little overdue Christmas present. The visit was good. I think our twenty two month old daughter (Briana) had a field day. She was the center of attention, not just from my mother-in-law, my father-in-law and nana, but a bunch of random elderly people, random staff members, you name it. She loved it. (She is so going to be in for a rude awakening when the next baby comes.)
After the visit, we decided to have lunch with my in-laws at the 99 Restaurant located in Quincy. My father-in-law originally planned to have pastrami at the nursing home, but apparently was overruled by my mother-in-law. Feeling bad, I suggested going out for lunch instead. Hence, we ended up at the 99 since my father-in-law likes the place.
Anyway, lunch was good. I had the fish and chips. But that really isn't the best part of the lunch. The best part of the lunch was that I got to see my friend (Joanna). I did not see her in person. The 99 is decorated with pictures of local high school sports teams hanging on its walls. It just so happens that Joanna's swim team from her senior year is pictured in the corner. Naturally, I got a kick out of it.
Karen used to be pictured at the same 99 for cross country. I remember that picture well because there was an autograph on it from one of her teammates which I thought was a riot. Someone actually signed their picture? Sadly, Karen's cross country picture has been removed. I'm still waiting for my picture to some day appear. Come on 99, what about the class of 1992?
After a busy day, I headed off to my friends' (Marc and Kelley) to watch the AFC Championship game. Also in attendance were my friend (Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry). It was a good day to be a New England Patriots fan on Sunday as they defeated the Baltimore Ravens 23-20. Too bad I suck at the AFC Championships. Although truthfully, I would say Billy Cundiff, the kicker for the Ravens probably feels like he sucks since he missed that easy chip shot of a field goal. And I must give kudos to Tom Brady for admitting on national television that he sucked too that day... because he did.
Nevertheless, it was fun to hang out with everyone especially my BFF. Among some of the topics I remember from Sunday were the troubles Kerry had attempting to scuba dive, her joy for zip lining, and her apparent desire to find a significant other who does not have any eating issues. I only remember the last one because I thought that was quite ironic since Kerry has a very limited palate. And of course, I could not forget that Marc had us watch a YouTube clip featuring movie lines to the song of Lionel Ritchie's "Hello".
(The video below is that aforementioned "Hello" video.)
"Hello. Is it me you're looking for? I can see it in your eyes..."
Classic. Anyway, it was a very enjoyable Sunday.
I Suck At Chinese New Year
Saturday started off with a very nice treat. The day prior, my friend (Aimee) sent me a link about how Friendly's was offering free Fribbles as a sign of customer appreciation. The offer was too good to pass up. (Thanks Aimee!) Naturally, Karen and I decided to treat our twenty two month old daughter (Briana) as well.
So off we went to Friendly's for our Fribbles. Might I add, the Fribbles were very delicious. Briana even enjoyed hers. She looked happy as a clam sucking down her strawberry Fribble. I don't think I've ever seen her so content.
Anyway, later that night all of us went over to my parents for dinner. My parents hosted their annual Chinese New Year celebration dinner. Too bad I suck at Chinese New Year. For anyone curious, the Chinese new year is today. It's early this year. And it so happens to be the year of the Dragon, which is supposed to bring good fortune. I actually think this year is a water dragon, which means water will be powerful this year. So beware of floods.
My friends (Marc and Kelley) came to my parents' dinner this year. All this time, I never realized that Marc actually wanted to partake in the dinner. Consequently, I had never invited him and Kelley during the celebration of Chinese New Year. Oops! So this year was the first time they attended the dinner.
Also in attendance were my mother-in-law and father-in-law, my cousin (Betty) and her son (Marvin), and my friends (Andrea, Jen and Bill). Normally, as with most family gatherings, I get a little stressed particularly because I'm running around between helping my parents with the food and entertaining their guests. This year, however, was a much different story.
I was definitely more relaxed than in past dinners. I think probably the reason was Briana and her ability to entertain everyone while I helped my parents. Needless to say, I thought dinner was great. I enjoyed the food that my parents made. It was delicious and definitely better tasting than the food from Chinese restaurants. But of course, I could be biased.
I must say, however, that I feel like I did not get to socialize as much as I would have liked. Poor Bill spent a good chunk of time watching some awful Chinese soap opera with my cousin. I did, however, find out that Jen has already made an appointment for her driving test. She's taking the test some time in February, which is pretty exciting.
Anyway, like I said, it was a great night celebrating Chinese New Year with family and friends.
So off we went to Friendly's for our Fribbles. Might I add, the Fribbles were very delicious. Briana even enjoyed hers. She looked happy as a clam sucking down her strawberry Fribble. I don't think I've ever seen her so content.
Anyway, later that night all of us went over to my parents for dinner. My parents hosted their annual Chinese New Year celebration dinner. Too bad I suck at Chinese New Year. For anyone curious, the Chinese new year is today. It's early this year. And it so happens to be the year of the Dragon, which is supposed to bring good fortune. I actually think this year is a water dragon, which means water will be powerful this year. So beware of floods.
My friends (Marc and Kelley) came to my parents' dinner this year. All this time, I never realized that Marc actually wanted to partake in the dinner. Consequently, I had never invited him and Kelley during the celebration of Chinese New Year. Oops! So this year was the first time they attended the dinner.
Also in attendance were my mother-in-law and father-in-law, my cousin (Betty) and her son (Marvin), and my friends (Andrea, Jen and Bill). Normally, as with most family gatherings, I get a little stressed particularly because I'm running around between helping my parents with the food and entertaining their guests. This year, however, was a much different story.
I was definitely more relaxed than in past dinners. I think probably the reason was Briana and her ability to entertain everyone while I helped my parents. Needless to say, I thought dinner was great. I enjoyed the food that my parents made. It was delicious and definitely better tasting than the food from Chinese restaurants. But of course, I could be biased.
I must say, however, that I feel like I did not get to socialize as much as I would have liked. Poor Bill spent a good chunk of time watching some awful Chinese soap opera with my cousin. I did, however, find out that Jen has already made an appointment for her driving test. She's taking the test some time in February, which is pretty exciting.
Anyway, like I said, it was a great night celebrating Chinese New Year with family and friends.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
I Suck At Drinking Made Easy
Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti night. Naturally, Karen, our twenty two month old daughter (Briana) and I did not eat spaghetti for dinner. We had pizza instead. But that is beside the point.
Yesterday, my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) came over to hang out. On the agenda for the night: Drinking Made Easy. Now, I suck at Drinking Made Easy.
For anyone curious, Drinking Made Easy is a show on HDNet. Last week, we had accidentally discovered the show (because who really knows that there is a station called HDNet?). The show stars Zane Lamprey, of Three Sheets fame. The premise of the show is that Zane and his friend, Steve, travel around the United States visiting local pubs. Essentially, it is a pub crawl show. Get paid to drink? Brilliant!
Needless to say, Andrea appears to be very taken with the show. She seemed awfully excited about visiting the show's website to purchase some schwag. In particular, I think she was quite intrigued by the baseball cap with the bottle opener built into the lid, which is an interesting concept.
Anyway, it was a fun night as usual. I think Kelley may have been a little disheartened though because she turned down her most recent job offer. The offer was not what she had expected. That is a bummer. Perhaps Andrea has the right idea: they should find a way to get paid to drink, much like Zane Lamprey... or even Hoda and Kathie Lee.
I always disliked job hunting. Although what probably drives me more insane is actually interviewing for a job, being offered the job, only to be told later that the job is no longer available due to budget constraints. Yes, that has happened to me. It's like the company was dangling a carrot out in front of me. And I think what is even more maddening is that I would probably still work for that company if they offered me the job again.
Regardless, it was good to hang out and laugh with everyone.
Yesterday, my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) came over to hang out. On the agenda for the night: Drinking Made Easy. Now, I suck at Drinking Made Easy.
For anyone curious, Drinking Made Easy is a show on HDNet. Last week, we had accidentally discovered the show (because who really knows that there is a station called HDNet?). The show stars Zane Lamprey, of Three Sheets fame. The premise of the show is that Zane and his friend, Steve, travel around the United States visiting local pubs. Essentially, it is a pub crawl show. Get paid to drink? Brilliant!
Needless to say, Andrea appears to be very taken with the show. She seemed awfully excited about visiting the show's website to purchase some schwag. In particular, I think she was quite intrigued by the baseball cap with the bottle opener built into the lid, which is an interesting concept.
Anyway, it was a fun night as usual. I think Kelley may have been a little disheartened though because she turned down her most recent job offer. The offer was not what she had expected. That is a bummer. Perhaps Andrea has the right idea: they should find a way to get paid to drink, much like Zane Lamprey... or even Hoda and Kathie Lee.
I always disliked job hunting. Although what probably drives me more insane is actually interviewing for a job, being offered the job, only to be told later that the job is no longer available due to budget constraints. Yes, that has happened to me. It's like the company was dangling a carrot out in front of me. And I think what is even more maddening is that I would probably still work for that company if they offered me the job again.
Regardless, it was good to hang out and laugh with everyone.
I Still Suck At Hanging Out With Friends
This past Sunday, Karen, my twenty two month old daughter (Briana) and I hung out with my friends (Ron and Trinh) and their children. My friend (Aimee), not to be confused with Hot Amy or the other Amy I refer to as the Czar, also joined in on the festivities by bringing her kids as well. I guess you could say it was a play date of sorts.
Now, I still suck at hanging out with friends. I don't see Ron and Trinh as much as I would like to, which is sad because they only live a hop, skip and jump away from where I live. Okay, it's not that close, but it is close. For that matter, I don't see Aimee as much as I would like to either. I think our schedules just haven't meshed well of late, which is understandable when you have children.
Thankfully, Aimee decided to make plans to get together. So thanks Aimee! Needless to say, it was definitely good to see everyone on Sunday. It was definitely good to see Ron and Trinh's latest little addition to the family. Sure, their latest addition was seven months ago, but nonetheless it was good to finally meet her. (I did say I suck at hanging out with friends, didn't I?) Better to be late than never. At least I knew about Ron and Trinh's fourth child. My friend (Nhut) totally did not know until he received a photo Christmas card from them.
Anyway, I had a great time hanging out with Ron, Trinh, and Aimee. I thought the day absolutely flew by. Before I knew it, it was time for Briana's dinner. Briana, as well, seemed to enjoy the "play date" too, although probably not as much as Aimee's daughter who formed a quick bond with one of Ron and Trinh's daughters.
Following Ron and Trinh's, I spent the rest of Sunday at my friend's (Andrea). Andrea had invited my friends (Marc and Kelley) and I over to her place to watch some football. Karen and Briana did not end up going because they were both tired. Apparently, Marc, Kelley and Andrea were tired too because the three of them had taken a nap on the couch while watching football.
Luckily for me, they were awake when I showed up. With football over, we actually ended up watching the Golden Globes. Sadly, I never heard of any of the movies that were nominated. Oh well. But it was good to just hang out with Marc, Kelley and Andrea. All in all, it was a good fun day for me.
Now, I still suck at hanging out with friends. I don't see Ron and Trinh as much as I would like to, which is sad because they only live a hop, skip and jump away from where I live. Okay, it's not that close, but it is close. For that matter, I don't see Aimee as much as I would like to either. I think our schedules just haven't meshed well of late, which is understandable when you have children.
Thankfully, Aimee decided to make plans to get together. So thanks Aimee! Needless to say, it was definitely good to see everyone on Sunday. It was definitely good to see Ron and Trinh's latest little addition to the family. Sure, their latest addition was seven months ago, but nonetheless it was good to finally meet her. (I did say I suck at hanging out with friends, didn't I?) Better to be late than never. At least I knew about Ron and Trinh's fourth child. My friend (Nhut) totally did not know until he received a photo Christmas card from them.
Anyway, I had a great time hanging out with Ron, Trinh, and Aimee. I thought the day absolutely flew by. Before I knew it, it was time for Briana's dinner. Briana, as well, seemed to enjoy the "play date" too, although probably not as much as Aimee's daughter who formed a quick bond with one of Ron and Trinh's daughters.
Following Ron and Trinh's, I spent the rest of Sunday at my friend's (Andrea). Andrea had invited my friends (Marc and Kelley) and I over to her place to watch some football. Karen and Briana did not end up going because they were both tired. Apparently, Marc, Kelley and Andrea were tired too because the three of them had taken a nap on the couch while watching football.
Luckily for me, they were awake when I showed up. With football over, we actually ended up watching the Golden Globes. Sadly, I never heard of any of the movies that were nominated. Oh well. But it was good to just hang out with Marc, Kelley and Andrea. All in all, it was a good fun day for me.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
I Suck At Hanging Out With Friends
Today is Wednesday, and Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day. Anthony! (In case anyone is curious, that was a reference to the commercial.) So naturally for dinner, I had fish. But that's not really what is important. Wednesdays happen to be the day that I generally hang out with my friends. Too bad I suck at hanging out with friends.
Usually, Karen and I get to hang out with my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea). Today, however, there was a special treat. My BFF (Kerry) happened to be in the neighborhood. And by "in the neighborhood", I mean nothing near the neighborhood of Norwell, or the South Shore for that matter. It was a very pleasant surprise and a nice treat. After all, the second F in BFF does stand for forever.
Anyway, there really was nothing on the agenda for today. No shows to watch. No movies. Nothing. Just hanging out and being silly which is what I do best.
Among the silly ideas thrown out tonight was purchasing my friend's (Garv) bar in Quincy. It's not that we want to own a bar. It was more to be silly and show up Garv by running the bar better than he did. Marc even threw out the idea of hiring Garv as a consultant to run the bar. For anyone curious, that joke only makes sense because Garv is a consultant and is notorious for tuning out ideas that are given to him.
Soon enough, we were talking about winning the lottery, the television show Grimm (which I am now all caught up with because Kelley has been pushing it), Kelley's possible job offer, Andrea's work, the abuse of people who supposedly "work from home" ruining things for those of us who actually do work from home, and a whole slew of other unrelated topics like what spices Kerry should put in her broth.
I believe while I was up changing my twenty one month old daughter's (Briana) diaper and getting her ready for bed, everyone discovered a new show: "Drinking Made Easy" on HDNet. I never even knew we had a channel called HDNet. From the bits that I did see of the show (ie. the two blondes), I would say it was an interesting show.
Anyway, I had a lot of fun today. I particularly enjoyed seeing Kerry's expression on her face when she learned about "Asian Kerry". Back in 2004, my friends and I went on a cruise from Boston to Bermuda. The cruise was a celebration for our 30th birthdays. In addition to spawning a child for my friends (Hugh and Jenny), that cruise also gave us memorable moments like Garv's famous quote of "I know where Cass is" and Asian Kerry (and Asian Jen).
This was back when Garv was single. While on the cruise, he met two Asians women, one of which he was interested in; the other one, not so much. Naturally serving as the wingman, I went with Garv and these two women to go parasailing. The parasailing was a blast, but that's beside the point. These two women were referred to as the Asian Jen and Kerry for no reason other than the fact that we needed a way to reference them. The two women were good friends and they were both single, much like Caucasian Jen and Kerry. I'm not sure if we ever got the women's names. So "Asian Jen and Kerry" it was. (I wonder if there is a Caucasian me somewhere...)
Ah, good times. I definitely need to go on a cruise again. Like I said, I had a lot of fun today just hanging out and being silly. It has definitely made my week.
Usually, Karen and I get to hang out with my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea). Today, however, there was a special treat. My BFF (Kerry) happened to be in the neighborhood. And by "in the neighborhood", I mean nothing near the neighborhood of Norwell, or the South Shore for that matter. It was a very pleasant surprise and a nice treat. After all, the second F in BFF does stand for forever.
Anyway, there really was nothing on the agenda for today. No shows to watch. No movies. Nothing. Just hanging out and being silly which is what I do best.
Among the silly ideas thrown out tonight was purchasing my friend's (Garv) bar in Quincy. It's not that we want to own a bar. It was more to be silly and show up Garv by running the bar better than he did. Marc even threw out the idea of hiring Garv as a consultant to run the bar. For anyone curious, that joke only makes sense because Garv is a consultant and is notorious for tuning out ideas that are given to him.
Soon enough, we were talking about winning the lottery, the television show Grimm (which I am now all caught up with because Kelley has been pushing it), Kelley's possible job offer, Andrea's work, the abuse of people who supposedly "work from home" ruining things for those of us who actually do work from home, and a whole slew of other unrelated topics like what spices Kerry should put in her broth.
I believe while I was up changing my twenty one month old daughter's (Briana) diaper and getting her ready for bed, everyone discovered a new show: "Drinking Made Easy" on HDNet. I never even knew we had a channel called HDNet. From the bits that I did see of the show (ie. the two blondes), I would say it was an interesting show.
Anyway, I had a lot of fun today. I particularly enjoyed seeing Kerry's expression on her face when she learned about "Asian Kerry". Back in 2004, my friends and I went on a cruise from Boston to Bermuda. The cruise was a celebration for our 30th birthdays. In addition to spawning a child for my friends (Hugh and Jenny), that cruise also gave us memorable moments like Garv's famous quote of "I know where Cass is" and Asian Kerry (and Asian Jen).
This was back when Garv was single. While on the cruise, he met two Asians women, one of which he was interested in; the other one, not so much. Naturally serving as the wingman, I went with Garv and these two women to go parasailing. The parasailing was a blast, but that's beside the point. These two women were referred to as the Asian Jen and Kerry for no reason other than the fact that we needed a way to reference them. The two women were good friends and they were both single, much like Caucasian Jen and Kerry. I'm not sure if we ever got the women's names. So "Asian Jen and Kerry" it was. (I wonder if there is a Caucasian me somewhere...)
Ah, good times. I definitely need to go on a cruise again. Like I said, I had a lot of fun today just hanging out and being silly. It has definitely made my week.
Monday, January 9, 2012
I Suck At Bloody Noses
The highlight (or lowlight) of Sunday may have been the fact my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) had her first bloody nose. Now, I suck at bloody noses. Okay, I really don't. I am prone to bloody noses. My nose is my Achilles heel.
I remember I was playing catch with my friends (Marc and Greg) in high school. As usual, I was being lackadaisical in my ball catching abilities. Needless to say, the ball went off my nose... and out came the blood. The blood just came gushing out and out and out. My nose was like a faucet that day. Why, I may have left a puddle of blood on the field where we were playing catch.
Anyway, I think Sunday was proof that my daughter is just like her daddy. I wish I could have said "If you think that's bad, look at the other twenty one month old that she got into a fight with". Sadly, that was not the case.
Karen and I were surprised to see Briana with dried blood around her nose and all over her sheets when we went to get her out of bed on Sunday. It was quite the sad sight. I'm not even sure Briana even knew she had a bloody nose. She seemed like nothing had happened.
For anyone curious, Briana is fine. I think the air in her room may have been a little too dry for her nose.
I remember I was playing catch with my friends (Marc and Greg) in high school. As usual, I was being lackadaisical in my ball catching abilities. Needless to say, the ball went off my nose... and out came the blood. The blood just came gushing out and out and out. My nose was like a faucet that day. Why, I may have left a puddle of blood on the field where we were playing catch.
Anyway, I think Sunday was proof that my daughter is just like her daddy. I wish I could have said "If you think that's bad, look at the other twenty one month old that she got into a fight with". Sadly, that was not the case.
Karen and I were surprised to see Briana with dried blood around her nose and all over her sheets when we went to get her out of bed on Sunday. It was quite the sad sight. I'm not even sure Briana even knew she had a bloody nose. She seemed like nothing had happened.
For anyone curious, Briana is fine. I think the air in her room may have been a little too dry for her nose.
I Suck At Silly Swaps
On Saturday, my friends and I participated in our annual traditional known as the silly swap. Too bad I suck at silly swaps.
The silly swap is just another name for the holiday party game known as the Yankee Swap. Interestingly enough, according to my friend, Wikipedia, there are other terms for a Yankee Swap: White Elephant Gift Exchange, Black Santa, Chinese Gift Exchange, Dirty Santa, Thieving Secret Santa, Parcel Pass, Christmas Swamp Thing, Greedfest, and Pollyanna. I think Dirty Santa and Chinese Gift Exchange are my favorite terms.
My friends and I have been doing the swap for some time now. We had started off doing a Secret Santa, but as time went on (and as we got older) we found that there were less and less things that any of us actually wanted for presents. Hence, we switched things up and started doing a silly swap.
I still remember my friend's (Cass's) expression when he opened the present he selected the first year we did the swap. The present was a picture of my friend (Garv) with his arm around none other than Taylor Swift. The joke only makes sense if you happen to know that Garv, who is old enough to be Taylor Swift's father, is a huge fan of Taylor Swift. (And I mean... huge.) For anyone curious, Cass did give the picture to Garv afterwards.
Anyway, the silly swap was held at my friend's (Garv and Leeann) in Newton to coincide with their January birthdays. So it was a celebration complete with silliness. As a side note, Garv did a great job of renovating his basement. His basement now includes a "man cave", complete with poker table, large screen television, couches, dart board, and a bar. Saturday was the first time that many of us actually got to see the new basement.
Joining in on this year's celebration were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Cass, Ellen, and Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry). For me, the first year of the silly swap was the silliest probably because it was new at the time. After all, what's not to like about a picture of Garv and Taylor Swift, as well as a framed shirtless picture of Ryan Reynolds? That is not to say subsequent swaps were not as good. All of them have been great. I think I'll just remember the first one the most.
This year, I actually felt not as involved as past swaps. I think part of that reason may have been because my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) was attached to my hip the entire night. Despite the help of many of my friends, Briana would just not do anything without me that night. She'd grab my hand and lead me to one room, then the next. Needless to say, I spent most of the night watching over Briana.
So I think I missed out on a lot of things on Saturday. Some of the things that I do remember were that Kelley thinks she'll get a job offer soon and that Kerry did in fact eat beans on the New Year as part of her resolution. I may have missed out on other conversations while tending to Briana.
As for the silly swap itself, I would say the best gift was the grilled Jesus toast maker. Again, Cass's reaction to it was comical. For anyone curious, I believe it was Ellen who ended up with the grilled Jesus. I would so make toast with Jesus on it just to say I could. Then of course, I would strike a Tim Tebow pose.
All in all, it was a good silly night. I need to start thinking about what could be used in next year's swap.
The silly swap is just another name for the holiday party game known as the Yankee Swap. Interestingly enough, according to my friend, Wikipedia, there are other terms for a Yankee Swap: White Elephant Gift Exchange, Black Santa, Chinese Gift Exchange, Dirty Santa, Thieving Secret Santa, Parcel Pass, Christmas Swamp Thing, Greedfest, and Pollyanna. I think Dirty Santa and Chinese Gift Exchange are my favorite terms.
My friends and I have been doing the swap for some time now. We had started off doing a Secret Santa, but as time went on (and as we got older) we found that there were less and less things that any of us actually wanted for presents. Hence, we switched things up and started doing a silly swap.
I still remember my friend's (Cass's) expression when he opened the present he selected the first year we did the swap. The present was a picture of my friend (Garv) with his arm around none other than Taylor Swift. The joke only makes sense if you happen to know that Garv, who is old enough to be Taylor Swift's father, is a huge fan of Taylor Swift. (And I mean... huge.) For anyone curious, Cass did give the picture to Garv afterwards.
Anyway, the silly swap was held at my friend's (Garv and Leeann) in Newton to coincide with their January birthdays. So it was a celebration complete with silliness. As a side note, Garv did a great job of renovating his basement. His basement now includes a "man cave", complete with poker table, large screen television, couches, dart board, and a bar. Saturday was the first time that many of us actually got to see the new basement.
Joining in on this year's celebration were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Cass, Ellen, and Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry). For me, the first year of the silly swap was the silliest probably because it was new at the time. After all, what's not to like about a picture of Garv and Taylor Swift, as well as a framed shirtless picture of Ryan Reynolds? That is not to say subsequent swaps were not as good. All of them have been great. I think I'll just remember the first one the most.
This year, I actually felt not as involved as past swaps. I think part of that reason may have been because my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) was attached to my hip the entire night. Despite the help of many of my friends, Briana would just not do anything without me that night. She'd grab my hand and lead me to one room, then the next. Needless to say, I spent most of the night watching over Briana.
So I think I missed out on a lot of things on Saturday. Some of the things that I do remember were that Kelley thinks she'll get a job offer soon and that Kerry did in fact eat beans on the New Year as part of her resolution. I may have missed out on other conversations while tending to Briana.
As for the silly swap itself, I would say the best gift was the grilled Jesus toast maker. Again, Cass's reaction to it was comical. For anyone curious, I believe it was Ellen who ended up with the grilled Jesus. I would so make toast with Jesus on it just to say I could. Then of course, I would strike a Tim Tebow pose.
All in all, it was a good silly night. I need to start thinking about what could be used in next year's swap.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
I Suck At Hanging Out With Friends
I have a black cloud over my head today.
Today is Prince spaghetti night, which also means that it is the day my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) and I get to hang out together. I look forward to our weekly get together as it breaks up the week. For this week, we decided to hang out at Andrea's in Weymouth. Too bad I suck at hanging out with friends.
I can say I suck at hanging out because I feel like I really didn't get to do much of that tonight. Most of my time was spent watching over my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) and wreaking havoc at Andrea's.
As a side note, Andrea got a new refrigerator for her place. Apparently, the last one died on her. And unfortunately, Andrea had to get rid of most of her food because of it. That is a bummer. If only the fridge could have waited until today to die. That way, she could have put her food outside in the freezing cold weather. (Yes, it's very cold outside right now.)
Regardless, I should have known that today would be a bad day for me from the early get-go. Andrea was gracious enough to get Briana a Christmas present. Briana took some time to unwrap the present (as she pulled off sliver by sliver of the wrapping paper). When she was finished, she seemed pretty excited about the gift.
Naturally, I attempted to assemble the toy for Briana as quick as I could because she really wanted to play with it then and there. So there I was, taking apart the packaging from the toys. For anyone curious, toy manufacturers seem to securely fasten toys to packaging these days. It's crazy how long it takes to remove a toy from a package with all of its twist-ties and tape.
Anyway, I ended up doing a common guy thing: (no, not leaving the toilet seat up) not reading instructions. Mistake #1: do not assemble a toy without reading the instructions. In my haste, I snapped the pieces of the toy together. The problem is... the pieces had to be snapped together in a certain order. Trying to unsnap the toys... very difficult. Eventually, I was able to unsnap the pieces. Thank you directions.
Feeling good about not ruining post-Christmas, I decided to be a good environmentalist and break down the cardboard packaging. Go recycling! Mistake #2: watch your fingers when breaking down cardboard packaging. While breaking down the cardboard packaging, I ended up getting a pretty deep cardboard cut. Needless to say, it hurts. It still hurts while I type this post. I hate paper cuts.
Of course, my comedy of errors was not done just yet. Not to be outdone by a cardboard paper cut, I ended up shattering one of Andrea's glass cups. Mistake #3: watch out for glass. Truth be told, I have no idea how the glass cup even broke. The glass had a handle on it, much like a tea cup. In what seemed like a mere seconds, I remember Briana pushing the cup from my hand. The next thing I know, the glass shatters all across the floor. My pants get soaked along the way. (Good thing it was just flavored water in the glass.) And I am left holding only the handle to the glass cup.
I felt terrible. After a little help from Kelley during the clean up, Andrea's floor was good as new. I'd be lucky to be invited back any time soon, I'm sure.
Anyway, following all of the brewhaha, all of us did get to watch an episode of Saturday Night Live and eat some ice cream cake. Andrea had recorded the Christmas episode hosted by Jimmy Fallon. When I wasn't watching Briana (who was sweeping the floor with a broom in the kitchen), I got to watch the episode.
All in all, today was just not my night.
Today is Prince spaghetti night, which also means that it is the day my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) and I get to hang out together. I look forward to our weekly get together as it breaks up the week. For this week, we decided to hang out at Andrea's in Weymouth. Too bad I suck at hanging out with friends.
I can say I suck at hanging out because I feel like I really didn't get to do much of that tonight. Most of my time was spent watching over my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) and wreaking havoc at Andrea's.
As a side note, Andrea got a new refrigerator for her place. Apparently, the last one died on her. And unfortunately, Andrea had to get rid of most of her food because of it. That is a bummer. If only the fridge could have waited until today to die. That way, she could have put her food outside in the freezing cold weather. (Yes, it's very cold outside right now.)
Regardless, I should have known that today would be a bad day for me from the early get-go. Andrea was gracious enough to get Briana a Christmas present. Briana took some time to unwrap the present (as she pulled off sliver by sliver of the wrapping paper). When she was finished, she seemed pretty excited about the gift.
Naturally, I attempted to assemble the toy for Briana as quick as I could because she really wanted to play with it then and there. So there I was, taking apart the packaging from the toys. For anyone curious, toy manufacturers seem to securely fasten toys to packaging these days. It's crazy how long it takes to remove a toy from a package with all of its twist-ties and tape.
Anyway, I ended up doing a common guy thing: (no, not leaving the toilet seat up) not reading instructions. Mistake #1: do not assemble a toy without reading the instructions. In my haste, I snapped the pieces of the toy together. The problem is... the pieces had to be snapped together in a certain order. Trying to unsnap the toys... very difficult. Eventually, I was able to unsnap the pieces. Thank you directions.
Feeling good about not ruining post-Christmas, I decided to be a good environmentalist and break down the cardboard packaging. Go recycling! Mistake #2: watch your fingers when breaking down cardboard packaging. While breaking down the cardboard packaging, I ended up getting a pretty deep cardboard cut. Needless to say, it hurts. It still hurts while I type this post. I hate paper cuts.
Of course, my comedy of errors was not done just yet. Not to be outdone by a cardboard paper cut, I ended up shattering one of Andrea's glass cups. Mistake #3: watch out for glass. Truth be told, I have no idea how the glass cup even broke. The glass had a handle on it, much like a tea cup. In what seemed like a mere seconds, I remember Briana pushing the cup from my hand. The next thing I know, the glass shatters all across the floor. My pants get soaked along the way. (Good thing it was just flavored water in the glass.) And I am left holding only the handle to the glass cup.
I felt terrible. After a little help from Kelley during the clean up, Andrea's floor was good as new. I'd be lucky to be invited back any time soon, I'm sure.
Anyway, following all of the brewhaha, all of us did get to watch an episode of Saturday Night Live and eat some ice cream cake. Andrea had recorded the Christmas episode hosted by Jimmy Fallon. When I wasn't watching Briana (who was sweeping the floor with a broom in the kitchen), I got to watch the episode.
All in all, today was just not my night.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
I Suck At Wahlburgers
Happy New Year!
And what better way to start off the new year than with zombies!
Yes, it has been a slow start to the new year. As Karen and I had no plans for the day, my parents came over for lunch. In reality, I'm sure they actually came over to see their golden grandchild (Briana). Lunch was just a means to see her.
Needless to say, lunch was okay. My parents brought American Chinese food for lunch. It's shocking that they would bring that type of food because my mother always gives me the third degree whenever I dine out at Chinese restaurants. She always says she can cook it better (with less grease) and all of that. Hence, the irony of her bringing chicken wings and teriyaki for lunch. Like I said, I think it was just a ploy to see my twenty one month old daughter, Briana.
As a tangential side note, the term "third degree" comes from our friends, the Masons. There are three degrees of Freemasonry. The third degree, which is when the person becomes a master mason, involves a tough and grueling oral examination (so that Masons know their stuff). Thus, giving a person the "third degree".
Anyway, lunch with my parents was quick. Shortly afterwards, Briana had to take a nap. And once Briana went to nap, my parents left of course. Such is the life of a parent, I guess.
So with my parents gone, Karen decided to take a nap herself. And as I mentioned earlier, what better way to start off the new year than with zombies! By that, I mean I started playing Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition. I didn't get too far, but I already love it. (For anyone curious, Resident Evil 4 is still by far my favorite of the series.)
Eventually, I had to stop my zombie-killing ways because Briana and Karen woke up. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Anyway, we decided to start off the new year by dining out at a place we haven't eaten at before: Wahlburgers located in Hingham.
Now, I suck at Wahlburgers. For some time, I have heard buzz about the place, in part because the owners are none other than Hingham's own, Paul Wahlberg and his celebrity brothers, Mark and Donnie. Plus, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) was also the project manager during the construction of the burger joint. PJ also was in charge of the construction of Paul's Alma Nove restaurant located directly across Wahlburgers.
Needless to say, I have heard a lot about Wahlburgers. I think my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) is still beaming that she met Donnie. "N K O T B S B Baby." "Cause just when I think we're through, the memories come flooding back. It's like instantly I love you like that.."
Anyway, I had a good experience at Wahlburgers. At first, it was a little confusing with one side of the place dedicated to being served and the other side for self-service. But after that, things went well. I ordered what was labeled as Mark's pick: the Thanksgiving Burger, with a side of sweet potato tots. The food was good.
Briana seemed to enjoy the place as well. Although she did not eat much of her burger and tots, she spent a great deal of time in awe of everything. She kept jumping up and down on her booster seat, watching everyone order their food. I also believe she may have left her tiny fingerprints all over the glass above where we were seated. Perhaps there was just too much for her to see.
But like I said, the food was good. As well, we happened to see my friend (Jeannette) and her family there when we were there. It was a nice coincidence because I hadn't seen Jeannette since the summer. Jeannette started a new job since then and appears to be loving it. For Jeannette and her family, it was also their first time going to Wahlburgers and they seemed to enjoy it as well.
Needless to say, seeing Jeannette was definitely a nice way to start off the new year. I think one of the things that I always say I want to do every year, in terms of resolutions, is be in touch with more of my friends. I definitely don't do it as much as I'd like to. And seeing Jeannette made me want to do just that. Of course, that then leads to using Facebook as a means to accomplish that end, and I am not sure I want to do that just yet since I'm not a big fan of Facebook. But we'll see.
Following Wahlburgers, we made a brief stop to Janine and PJ's. They were having a few people over, Janine's BFF (Gretchen) being one of them. We didn't stay long, but it was nice to see them. Well, it was nice to have Karen see them. I think I spent most of the time watching over Briana, with the occasional horseplay with my favorite niece (Kaleigh). That seems commonplace these days.
As another interesting coincidence, Gretchen and PJ ran into my friend (Andrea) at the supermarket prior to our arrival. I thought that was funny, especially since Janine and PJ thought Andrea was heading to our place. (Andrea wasn't.)
All in all, it was a good start to the new year. I'm definitely looking forward to good things. Happy new year everyone!
And what better way to start off the new year than with zombies!
Yes, it has been a slow start to the new year. As Karen and I had no plans for the day, my parents came over for lunch. In reality, I'm sure they actually came over to see their golden grandchild (Briana). Lunch was just a means to see her.
Needless to say, lunch was okay. My parents brought American Chinese food for lunch. It's shocking that they would bring that type of food because my mother always gives me the third degree whenever I dine out at Chinese restaurants. She always says she can cook it better (with less grease) and all of that. Hence, the irony of her bringing chicken wings and teriyaki for lunch. Like I said, I think it was just a ploy to see my twenty one month old daughter, Briana.
As a tangential side note, the term "third degree" comes from our friends, the Masons. There are three degrees of Freemasonry. The third degree, which is when the person becomes a master mason, involves a tough and grueling oral examination (so that Masons know their stuff). Thus, giving a person the "third degree".
Anyway, lunch with my parents was quick. Shortly afterwards, Briana had to take a nap. And once Briana went to nap, my parents left of course. Such is the life of a parent, I guess.
So with my parents gone, Karen decided to take a nap herself. And as I mentioned earlier, what better way to start off the new year than with zombies! By that, I mean I started playing Resident Evil 5 Gold Edition. I didn't get too far, but I already love it. (For anyone curious, Resident Evil 4 is still by far my favorite of the series.)
Eventually, I had to stop my zombie-killing ways because Briana and Karen woke up. Well, it was fun while it lasted. Anyway, we decided to start off the new year by dining out at a place we haven't eaten at before: Wahlburgers located in Hingham.
Now, I suck at Wahlburgers. For some time, I have heard buzz about the place, in part because the owners are none other than Hingham's own, Paul Wahlberg and his celebrity brothers, Mark and Donnie. Plus, my favorite brother-in-law (PJ) was also the project manager during the construction of the burger joint. PJ also was in charge of the construction of Paul's Alma Nove restaurant located directly across Wahlburgers.
Needless to say, I have heard a lot about Wahlburgers. I think my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) is still beaming that she met Donnie. "N K O T B S B Baby." "Cause just when I think we're through, the memories come flooding back. It's like instantly I love you like that.."
Anyway, I had a good experience at Wahlburgers. At first, it was a little confusing with one side of the place dedicated to being served and the other side for self-service. But after that, things went well. I ordered what was labeled as Mark's pick: the Thanksgiving Burger, with a side of sweet potato tots. The food was good.
Briana seemed to enjoy the place as well. Although she did not eat much of her burger and tots, she spent a great deal of time in awe of everything. She kept jumping up and down on her booster seat, watching everyone order their food. I also believe she may have left her tiny fingerprints all over the glass above where we were seated. Perhaps there was just too much for her to see.
But like I said, the food was good. As well, we happened to see my friend (Jeannette) and her family there when we were there. It was a nice coincidence because I hadn't seen Jeannette since the summer. Jeannette started a new job since then and appears to be loving it. For Jeannette and her family, it was also their first time going to Wahlburgers and they seemed to enjoy it as well.
Needless to say, seeing Jeannette was definitely a nice way to start off the new year. I think one of the things that I always say I want to do every year, in terms of resolutions, is be in touch with more of my friends. I definitely don't do it as much as I'd like to. And seeing Jeannette made me want to do just that. Of course, that then leads to using Facebook as a means to accomplish that end, and I am not sure I want to do that just yet since I'm not a big fan of Facebook. But we'll see.
Following Wahlburgers, we made a brief stop to Janine and PJ's. They were having a few people over, Janine's BFF (Gretchen) being one of them. We didn't stay long, but it was nice to see them. Well, it was nice to have Karen see them. I think I spent most of the time watching over Briana, with the occasional horseplay with my favorite niece (Kaleigh). That seems commonplace these days.
As another interesting coincidence, Gretchen and PJ ran into my friend (Andrea) at the supermarket prior to our arrival. I thought that was funny, especially since Janine and PJ thought Andrea was heading to our place. (Andrea wasn't.)
All in all, it was a good start to the new year. I'm definitely looking forward to good things. Happy new year everyone!
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