Not only is today Prince Spaghetti Wednesday, but it is also Leap Day. Happy Leap Day everyone! Too bad I suck at Leap Day.
As cool as it would have been to have my daughter (Bridget) born on Leap Day, I'll settle for at least taking her home from the hospital, which is what Karen and I did Wednesday. Truth be told, I've been a little stir crazy at the hospital.
Even with the visits from my parents, Karen's parents, my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) family, and my friends (Aimee and Andrea) since Bridget's birth, I was feeling cooped up within the maternity ward. There's only so much Italian ice I can eat in the maternity ward. And trust me, I devoured a ton of Italian ice while in the hospital.
Anyway, it was definitely a great feeling to leave the hospital on Wednesday, not just because I was feeling cooped up but also because this was the first time that Karen and I actually got to leave the hospital with a child after the child birthing process. Our previous children were all patrons of the neonatal intensive care unit. So we did not get to take our children immediately home like the majority of parents. All that changed with Bridget.
Bridget was actually in danger of remaining in the hospital for a little while longer. Technically, she was born premature. But since she passed all of the required tests, we were able to take her home on Wednesday. That was definitely great news.
Needless to say, Leap Day was a good day. Interestingly enough, I've been toying with the idea with making Leap Day a family holiday. The idea of having an extra 24 hours to do whatever you want seems very intriguing to me. But we'll see if I remember in four years.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
I Suck At Being A Dad
As of 9:51 am Monday, I no longer have a favorite daughter. Yes, I suck at being a dad. It's not that my twenty three month old daughter (Briana) has done anything terrible or anything like that. Quite the contrary. At 9:51, my wife delivered our second daughter (Bridget) at South Shore Hospital.
The birth of Bridget was definitely different from the birth of Briana. In comparison, the delivery of Bridget was a lot quicker than the delivery of Briana. With Briana, Karen pushed and pushed for what seemed like forever. With Bridget, it all happened in less than half an hour.
The hardest part of Bridget's birth was the removal of the cerclage. Through no fault of the doctor, the removal took quite a long time because it was hard to see things. It was painful to watch because Karen was wincing in pain and the staff could not administer any drugs for that part. It was one of those feelings of being unable to do anything to help that are hard.
Interestingly enough, I learned some interesting facts about some of the tools used during female exams. When the doctor was removing the cerclage, she pulled out this box. Once the lid was removed, I could see the vast array of speculums. It reminded me of those interrogation scenes that you see in the movies where right before the torture, the interrogator slowly reveals the instruments of pain to be used on the individual. Regardless, there was this speculum that had a ball shaped end to it. Naturally being inquisitive, I asked the doctor what that tool was and she told me. (It was a weighted speculum.) Let's just say, it just sounds uncomfortable.
Anyway, Bridget's birth was amazing. (By the way, I'm available should anyone want a birthing coach.) The best part about the birth, in my opinion, was seeing Karen holding Bridget after the birth. I think that act upon itself is sometimes taken for granted. For Karen, it was something she never got to experience. In our past birthing experiences, the doctors immediately took our babies to the neonatal intensive care unit. So being able to see Karen hold Bridget after the birth was great.
Needless to say, Monday was a great day. Welcome to the world, Bridget!
The birth of Bridget was definitely different from the birth of Briana. In comparison, the delivery of Bridget was a lot quicker than the delivery of Briana. With Briana, Karen pushed and pushed for what seemed like forever. With Bridget, it all happened in less than half an hour.
The hardest part of Bridget's birth was the removal of the cerclage. Through no fault of the doctor, the removal took quite a long time because it was hard to see things. It was painful to watch because Karen was wincing in pain and the staff could not administer any drugs for that part. It was one of those feelings of being unable to do anything to help that are hard.
Interestingly enough, I learned some interesting facts about some of the tools used during female exams. When the doctor was removing the cerclage, she pulled out this box. Once the lid was removed, I could see the vast array of speculums. It reminded me of those interrogation scenes that you see in the movies where right before the torture, the interrogator slowly reveals the instruments of pain to be used on the individual. Regardless, there was this speculum that had a ball shaped end to it. Naturally being inquisitive, I asked the doctor what that tool was and she told me. (It was a weighted speculum.) Let's just say, it just sounds uncomfortable.
Anyway, Bridget's birth was amazing. (By the way, I'm available should anyone want a birthing coach.) The best part about the birth, in my opinion, was seeing Karen holding Bridget after the birth. I think that act upon itself is sometimes taken for granted. For Karen, it was something she never got to experience. In our past birthing experiences, the doctors immediately took our babies to the neonatal intensive care unit. So being able to see Karen hold Bridget after the birth was great.
Needless to say, Monday was a great day. Welcome to the world, Bridget!
Friday, February 24, 2012
I Suck At Celebrating My Sister-In-Law's Birthday
Yesterday, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) turned the big 4-0. Happy birthday, Janine! Even though I'm approaching the number myself, 40 just seems... old. To celebrate her birthday, Janine wanted to go to a Japanese steakhouse. Too bad I suck at celebrating my sister-in-law's birthday.
Joining in on the celebration were my in-laws and Janine's BFF (Gretchen). We ended up going to the Aoyama Japanese Steak House located in Marshfield. I've never been to a Japanese steakhouse. I've only seen it on television. It was actually quite entertaining.
Sadly, I think my twenty three month old daughter (Briana) would disagree with me on the entertaining part. Briana was not liking the flames on the grill. She actually started to cry because she was afraid.
Tears aside, the food was actually pretty good. I had the hibachi scallops. The chef was very comical, doing magic tricks for my neice (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). All in all, it was very entertaining even if you include the fact that Gretchen walked into the men's room having already been to the women's room just minutes prior.
Following the Japanese steakhouse, all of us headed back to PJ and Janine's for presents, cupcakes, and more merriments. Hopefully Janine enjoyed her day.
Joining in on the celebration were my in-laws and Janine's BFF (Gretchen). We ended up going to the Aoyama Japanese Steak House located in Marshfield. I've never been to a Japanese steakhouse. I've only seen it on television. It was actually quite entertaining.
Sadly, I think my twenty three month old daughter (Briana) would disagree with me on the entertaining part. Briana was not liking the flames on the grill. She actually started to cry because she was afraid.
Tears aside, the food was actually pretty good. I had the hibachi scallops. The chef was very comical, doing magic tricks for my neice (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). All in all, it was very entertaining even if you include the fact that Gretchen walked into the men's room having already been to the women's room just minutes prior.
Following the Japanese steakhouse, all of us headed back to PJ and Janine's for presents, cupcakes, and more merriments. Hopefully Janine enjoyed her day.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
I Suck At The Game Of Things
My friends (Cass and Ellen) decided to have some friends over on Saturday night. Luckily for Karen, my twenty three month old daughter (Briana) and I, we made the invite list. Just kidding.
For me, the night started off with a rather bizarre vehicular incident. No, there were no accidental car collisions or anything of the sort. The incident involved my getting of my jacket zipper stuck in the buckle of the seat belt. Apparently, the seat belt tongue had caught the knob of my jacket zipper and forced it into the buckle. As a result, my jacket was stuck in the seat belt and the actual seat belt itself could not be used. It was not exactly the most auspicious start to the night. Luckily, with a magical metal coat hanger, my jacket was set free and I was able to safely drive to Cass and Ellen's. (Have to love metal coat hangers. Do they even make them anymore?)
Speaking of Cass and Ellen's, my friends (Andrea, Marc, and Kelley) and my BFF (Kerry) were able to partake in the shindig. The most notable news from the night, aside from Andrea tasting and not caring particularly too much for guacamole, was that Kerry may have to make preparations to leave sunny little Salem. Apparently, her relatives may be selling the house where she currently rents. So needless to say, Kerry was not too thrilled by that news. But on the positive side, Kerry does seem to think that she'll end up moving closer to the South Shore where a great majority of her family and friends are.
And of course, what better way to put a smile on someone's face than to play the Game of Things? Now, I suck at the Game of Things. The game was actually requested for the night by Andrea. Truth be told, we actually played the board game, Imaginiff prior to the Game of Things. Imaginiff was a decent game, but not nearly as comical as the Game of Things.
As luck would have it, Kerry kicked butt in the game. I don't think anyone was even close to beating her on Saturday. Apparently, she knows us all pretty well. Or more importantly, she knows the topic of Andrea's vagina and Marc's mother which were recurrent themes in the game. For anyone curious, those topics were provided by none other than Kelley which naturally meant there was booze involved.
All in all, it was a fun time. It was good to hang out with everyone and see Cass, Ellen, and their daughter whom I don't get to see that often.
For me, the night started off with a rather bizarre vehicular incident. No, there were no accidental car collisions or anything of the sort. The incident involved my getting of my jacket zipper stuck in the buckle of the seat belt. Apparently, the seat belt tongue had caught the knob of my jacket zipper and forced it into the buckle. As a result, my jacket was stuck in the seat belt and the actual seat belt itself could not be used. It was not exactly the most auspicious start to the night. Luckily, with a magical metal coat hanger, my jacket was set free and I was able to safely drive to Cass and Ellen's. (Have to love metal coat hangers. Do they even make them anymore?)
Speaking of Cass and Ellen's, my friends (Andrea, Marc, and Kelley) and my BFF (Kerry) were able to partake in the shindig. The most notable news from the night, aside from Andrea tasting and not caring particularly too much for guacamole, was that Kerry may have to make preparations to leave sunny little Salem. Apparently, her relatives may be selling the house where she currently rents. So needless to say, Kerry was not too thrilled by that news. But on the positive side, Kerry does seem to think that she'll end up moving closer to the South Shore where a great majority of her family and friends are.
And of course, what better way to put a smile on someone's face than to play the Game of Things? Now, I suck at the Game of Things. The game was actually requested for the night by Andrea. Truth be told, we actually played the board game, Imaginiff prior to the Game of Things. Imaginiff was a decent game, but not nearly as comical as the Game of Things.
As luck would have it, Kerry kicked butt in the game. I don't think anyone was even close to beating her on Saturday. Apparently, she knows us all pretty well. Or more importantly, she knows the topic of Andrea's vagina and Marc's mother which were recurrent themes in the game. For anyone curious, those topics were provided by none other than Kelley which naturally meant there was booze involved.
All in all, it was a fun time. It was good to hang out with everyone and see Cass, Ellen, and their daughter whom I don't get to see that often.
Friday, February 17, 2012
I Suck At Drinking Made Easy
This past Wednesday, Karen, our twenty two month old daughter (Briana), my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) and I got together. After all, it was Prince Spaghetti Wednesday and nothing goes better with Prince Spaghetti than the television show, "Drinking Made Easy".
Now, I suck at Drinking Made Easy. It turns out that the show is one of Andrea's favorites. And up until Wednesday night, she did not know she even had the channel to watch her show on. For anyone curious, the show is on HDNet. Up until my friends and I discovered the show awhile back, I too never knew I had HDNet. Who knew? Luckily, she was gracious enough to host on Wednesday to even be able to discover that she does in fact have HDNet.
Anyway, it was a good night as usual. Among the highlights of the night, aside from Andrea discovering that she has HDNet to watch one of her favorite shows, is that Kelley accepted a job in Lexington. Yay Kelley! On an unrelated note, Marc also brought cupcakes from Babycakes in Quincy. I got to try the Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcake. It was good. Then again, I'm a big fan of peanut butter.
Now, I suck at Drinking Made Easy. It turns out that the show is one of Andrea's favorites. And up until Wednesday night, she did not know she even had the channel to watch her show on. For anyone curious, the show is on HDNet. Up until my friends and I discovered the show awhile back, I too never knew I had HDNet. Who knew? Luckily, she was gracious enough to host on Wednesday to even be able to discover that she does in fact have HDNet.
Anyway, it was a good night as usual. Among the highlights of the night, aside from Andrea discovering that she has HDNet to watch one of her favorite shows, is that Kelley accepted a job in Lexington. Yay Kelley! On an unrelated note, Marc also brought cupcakes from Babycakes in Quincy. I got to try the Peanut Butter and Jelly cupcake. It was good. Then again, I'm a big fan of peanut butter.
Monday, February 13, 2012
I Suck At Going Into Town
On Saturday, I was invited to attend the dietetic gathering between Karen and our friends (Hot Amy and Dolores). Truth be told, I was not even sure if I would be able to attend due to my lingering sickness. But since I was no longer having random dreams, I thought it would be okay to go.
For anyone curious, the last random dream during my sickened state was of my BFF (Kerry) confiding in me with a particular secret. That secret: that she was falling in love with our friend (Steve), to which I naturally asked "Isn't he gay?" with surprise. I have no idea if Steve is gay. It was just a dream after all.
Anyway, ever so often, Karen, Hot Amy and Dolores get together to hang out and discuss all things nutrition (because they are all dietitians). On Saturday, I guess the guys were fortunate enough to be included this time around. The plan for the night: to go into town and see Hot Amy's apartment.
Now, I suck at going into town. It has been a long while since I have been in town. I think the last time may have been, coincidentally enough, to see Hot Amy's place when they had their house warming last year. But since Dolores has never been, that was part of the plan.
Needless to say, it was good to see Dolores and Loser Tom. I don't think Tom is a loser, but I still refer to him as such because the name has a good ring to it and I'm mean that way. The name derived when all of us first met him. He was afraid that all of us would think he was a loser. Hence, Loser Tom was born.
I actually got to spend some time with Loser Tom hiking up Diamondhead in Hawaii when the former American Dietetic Association held its annual conference in Hawaii. For anyone curious, the American Dietitic Association is now called the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. I joked that the reason for the name change was because the American Dental Association, which also went by ADA, was too strong and did not want people confusing the two (much like wrestling and the wildlife foundation). I have no idea if that really is the case.
Anyway, hanging out at Hot Amy's was good. She made her legendary mac 'n cheese for dinner. I haven't really hung out with Hot Amy in quite some time, so it was nice to be able to joke around with her again. Don't get me wrong, I've seen her, but we haven't joked as much as we used to. We may, however, have lined up a new competition: an ice skating race. The idea came about because Hot Amy apparently is Dorothy Hamill-esque on skates, just without the salchows or so the claim goes. And naturally, I am curious if whether I could beat her in a skating race particularly because I can't skate. So we'll see if that challenge materializes.
Among the other topics of discussion from the night were Dolores's tattoo, Facebook, and Whitney Houston. Yes, Dolores has a tattoo of an ankh. She could be the female Moon Knight. Sadly, I could not get the location of the said tattoo out of her. I was only curious, just to give my "friend of all things supernatural" a hard time.
As for the latter topics, Whitney Houston and Facebook went hand-in-hand. Of all the people there, only Hot Amy was a prolific user of Facebook. Sadly, she knew more about Karen's relatives than Karen. Plus, apparently Facebook told everyone at the table that night that Whitney Houston passed away. Got to love social media. I still am curious about experimenting with Facebook to update my status based on my daily bowel movements, just to see what would happen. I can't imagine my status updates being any worse than the ones that are posted.
Anyway, it was a good time. The ride home was definitely interesting as well. Not only did I got to see women in their short short skirts walk around in the freezing night, but I got to drive 30mph getting onto the highway because the car in front of me was just that slow. Fun.
For anyone curious, the last random dream during my sickened state was of my BFF (Kerry) confiding in me with a particular secret. That secret: that she was falling in love with our friend (Steve), to which I naturally asked "Isn't he gay?" with surprise. I have no idea if Steve is gay. It was just a dream after all.
Anyway, ever so often, Karen, Hot Amy and Dolores get together to hang out and discuss all things nutrition (because they are all dietitians). On Saturday, I guess the guys were fortunate enough to be included this time around. The plan for the night: to go into town and see Hot Amy's apartment.
Now, I suck at going into town. It has been a long while since I have been in town. I think the last time may have been, coincidentally enough, to see Hot Amy's place when they had their house warming last year. But since Dolores has never been, that was part of the plan.
Needless to say, it was good to see Dolores and Loser Tom. I don't think Tom is a loser, but I still refer to him as such because the name has a good ring to it and I'm mean that way. The name derived when all of us first met him. He was afraid that all of us would think he was a loser. Hence, Loser Tom was born.
I actually got to spend some time with Loser Tom hiking up Diamondhead in Hawaii when the former American Dietetic Association held its annual conference in Hawaii. For anyone curious, the American Dietitic Association is now called the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. I joked that the reason for the name change was because the American Dental Association, which also went by ADA, was too strong and did not want people confusing the two (much like wrestling and the wildlife foundation). I have no idea if that really is the case.
Anyway, hanging out at Hot Amy's was good. She made her legendary mac 'n cheese for dinner. I haven't really hung out with Hot Amy in quite some time, so it was nice to be able to joke around with her again. Don't get me wrong, I've seen her, but we haven't joked as much as we used to. We may, however, have lined up a new competition: an ice skating race. The idea came about because Hot Amy apparently is Dorothy Hamill-esque on skates, just without the salchows or so the claim goes. And naturally, I am curious if whether I could beat her in a skating race particularly because I can't skate. So we'll see if that challenge materializes.
Among the other topics of discussion from the night were Dolores's tattoo, Facebook, and Whitney Houston. Yes, Dolores has a tattoo of an ankh. She could be the female Moon Knight. Sadly, I could not get the location of the said tattoo out of her. I was only curious, just to give my "friend of all things supernatural" a hard time.
As for the latter topics, Whitney Houston and Facebook went hand-in-hand. Of all the people there, only Hot Amy was a prolific user of Facebook. Sadly, she knew more about Karen's relatives than Karen. Plus, apparently Facebook told everyone at the table that night that Whitney Houston passed away. Got to love social media. I still am curious about experimenting with Facebook to update my status based on my daily bowel movements, just to see what would happen. I can't imagine my status updates being any worse than the ones that are posted.
Anyway, it was a good time. The ride home was definitely interesting as well. Not only did I got to see women in their short short skirts walk around in the freezing night, but I got to drive 30mph getting onto the highway because the car in front of me was just that slow. Fun.
I Suck At Quan's Kitchen
On Thursday, I may have racked up more favorite son-in-law points. It's a good thing that my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) husband (PJ) and I are not having a competition on who is the favorite son-in-law, because I would be leading having attended Karen's grandfather's memorial mass on Super Bowl Sunday and now taking them out for dinner on Thursday.
Truth be told, it was not even my idea for dinner on Thursday. It was actually Karen's idea. As a way to thank my in-laws for everything they have recently done for us (like the Sunday brunch following the memorial mass) as well as taking care of our twenty two month daughter (Briana), we decided to dine out at Quan's Kitchen located in Hanover.
Now, I suck at Quan's Kitchen. I have never been there. I think Karen, however, was particularly interested in trying the food there ever since they started construction on the place. And since I'm always up for something new, I figured that we should try it. Plus, I was too lazy to cook dinner that night. So Quan's it was!
Anyway, I found the food at Quan's Kitchen actually delicious, which is something I don't often say about Chinese restaurants. The food was very good. And like any good stereotype about the Asian community sticking together, the staff at Quan's seemed to enjoy seeing Briana. The waitstaff, the hostesses, even the owners came over at one point during our dinner to see Briana. Or maybe it's just good customer service.
Regardless, I had a great experience at Quan's Kitchen. And thanks to Briana, who wanted to walk around the entire restaurant, I got a self-guided building tour. Granted, the restaurant is not that big, so a tour did not take long at all. I definitely would go back to Quan's again.
Truth be told, it was not even my idea for dinner on Thursday. It was actually Karen's idea. As a way to thank my in-laws for everything they have recently done for us (like the Sunday brunch following the memorial mass) as well as taking care of our twenty two month daughter (Briana), we decided to dine out at Quan's Kitchen located in Hanover.
Now, I suck at Quan's Kitchen. I have never been there. I think Karen, however, was particularly interested in trying the food there ever since they started construction on the place. And since I'm always up for something new, I figured that we should try it. Plus, I was too lazy to cook dinner that night. So Quan's it was!
Anyway, I found the food at Quan's Kitchen actually delicious, which is something I don't often say about Chinese restaurants. The food was very good. And like any good stereotype about the Asian community sticking together, the staff at Quan's seemed to enjoy seeing Briana. The waitstaff, the hostesses, even the owners came over at one point during our dinner to see Briana. Or maybe it's just good customer service.
Regardless, I had a great experience at Quan's Kitchen. And thanks to Briana, who wanted to walk around the entire restaurant, I got a self-guided building tour. Granted, the restaurant is not that big, so a tour did not take long at all. I definitely would go back to Quan's again.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
I Suck At The Super Bowl
As far as football goes, there is not a lot I can say about the Super Bowl itself. You can say I suck at the Super Bowl, but truth of the matter is the New England Patriots suck at the Super Bowl. Sadly, the Patriots lost yet again to those New York Giants, this time by a score of 21-17. As a fan, it's disheartening to see the team come so close. One play could have been the difference between the victory and the loss. It just wasn't meant to be this year for the Patriots. Oh well.
Game aside, it was good to see my friends (Ron, Trinh, and Aimee) again. Ron and Trinh hosted a quasi-Super Bowl party/play date of sorts. The last time Ron, Aimee, and I got together, we set up tentative plans for the next time our children could play together. That date just happened to coincide with the Super Bowl.
Despite the Patriots loss, it was a great time as usual. One of Ron and Trinh's nieces was quite excited to play with our twenty two month old daughter (Briana). It was very cute. Ron's mother even told me how good Briana was that night. Briana has them all fooled. Just kidding.
Needless to say, I had a great time, as did Briana who surpisingly did not take a nap the entire day.
Game aside, it was good to see my friends (Ron, Trinh, and Aimee) again. Ron and Trinh hosted a quasi-Super Bowl party/play date of sorts. The last time Ron, Aimee, and I got together, we set up tentative plans for the next time our children could play together. That date just happened to coincide with the Super Bowl.
Despite the Patriots loss, it was a great time as usual. One of Ron and Trinh's nieces was quite excited to play with our twenty two month old daughter (Briana). It was very cute. Ron's mother even told me how good Briana was that night. Briana has them all fooled. Just kidding.
Needless to say, I had a great time, as did Briana who surpisingly did not take a nap the entire day.
I Suck At The Tinker's Son
If my favorite sister-in-law (Janine)'s husband (PJ) and I were having a competition on who is the better son-in-law, I'm afraid I just scored some major points on Sunday.
On Sunday, my in-laws were honoring Karen's grandfather (my mother-in-law's father) by going to mass down here at St. Helen's church in Norwell. In years past, they honored Karen's grandfather, who passed away several years ago, by going to mass at St. Ann's in Quincy.The mass was always scheduled on Super Bowl Sunday and this year was no different. This was, however, the first time they were going to mass in Norwell.
Anyway, Karen, our twenty two month old daughter (Briana), and I attended the mass along with Janine, my niece (Kaleigh), and my nephew (PJ). LIke I said, PJ was unable to attend, which meant more son-in-law points for me. Just kidding. Actually, it was more like more food for me because we ended up going to the Tinker's Son in Norwell for brunch afterwards.
Now I suck at the Tinker's Son. I have only been there once with Karen when the place first opened. I really enjoyed the food that first time. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to go back, let alone for brunch. So I was pretty excited to know that my in-laws wanted to go there after the mass.
Needless to say, the food was absolutely delicious. I ate everything at the buffet and then some. I would recommend the place to anyone looking for a good brunch in Norwell. Not only that, I actually made a new friend at the restaurant. It turns out, I'm not the only Asian living in Norwell. Who knew? Just kidding. It turns out that one of the employees at the Tinker's Son is Korean and has been a Norwell resident for over seven years just like me, with the exception of the Korean part. It was funny because he had asked about my background while I was waiting at the omelet station. Like me, he hardly saw any Asians in Norwell. I guess you could say we bonded over our genetic commonalities. I just got a kick out of the chance encounter.
Anyway, it was definitely a great time at the Tinker's Son. I enjoyed the Irish music and the food. And I definitely enjoyed scoring the son-in-law points.
On Sunday, my in-laws were honoring Karen's grandfather (my mother-in-law's father) by going to mass down here at St. Helen's church in Norwell. In years past, they honored Karen's grandfather, who passed away several years ago, by going to mass at St. Ann's in Quincy.The mass was always scheduled on Super Bowl Sunday and this year was no different. This was, however, the first time they were going to mass in Norwell.
Anyway, Karen, our twenty two month old daughter (Briana), and I attended the mass along with Janine, my niece (Kaleigh), and my nephew (PJ). LIke I said, PJ was unable to attend, which meant more son-in-law points for me. Just kidding. Actually, it was more like more food for me because we ended up going to the Tinker's Son in Norwell for brunch afterwards.
Now I suck at the Tinker's Son. I have only been there once with Karen when the place first opened. I really enjoyed the food that first time. Unfortunately, I never had a chance to go back, let alone for brunch. So I was pretty excited to know that my in-laws wanted to go there after the mass.
Needless to say, the food was absolutely delicious. I ate everything at the buffet and then some. I would recommend the place to anyone looking for a good brunch in Norwell. Not only that, I actually made a new friend at the restaurant. It turns out, I'm not the only Asian living in Norwell. Who knew? Just kidding. It turns out that one of the employees at the Tinker's Son is Korean and has been a Norwell resident for over seven years just like me, with the exception of the Korean part. It was funny because he had asked about my background while I was waiting at the omelet station. Like me, he hardly saw any Asians in Norwell. I guess you could say we bonded over our genetic commonalities. I just got a kick out of the chance encounter.
Anyway, it was definitely a great time at the Tinker's Son. I enjoyed the Irish music and the food. And I definitely enjoyed scoring the son-in-law points.
Friday, February 10, 2012
I Suck At Being Sick
Following our tour of Neeham (or more appropriately, Newton) on Saturday, things went physically downhill for me. Let's just say I may have worked a little too much over the previous two nights without getting the appropriate rest.
The previous two nights I spent doing a particular home improvement project. Yes, it's a shocker that I even did a home improvement project at all. I generally take forever when it comes to working on the house. It's not that I dislike doing home improvement projects. It's quite the contrary. But like working out, I recently have found myself looking for any reason to avoid actually completing any home improvement projects. But not this time. This, by far, was probably the quickest turnaround I ever had on a home improvement project.
The home improvement project involved running the necessary wires, as well as the mounting of a new television in our living room. The television was a result of the new furniture that we purchased for that room on Christmas. It's funny how purchasing new furniture leads to other projects. Anyway, with a twenty two month old (Briana), I worked on the project at night when Briana was fast asleep, sometimes into the wee hours of night.
Needless to say, I may have needed more rest because by Saturday afternoon, I was feeling a little rundown and sick. Too bad I suck at being sick. My friend (Hot Amy), however, is not. She is synonymous with being sick. And it just so happens that Hot Amy and my friend (Jen) stopped by for a visit Saturday afternoon.
Jen, in her quest for a license, decided to drive on down for a visit using Hot Amy's car. I think it was Jen's first time driving on the highway, so I'm happy she decided to take it to see Karen and I. Jen seemed pretty excited. In general, she seems pretty excited with this whole new fandango thing known as driving. Interestingly enough, she won't tell us when her driving test is, but I believe it is scheduled for sometime this month. I'm sure she'll do fine.
Anyway, my voice started going during their visit and it only got worse from there when my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry) came over. I think by the time the night was over, my voice was totally gone.
Sadly, I don't remember much from Saturday night aside from the fact that all of us watched an episode of "Face Off". The original plan was to watch the movie, "Inception" since Kerry never saw it, but none of us owned the movie. But at least everyone got to watch the episode of "Face Off" on the newly mounted television.
I guess that's not entirely true. I remember grabbing dinner from the Boston Pizza Company, which was very good. I think I actually had a tasting from everyone's plate, except Karen's. I remember that only because my BFF pointed out that fact. And I also remember Andrea joking with me about my being in emergency management. I'm not in emergency management, but I remember saying I should be for some reason... which then led to Andrea joking about how I shouldn't be in emergency management because I couldn't even decide on an item from the Boston Pizza Company menu.
Oh well. Like I said, my memory from Saturday night was a bit hazy. I just remember it was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone as usual. Damn you sickness.
The previous two nights I spent doing a particular home improvement project. Yes, it's a shocker that I even did a home improvement project at all. I generally take forever when it comes to working on the house. It's not that I dislike doing home improvement projects. It's quite the contrary. But like working out, I recently have found myself looking for any reason to avoid actually completing any home improvement projects. But not this time. This, by far, was probably the quickest turnaround I ever had on a home improvement project.
The home improvement project involved running the necessary wires, as well as the mounting of a new television in our living room. The television was a result of the new furniture that we purchased for that room on Christmas. It's funny how purchasing new furniture leads to other projects. Anyway, with a twenty two month old (Briana), I worked on the project at night when Briana was fast asleep, sometimes into the wee hours of night.
Needless to say, I may have needed more rest because by Saturday afternoon, I was feeling a little rundown and sick. Too bad I suck at being sick. My friend (Hot Amy), however, is not. She is synonymous with being sick. And it just so happens that Hot Amy and my friend (Jen) stopped by for a visit Saturday afternoon.
Jen, in her quest for a license, decided to drive on down for a visit using Hot Amy's car. I think it was Jen's first time driving on the highway, so I'm happy she decided to take it to see Karen and I. Jen seemed pretty excited. In general, she seems pretty excited with this whole new fandango thing known as driving. Interestingly enough, she won't tell us when her driving test is, but I believe it is scheduled for sometime this month. I'm sure she'll do fine.
Anyway, my voice started going during their visit and it only got worse from there when my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry) came over. I think by the time the night was over, my voice was totally gone.
Sadly, I don't remember much from Saturday night aside from the fact that all of us watched an episode of "Face Off". The original plan was to watch the movie, "Inception" since Kerry never saw it, but none of us owned the movie. But at least everyone got to watch the episode of "Face Off" on the newly mounted television.
I guess that's not entirely true. I remember grabbing dinner from the Boston Pizza Company, which was very good. I think I actually had a tasting from everyone's plate, except Karen's. I remember that only because my BFF pointed out that fact. And I also remember Andrea joking with me about my being in emergency management. I'm not in emergency management, but I remember saying I should be for some reason... which then led to Andrea joking about how I shouldn't be in emergency management because I couldn't even decide on an item from the Boston Pizza Company menu.
Oh well. Like I said, my memory from Saturday night was a bit hazy. I just remember it was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone as usual. Damn you sickness.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
I Suck At The Mall At Chestnut Hill
This past Saturday, Karen, my twenty two month old daughter (Briana), and I had plans with Karen's Lowell-loving cousin (Karlene) and Karlene's husband (Tommy). After all, there is a lot to love about Lowell... or so they will have you believe.
Instead of actually having us drive all the way to Lowell, or vice versa for Karlene and Tommy to drive all the way to Norwell, Karen threw out the idea of meeting somewhere halfway in between. Apparently, the neutral ground of Switzerland was the city of Needham.
So for lunch, we met Karlene and Tommy at Acapulcos for some mexican food. As a side note, it turns out that the Mighty Subs located across the street from Acapulcos is highly recommended as well. I will have to remember that for the next time, except that Mighty Subs is not open on the weekends... or open after 4pm during the week.
Anyway, lunch was good. For anyone curious, I had the Asado burrito. Yum. It was good to see Karlene and Tommy. While thinking of ways to become a millionaire over lunch, I got to hear about Karlene's app idea. It was an interesting idea. I wonder if her idea already exists though. As well, I learned that Karlene and Tommy are currently into the show, "Alcatraz". I'll admit, it's a good show... and not just because there is a blonde in it.
Following lunch, we decided to see what was around the might city of Needham. Turns out... not much. We took a brief tour around the T. J. Maxx, which was in nearby Newton. It was the first time I heard Briana mention the word "run", and she actually ran... all throughout the store. I guess she wanted to get the max for the minimum. On the way to the store, I did get a kick out of Tommy's reaction to our heated car seat. He was a little surprised by the heat on his backside, which I can imagine would be cause for alarm.
As we explored around, we decided to go to the Mall at Chestnut Hill, also located in Newton. Now, I suck at the Mall at Chestnut Hill. I have never been there. And after Saturday's visit, I understand why. It's not that the mall is terrible or anything. The mall is very nice. There just aren't any stores at that mall that would entice me to go there. As a side note, there did not seem to be many young whipper snappers there at all either. It was peculiar.
All in all, it was good to spend the day with Karlene and Tommy. Briana equally enjoyed it as well, in part because she got to meet the celebrity from her "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" book by Bill Martin, Jr. Within the book, there is a picture of a teacher, whom I tell Briana is Karlene. And of course, ever since Saturday, Briana has been asking to call Tommy on the phone too.
Instead of actually having us drive all the way to Lowell, or vice versa for Karlene and Tommy to drive all the way to Norwell, Karen threw out the idea of meeting somewhere halfway in between. Apparently, the neutral ground of Switzerland was the city of Needham.
So for lunch, we met Karlene and Tommy at Acapulcos for some mexican food. As a side note, it turns out that the Mighty Subs located across the street from Acapulcos is highly recommended as well. I will have to remember that for the next time, except that Mighty Subs is not open on the weekends... or open after 4pm during the week.
Anyway, lunch was good. For anyone curious, I had the Asado burrito. Yum. It was good to see Karlene and Tommy. While thinking of ways to become a millionaire over lunch, I got to hear about Karlene's app idea. It was an interesting idea. I wonder if her idea already exists though. As well, I learned that Karlene and Tommy are currently into the show, "Alcatraz". I'll admit, it's a good show... and not just because there is a blonde in it.
Following lunch, we decided to see what was around the might city of Needham. Turns out... not much. We took a brief tour around the T. J. Maxx, which was in nearby Newton. It was the first time I heard Briana mention the word "run", and she actually ran... all throughout the store. I guess she wanted to get the max for the minimum. On the way to the store, I did get a kick out of Tommy's reaction to our heated car seat. He was a little surprised by the heat on his backside, which I can imagine would be cause for alarm.
As we explored around, we decided to go to the Mall at Chestnut Hill, also located in Newton. Now, I suck at the Mall at Chestnut Hill. I have never been there. And after Saturday's visit, I understand why. It's not that the mall is terrible or anything. The mall is very nice. There just aren't any stores at that mall that would entice me to go there. As a side note, there did not seem to be many young whipper snappers there at all either. It was peculiar.
All in all, it was good to spend the day with Karlene and Tommy. Briana equally enjoyed it as well, in part because she got to meet the celebrity from her "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" book by Bill Martin, Jr. Within the book, there is a picture of a teacher, whom I tell Briana is Karlene. And of course, ever since Saturday, Briana has been asking to call Tommy on the phone too.
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