Yesterday was somewhat of a sad day for me. Aside from not winning $640 million from the Mega Millions lottery, I was a little sad because after having only worked at my current place of employment for three months, I had given my notice two weeks prior which resulted in yesterday being my final day there. Yes, it's true. I suck at work.
There is, however, a long story behind my brief tenure at my current company. While working for my previous company located in Danvers, I had started job hunting when my manager was unceremoniously let go. It was my belief that office politics had more to do with my manager's dismissal than performance, but that is just my opinion. Needless to say, the writing was on the wall and I began looking for a new place of employment.
Shortly after my manager's dismissal, I landed a job with a local company in Norwell. After being offered the position, I was disheartened to find out that the position had been financially frozen. So alas, since the opportunity was no longer available to me, I went with Plan B which was to accept the offer from another company located in Weymouth.
It just so happened that my previous employer in Danvers laid me off around the same time I accepted the new position in Weymouth. Unfortunately, my previous employer beat me to the punch because I was set to deliver my resignation letter the same week they laid me off. Oh well. Needless to say, I felt pretty under-appreciated when the company laid me off after three years of service. But like I said, with my manager's dismissal shortly before, the writing was on the wall.
Anyway, my time at my current company in Weymouth has been fantastic. Everyone, including the President of the company, has been very supportive of me since day one which made leaving pretty hard. And really, it was a surprise to me that I would even be leaving the company after only three months. Had chance not intervened, I would most likely have stayed in Weymouth.
The company that I had originally received an offer from in Norwell had contacted me that the position was no longer frozen. As a result, the hiring manager had remembered me from my interview before and really wanted to hire me. As a result, they made an offer again. And after some careful deliberation, I accepted because the position seemed to be the better fit for my family.
Hopefully, I made the right choice. It's always tough to know until you experience it. The grass is always greener, right? I must say though, I have nothing but praise for the company in Weymouth that I am leaving. On my final day, my boss told me that I had a standing invitation to always return should things not work out. He praised my work and told me that they would even make a position for me if they had to. It was very nice to hear those kind words. And truth be told, it was very nice to hear that the company thought so highly of me and wanted me to stay. It was quite the contrary to the company in Danvers.
Although in defense of the company in Danvers, things were not always that terrible. When an entirely new management team took over, that was when things went downhill for that company in my opinion. Up until then, I had never seen an entire management team, and I mean everyone, turn over. It was very bizarre.
Anyway, hopefully I made the right choice. It was definitely sad to leave the company in Weymouth even if it were only three months. And I think it is definitely harder to leave when the company actually wants you to stay. Nevertheless, I do want to thank everyone at the Weymouth company for giving me the opportunity in the first place and for believing in me. I really do appreciate it. Thanks everyone!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
I Suck At Community
Last night, my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) came over for our weekly get together. Lately, we have been getting together on Thursday nights because the show "Community" airs Thursdays on NBC. It is must see tv after all, especially since returning from hiatus. Too bad I suck at Community. It's a fantastic show. And really, what is better than watching a show about a group of quirky friends than to get a group of quirky friends together to watch a show about a group of quirky friends? For anyone curious, last week's bit with both Michael Jacksons was hysterical.
Anyway, it was good to hang out last night and have some laughs. Laughs are alwas good. Among some of the topics of discussion that came up were Kelley's sister's wedding plans, the friend cycle, and of course the upcoming MegaMillions lottery.
For Kelley, I think her sister's wedding can't come soon enough. Kelley, and consequently Marc, have been a little stressed by the entire wedding planning, or more appropriately... lack thereof. I don't know how Kelley does it.
I don't remember how the friend cycle topic initially came about. It was something Andrea had mentioned about learning interesting facts. According to LiveScience, every seven years, your friends change. Naturally, Andrea looked back at when she started hanging out with Marc and Kelley and was curious as to what will happen... in seven years. Looking back myself, the friend cycle does seem interesting.
As for the lottery, it's always fun to dream about winning oodles and oodles of money. I think, like Andrea, if I won half a billion dollars, I would first start off paying off any and all loans. After all, who wants to start a luxurious life of a millionaire by being in debt? From there, I would go on a nice long vacation and take care of my family and friends (or those friends in my seven year cycle... just kidding).
All in all, it was great to hang out and watch "Community".
Anyway, it was good to hang out last night and have some laughs. Laughs are alwas good. Among some of the topics of discussion that came up were Kelley's sister's wedding plans, the friend cycle, and of course the upcoming MegaMillions lottery.
For Kelley, I think her sister's wedding can't come soon enough. Kelley, and consequently Marc, have been a little stressed by the entire wedding planning, or more appropriately... lack thereof. I don't know how Kelley does it.
I don't remember how the friend cycle topic initially came about. It was something Andrea had mentioned about learning interesting facts. According to LiveScience, every seven years, your friends change. Naturally, Andrea looked back at when she started hanging out with Marc and Kelley and was curious as to what will happen... in seven years. Looking back myself, the friend cycle does seem interesting.
As for the lottery, it's always fun to dream about winning oodles and oodles of money. I think, like Andrea, if I won half a billion dollars, I would first start off paying off any and all loans. After all, who wants to start a luxurious life of a millionaire by being in debt? From there, I would go on a nice long vacation and take care of my family and friends (or those friends in my seven year cycle... just kidding).
All in all, it was great to hang out and watch "Community".
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
I Suck At b.Good
For Karen and I, dining out twice in three days is not the norm. But thanks to my laziness in making dinner, that is precisely what happened Sunday night.
Sunday actually started off with a visit from my friends (Cass and Ellen). They were in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by to drop off a little present for my daughter (Briana) who turned two on St. Patty's Day. They got Briana a Hallmark Interactive Storybook with Story Buddy. For anyone curious, the story buddy is Christopher, a pajama wearing stuffed animal. Karen and I actually tried out Christopher last night as I was trying to determine if he needed batteries or not. Turns out, he already had batteries... but Christopher was neat. He says things when you read along one of the storybooks.
Anyway, it was good to see Cass, Ellen, and their daughter. They are planning on renovating their bathroom and Cass is toying with the idea of tiling the area himself. The problem, however, is that they do not think there is a subfloor to their current bathroom. So he was hesitant in tackling the subfloor project himself. Naturally, I offered my assistance because I love home improvement projects, just not my own. Plus, I have some of the tools already for his project since I put down a subfloor for the bathroom on my first floor. But we'll see if he decides to do it or not.
Shortly after, my parents also stopped by with lunch. My parents were ecstatic to see Cass because they have not seen him since probably my wedding. Needless to say, my mom was pretty happy to see Cass and hold his daughter. Luckily for me, my parents did not stay long because my mom is still getting ready for when she leaves for her vacation to Hong Kong this week. The terrible son that I am, I go bonkers at times when my parents come over because they inevitably ask me to handle a boatload of errands for them. Regardless, it was nice that they stopped by even if it was to see Briana and my other daughter (Bridget).
When it came time for dinner, Karen and I decided to go out. In addition to my laziness for making dinner, we had some errands to run. So naturally, we decided to go out to b.Good located at the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham. Now, I suck at b.Good. I had the seasonal Rocket with the Drunk Elvis shake. ("Thank you... Thank you very much...") The burger and shake were good. Karen similarly had a burger and mint chocolate shake. Briana of course ate nothing but sweet potato fries. Very healthy, I know.
One of the reasons we went to b.Good, aside from my laziness to make dinner, was to also stop by my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) place. After all, Briana had been asking to visit her auntie and uncle (PJ) all week. Luckily for us, Janine and PJ were home as were my niece (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). Joining in on the impromptu powwow was Janine's BFF (Gretchen) who went with Janine for a little weekend getaway.
It was fun seeing everyone. For Gretchen, it was her first time meeting Bridget. So she was pretty excited for that. Among the topics of conversation that came up were Gretchen's license plate, Janine's Coach purchases, her and Gretchen's visit to UNH, and designer sunglasses. For anyone curious, Gretchen's license plate has "EZ1" in it. Naturally, I got a kick out of that... and her feet prerequisite when meeting a man. And for anyone curious, yes Janine did get a good deal on her Coach purchase.
All in all, it was great way to end the night.
Sunday actually started off with a visit from my friends (Cass and Ellen). They were in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by to drop off a little present for my daughter (Briana) who turned two on St. Patty's Day. They got Briana a Hallmark Interactive Storybook with Story Buddy. For anyone curious, the story buddy is Christopher, a pajama wearing stuffed animal. Karen and I actually tried out Christopher last night as I was trying to determine if he needed batteries or not. Turns out, he already had batteries... but Christopher was neat. He says things when you read along one of the storybooks.
Anyway, it was good to see Cass, Ellen, and their daughter. They are planning on renovating their bathroom and Cass is toying with the idea of tiling the area himself. The problem, however, is that they do not think there is a subfloor to their current bathroom. So he was hesitant in tackling the subfloor project himself. Naturally, I offered my assistance because I love home improvement projects, just not my own. Plus, I have some of the tools already for his project since I put down a subfloor for the bathroom on my first floor. But we'll see if he decides to do it or not.
Shortly after, my parents also stopped by with lunch. My parents were ecstatic to see Cass because they have not seen him since probably my wedding. Needless to say, my mom was pretty happy to see Cass and hold his daughter. Luckily for me, my parents did not stay long because my mom is still getting ready for when she leaves for her vacation to Hong Kong this week. The terrible son that I am, I go bonkers at times when my parents come over because they inevitably ask me to handle a boatload of errands for them. Regardless, it was nice that they stopped by even if it was to see Briana and my other daughter (Bridget).
When it came time for dinner, Karen and I decided to go out. In addition to my laziness for making dinner, we had some errands to run. So naturally, we decided to go out to b.Good located at the Derby Street Shoppes in Hingham. Now, I suck at b.Good. I had the seasonal Rocket with the Drunk Elvis shake. ("Thank you... Thank you very much...") The burger and shake were good. Karen similarly had a burger and mint chocolate shake. Briana of course ate nothing but sweet potato fries. Very healthy, I know.
One of the reasons we went to b.Good, aside from my laziness to make dinner, was to also stop by my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) place. After all, Briana had been asking to visit her auntie and uncle (PJ) all week. Luckily for us, Janine and PJ were home as were my niece (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). Joining in on the impromptu powwow was Janine's BFF (Gretchen) who went with Janine for a little weekend getaway.
It was fun seeing everyone. For Gretchen, it was her first time meeting Bridget. So she was pretty excited for that. Among the topics of conversation that came up were Gretchen's license plate, Janine's Coach purchases, her and Gretchen's visit to UNH, and designer sunglasses. For anyone curious, Gretchen's license plate has "EZ1" in it. Naturally, I got a kick out of that... and her feet prerequisite when meeting a man. And for anyone curious, yes Janine did get a good deal on her Coach purchase.
All in all, it was great way to end the night.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
I Suck At Getting Signatures
With the deadline to turn in the necessary paperwork for my bid to become an elected official quickly approaching, I spent yesterday getting signatures outside of the local public library. After all, I am running to be a trustee of the public library. Too bad I suck at getting signatures.
I must say, getting signatures to get placed on the ballot is definitely one of the worst parts about running for an elected position. I would say on a whole that the majority of the town where I reside is very friendly and helpful in signing my nomination papers. There are the occasional people who are downright rude and refuse to sign, but they are few and far between.
One man, with his ever hip sunglasses and sweat-stained shirt, simply bolted past me telling me to ask someone else who has the time. One cranky elderly woman snapped that she would not sign because she does not know enough about the candidates to sign. I didn't have the heart to tell her that the nomination papers were just so that I would get on the ballot and that it had nothing to do with endorsing me.
That said, I did have an interesting conversation with a woman who asked if I were for or against the public library. This woman was outraged over the recent attempts by the elected selectmen's attempt to outsource the library to another town. For anyone curious, a huge number of residents opposed the outsourcing attempt. It turns out, none of the elected selectmen use, or have ever stepped foot in, the public library, which sort of reminds me of Marie Antoinette and her out of touch "Let them eat cake" quote. (By the way, the position of trustee for the library is... for the library. Hence, "trust".)
Anyway, I was able to collect enough signatures yesterday to be on the ballot, thanks in part to Genevieve Davis, who is running for state senate. Turns out, the library is a hot spot for getting signatures for nomination papers. Genevieve came along shortly after I was getting signatures and she definitely made my job a lot easier when she came.
Ever the politician, she attempted to greet everyone with a nice handshake. And once she got her signatures, she passed the respective person off to me. It definitely made my job easier because most of the screening was already done for me. For anyone curious, I had to get signatures from Norwell voters for my nomination papers. Genevieve had to get a more specific subset: Norwell voters who were not Republican. Thanks Genevieve! And as an interesting side note, I learned that Norwell is primarily a Republican town. (Genevieve and I had a lot of time to bond together.)
Anyway, it was an interesting time at the library getting signatures. Following my little library excursion, my BFF (Kerry) came down for a visit. As always, it was good to see Kerry. She brought our two year old daughter (Briana) a little present for her birthday, which Karen seems to enjoy more than Briana. The present was a stuffed animal in the form of a giant carrot. Karen is a dietitian, so it makes sense that she would enjoy the carrot. Even though Briana has warmed up to the carrot, I wouldn't be surprised if Karen took the carrot for her own.
Like I said, it was great to see Kerry. Among the topics of conversation that I remember which came up were her first time home buyer class, her apartment, and going out to the movies. I remember the latter because it has been a long time since either of us went out to watch an actual movie in the theaters.
From there, the night essentially ended with a visit from my friend (Hot Amy) and her husband (Mark). Hot Amy and Mark came to meet our newest daughter (Bridget). I had not seen them since they had invited us, along with our friends (Dolores and Tom) to their place the month before. Some of the topics of discussion that came up were wedding anniversary gifts by year (like how the first year is paper), Facebook, and their plans for their first anniversary.
All in all, it was a good day.
I must say, getting signatures to get placed on the ballot is definitely one of the worst parts about running for an elected position. I would say on a whole that the majority of the town where I reside is very friendly and helpful in signing my nomination papers. There are the occasional people who are downright rude and refuse to sign, but they are few and far between.
One man, with his ever hip sunglasses and sweat-stained shirt, simply bolted past me telling me to ask someone else who has the time. One cranky elderly woman snapped that she would not sign because she does not know enough about the candidates to sign. I didn't have the heart to tell her that the nomination papers were just so that I would get on the ballot and that it had nothing to do with endorsing me.
That said, I did have an interesting conversation with a woman who asked if I were for or against the public library. This woman was outraged over the recent attempts by the elected selectmen's attempt to outsource the library to another town. For anyone curious, a huge number of residents opposed the outsourcing attempt. It turns out, none of the elected selectmen use, or have ever stepped foot in, the public library, which sort of reminds me of Marie Antoinette and her out of touch "Let them eat cake" quote. (By the way, the position of trustee for the library is... for the library. Hence, "trust".)
Anyway, I was able to collect enough signatures yesterday to be on the ballot, thanks in part to Genevieve Davis, who is running for state senate. Turns out, the library is a hot spot for getting signatures for nomination papers. Genevieve came along shortly after I was getting signatures and she definitely made my job a lot easier when she came.
Ever the politician, she attempted to greet everyone with a nice handshake. And once she got her signatures, she passed the respective person off to me. It definitely made my job easier because most of the screening was already done for me. For anyone curious, I had to get signatures from Norwell voters for my nomination papers. Genevieve had to get a more specific subset: Norwell voters who were not Republican. Thanks Genevieve! And as an interesting side note, I learned that Norwell is primarily a Republican town. (Genevieve and I had a lot of time to bond together.)
Anyway, it was an interesting time at the library getting signatures. Following my little library excursion, my BFF (Kerry) came down for a visit. As always, it was good to see Kerry. She brought our two year old daughter (Briana) a little present for her birthday, which Karen seems to enjoy more than Briana. The present was a stuffed animal in the form of a giant carrot. Karen is a dietitian, so it makes sense that she would enjoy the carrot. Even though Briana has warmed up to the carrot, I wouldn't be surprised if Karen took the carrot for her own.
Like I said, it was great to see Kerry. Among the topics of conversation that I remember which came up were her first time home buyer class, her apartment, and going out to the movies. I remember the latter because it has been a long time since either of us went out to watch an actual movie in the theaters.
From there, the night essentially ended with a visit from my friend (Hot Amy) and her husband (Mark). Hot Amy and Mark came to meet our newest daughter (Bridget). I had not seen them since they had invited us, along with our friends (Dolores and Tom) to their place the month before. Some of the topics of discussion that came up were wedding anniversary gifts by year (like how the first year is paper), Facebook, and their plans for their first anniversary.
All in all, it was a good day.
Monday, March 19, 2012
I Suck At St. Patrick's Day
Not only was Saturday the day that everyone is Irish, it was also my daughter's (Briana) second birthday. Happy birthday Briana! And Happy St. Patrick's Day! Too bad I suck at St. Patrick's Day.
And what better way to start off a birthday celebration than to visit the local public library? Needing to get some signatures for my nomination papers to run for the elected position of Board of Trustee for the library, I decided to take Briana to the library if for just an hour before her actual birthday party. Sadly, my daughter's cuteness only went so far at the library as I only managed a handful of signatures.
Following my brief father/daughter bonding time at the library, we headed home to celebrate Briana's birthday. Joining in on the festivities were my parents, Karen's parents, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her family, and Karen's Lowell-loving cousin (Karlene) and her husband (Tommy).
By the way, it turns out that Tommy wants to be my campaign manager for my Board of Trustee run. He apparently has done a lot of research into how many candidates were running this year for the Board. Who knew? If it works out and I'm elected, then forget my friend's (Cass) bid to become mayor of Quincy. I'll do it myself. Just kidding. I'll call it the "Asian Contagion" campaign.
Anyway, Briana's party was good. As far as parties go, Briana's birthday celebration was very low key. We ordered pizza from Sal's. The pizza was delicious as usual. And for anyone curious, for the entire week Sal's is having a corned beef and cabbage pizza special. I have been told that it tastes like a reuben. I'll admit it. I'm curious.
For dessert, Karen and I made an Elmo cake for our Sesame Street infatuated daughter. Well, Karen baked the cake and frosted it. I helped add the sugar sheet decoration to it. (In other words, I did very little.) Someday, I'd like to get more into cake decorating. But we'll see how that goes.
Karen's father also made an apple pie for dessert. Among the other things that Briana has been infatuated with lately is making apple pie. The apple pie that my father-in-law made was great. (That is his "thing".) He even spelled Briana's name with the dough. It was cool all around (and quite delicious).
As far as topics of discussions go, I'm afraid I don't remember too much from the party other than the logical train of thought from Karen's southern relatives to purchase guns as a preventive measure for some recent burglaries in their neighborhood, which is a little peculiar since they already have an alarm system. Hey, don't mess with the South.
When the party was winding down, my friend (Andrea) stopped by with a present for Briana. She got Briana a Fisher Price Little Mommy Ride 'n Drive Shopping Cart. And yep, Briana has been pushing that cart around for days since her party. She loves it. Needless to say, it was good to hang out with Andrea for a bit.
To be honest, the entire day went by very quickly. Shortly after Andrea left, and shortly after Karlene and Tommy left, Karen and I literally crashed. We went to bed pretty early, or early for me. Nevertheless, I think Briana enjoyed her day. She seemed pretty happy all throughout the day and that's really what matters.
And what better way to start off a birthday celebration than to visit the local public library? Needing to get some signatures for my nomination papers to run for the elected position of Board of Trustee for the library, I decided to take Briana to the library if for just an hour before her actual birthday party. Sadly, my daughter's cuteness only went so far at the library as I only managed a handful of signatures.
Following my brief father/daughter bonding time at the library, we headed home to celebrate Briana's birthday. Joining in on the festivities were my parents, Karen's parents, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her family, and Karen's Lowell-loving cousin (Karlene) and her husband (Tommy).
By the way, it turns out that Tommy wants to be my campaign manager for my Board of Trustee run. He apparently has done a lot of research into how many candidates were running this year for the Board. Who knew? If it works out and I'm elected, then forget my friend's (Cass) bid to become mayor of Quincy. I'll do it myself. Just kidding. I'll call it the "Asian Contagion" campaign.
Anyway, Briana's party was good. As far as parties go, Briana's birthday celebration was very low key. We ordered pizza from Sal's. The pizza was delicious as usual. And for anyone curious, for the entire week Sal's is having a corned beef and cabbage pizza special. I have been told that it tastes like a reuben. I'll admit it. I'm curious.
For dessert, Karen and I made an Elmo cake for our Sesame Street infatuated daughter. Well, Karen baked the cake and frosted it. I helped add the sugar sheet decoration to it. (In other words, I did very little.) Someday, I'd like to get more into cake decorating. But we'll see how that goes.
Karen's father also made an apple pie for dessert. Among the other things that Briana has been infatuated with lately is making apple pie. The apple pie that my father-in-law made was great. (That is his "thing".) He even spelled Briana's name with the dough. It was cool all around (and quite delicious).
As far as topics of discussions go, I'm afraid I don't remember too much from the party other than the logical train of thought from Karen's southern relatives to purchase guns as a preventive measure for some recent burglaries in their neighborhood, which is a little peculiar since they already have an alarm system. Hey, don't mess with the South.
When the party was winding down, my friend (Andrea) stopped by with a present for Briana. She got Briana a Fisher Price Little Mommy Ride 'n Drive Shopping Cart. And yep, Briana has been pushing that cart around for days since her party. She loves it. Needless to say, it was good to hang out with Andrea for a bit.
To be honest, the entire day went by very quickly. Shortly after Andrea left, and shortly after Karlene and Tommy left, Karen and I literally crashed. We went to bed pretty early, or early for me. Nevertheless, I think Briana enjoyed her day. She seemed pretty happy all throughout the day and that's really what matters.
I Suck At Community
Thursday was the long awaited return of one of the best current comedies on television: Community. Now, I suck at Community. In honor of the show's return, my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) changed our usual get-together for the week. In general, we get together on Prince Spaghetti Wednesdays, which was a remnant of the show "Lost" which aired on Wednesdays.
Anyway, the episode of Community was good. Prior to the episode, I even got to experiment with my television. Last month, I purchased a new television. All I was looking for was a television that had a screen to watch things on. But since the television came with other features, I figured I should at least give those features a try.
It just so happened that Marc mentioned the Community return trailer on YouTube.
(The video below is the trailer for the return of Community.)
As Karen did not get a chance to watch that YouTube video, I figured all of us could watch it on the television! Apparently, the television is integrated to watch YouTube videos. We subsequently watched other videos on the television like SNL's The Real Housewives of Disney. Classic.
Anyway, it was great hanging out as usual. Kelley and Andrea appear to be enjoying their respective jobs at the moment. Marc and Kelley also brought presents on Thursday. They got Andrea the bottle opener cap from one of her favorite television shows, Drinking Made Easy. As well, they brought a present for my daughter (Briana) for her birthday.
For anyone curious, they got Briana the B. Meowsic Keyboard and I must say, my two year old loves it. She hits the buttons on the keyboard and swings her hips dancing. It's cute to watch.
Anyway, the episode of Community was good. Prior to the episode, I even got to experiment with my television. Last month, I purchased a new television. All I was looking for was a television that had a screen to watch things on. But since the television came with other features, I figured I should at least give those features a try.
It just so happened that Marc mentioned the Community return trailer on YouTube.
(The video below is the trailer for the return of Community.)
As Karen did not get a chance to watch that YouTube video, I figured all of us could watch it on the television! Apparently, the television is integrated to watch YouTube videos. We subsequently watched other videos on the television like SNL's The Real Housewives of Disney. Classic.
Anyway, it was great hanging out as usual. Kelley and Andrea appear to be enjoying their respective jobs at the moment. Marc and Kelley also brought presents on Thursday. They got Andrea the bottle opener cap from one of her favorite television shows, Drinking Made Easy. As well, they brought a present for my daughter (Briana) for her birthday.
For anyone curious, they got Briana the B. Meowsic Keyboard and I must say, my two year old loves it. She hits the buttons on the keyboard and swings her hips dancing. It's cute to watch.
Monday, March 12, 2012
I Suck At Munchkins
Yesterday, my friend (Jen) came by for a visit. It was pretty exciting because it was the first time she drove to our place by herself. Jen recently received her driver's license. As with any new driver, she was a little concerned with traffic and the potential for an accident. So she decided to come Sunday morning where traffic would be at a minimum.
Anyway, it was good to see Jen. She has been a little busy of late with some personal matters. Overall though, she seems to be handling things well. My twenty three month old daughter (Briana) was apparently excited to see Jen as well. After all, Sunday was the first time my daughter was exposed to munchkins from Dunkin Donuts thanks to Jen. Yes, I suck at munchkins.
Briana seems to enjoy munchkins almost as much as her mother does. She devoured them like they were nothing. And for quite some time thereafter, Briana has been mentioning Jen's name.
Shortly after, Karen's cousin (Karlene) and Karlene's husband (Tommy) from the city known to some as the All-American city of Lowell stopped on by. For anyone curious, Lowell received the title of All-American city in 1999 (and in 1971) from the National Civic League. Who knew a league of enthusiastic Honda drivers existed. Just kidding.
Anyway, Karlene and Tommy were gracious enough to bring lunch on Sunday. As always, it was a welcomed relief not having to worry about what to make for a meal with very little time these days. So thank you Karlene and Tommy! For anyone curious, they made soup and chicken salad wraps. Yum!
Karen and I naturally thanked them by asking Karlene and Tommy to be the godparents of our latest newborn (Bridget) to which they immediately accepted. I must say though, that will be tough to outdo the next time someone brings us a meal. How do you top being asked to be a godparent? Just kidding. It was definitely nice to know that Karlene and Tommy were willing to be a part of Bridget's life.
Among the topics of discussion that came up during lunch were making homemade soup, Facebook, her eight month nephew who is now walking, and Alcatraz. And shortly after lunch, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my niece (Kaleigh) stopped by following a shopping excursion for a first communion dress. It was quite the busy day at our house, that's for sure.
So as to not leave out my nephew (PJ) and Karen's brother-in-law (PJ) out, Karen and I decided to bring the family to Janine and PJ's after dinner. It was the first time the entire family (consisting of Karen, Briana, Bridget and myself) went somewhere together since Bridget was born almost two weeks ago. And needless to say, it was a great time at Janine and PJ's. It seems like PJ and Karen are trying to get Janine more involved with couponing now. We'll see how that goes.
Anyway, it was good to see Jen. She has been a little busy of late with some personal matters. Overall though, she seems to be handling things well. My twenty three month old daughter (Briana) was apparently excited to see Jen as well. After all, Sunday was the first time my daughter was exposed to munchkins from Dunkin Donuts thanks to Jen. Yes, I suck at munchkins.
Briana seems to enjoy munchkins almost as much as her mother does. She devoured them like they were nothing. And for quite some time thereafter, Briana has been mentioning Jen's name.
Shortly after, Karen's cousin (Karlene) and Karlene's husband (Tommy) from the city known to some as the All-American city of Lowell stopped on by. For anyone curious, Lowell received the title of All-American city in 1999 (and in 1971) from the National Civic League. Who knew a league of enthusiastic Honda drivers existed. Just kidding.
Anyway, Karlene and Tommy were gracious enough to bring lunch on Sunday. As always, it was a welcomed relief not having to worry about what to make for a meal with very little time these days. So thank you Karlene and Tommy! For anyone curious, they made soup and chicken salad wraps. Yum!
Karen and I naturally thanked them by asking Karlene and Tommy to be the godparents of our latest newborn (Bridget) to which they immediately accepted. I must say though, that will be tough to outdo the next time someone brings us a meal. How do you top being asked to be a godparent? Just kidding. It was definitely nice to know that Karlene and Tommy were willing to be a part of Bridget's life.
Among the topics of discussion that came up during lunch were making homemade soup, Facebook, her eight month nephew who is now walking, and Alcatraz. And shortly after lunch, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my niece (Kaleigh) stopped by following a shopping excursion for a first communion dress. It was quite the busy day at our house, that's for sure.
So as to not leave out my nephew (PJ) and Karen's brother-in-law (PJ) out, Karen and I decided to bring the family to Janine and PJ's after dinner. It was the first time the entire family (consisting of Karen, Briana, Bridget and myself) went somewhere together since Bridget was born almost two weeks ago. And needless to say, it was a great time at Janine and PJ's. It seems like PJ and Karen are trying to get Janine more involved with couponing now. We'll see how that goes.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
I Suck At Panera Bread
I suck at Panera Bread. It's not that I think the place is terrible or anything. I just don't think to go there that often. As luck would have it, that changed today when my friends (Renee, Christine, and Christine's mom) came down for a visit.
Renee, Christine, and Christine's mom graciously brought lunch from Panera. For anyone curious, I had the steak balsamico. Yum! Unfortunately, Christine has informed me that the steak balsamico will no longer be on the menu soon. Oh well. The panini was good while it lasted.
Regardless, it was good to see them. For anyone curious, Renee is pregnant and is due sometime in August. Apparently, she wants to arrange a marriage between her unborn child and my newborn daughter (Bridget). Luckily for her, the marriage would still be considered legal should Renee have a girl here in Massachusetts.
Among the other topics of discussion was Tupperware. Christine was roped into having a Tupperware party, which naturally got Karen all excited because Karen's family is a Tupperware family.
Shortly after their brief visit, the only other highlight of the day was my trip to Rite Aid. Today was the last day of the sale in which Rite Aid was providing a store coupon for a Playtex baby item. Yep, Playtex makes more than just feminine products. If anyone is curious, Playtex originally got its name from "perforated latex", which was used between the cloth of women's underwear for elasticity.
Anyway, I was able to stack a manufacturer's coupon onto the store coupon for the Playtex baby bottle, which was nice to have with a newborn. When all was said and done, the bottle ended up costing 11 cents. Yay!
Renee, Christine, and Christine's mom graciously brought lunch from Panera. For anyone curious, I had the steak balsamico. Yum! Unfortunately, Christine has informed me that the steak balsamico will no longer be on the menu soon. Oh well. The panini was good while it lasted.
Regardless, it was good to see them. For anyone curious, Renee is pregnant and is due sometime in August. Apparently, she wants to arrange a marriage between her unborn child and my newborn daughter (Bridget). Luckily for her, the marriage would still be considered legal should Renee have a girl here in Massachusetts.
Among the other topics of discussion was Tupperware. Christine was roped into having a Tupperware party, which naturally got Karen all excited because Karen's family is a Tupperware family.
Shortly after their brief visit, the only other highlight of the day was my trip to Rite Aid. Today was the last day of the sale in which Rite Aid was providing a store coupon for a Playtex baby item. Yep, Playtex makes more than just feminine products. If anyone is curious, Playtex originally got its name from "perforated latex", which was used between the cloth of women's underwear for elasticity.
Anyway, I was able to stack a manufacturer's coupon onto the store coupon for the Playtex baby bottle, which was nice to have with a newborn. When all was said and done, the bottle ended up costing 11 cents. Yay!
Friday, March 9, 2012
I Suck At Getting Nomination Papers
It's official. As of this morning, I began my political road to the White House. I think I was actually the first person to see the Town Clerk at town hall this morning. It wasn't because I was excited to begin my political career. I just happened to be up early thanks to my newborn daughter (Bridget). So why not take a trip down to town hall when the office first opens, right?
The reason I went to town hall in the first place was to get nomination papers. Now, I suck at getting nomination papers. Truth be told, I probably would not have even gotten nomination papers were it not for the fact that I was encouraged earlier in the week to run for an elected position. That elected position: Board of Trustee for the Public Library.
Apparently, my name came up as a possible candidate for trustee. It's a weird feeling when you hear that your name came up among people who are outside your circle of friends. It can either be a good thing that people think so highly of me or a bad thing that people don't think so highly of me.
After speaking with one of the current board members to figure out what was involved with being an elected trustee and how much power I could usurp and wield, I decided to give it the old college try. Apparently, the position has a term of three years. I have underwear that is older than that. So three years should be nothing.
Of course, now I have to figure out the actual process to becoming an elected official. It seems that the first step is getting enough signatures of certified residents so that my name can even appear on the ballot. That should be fun considering that I know so few people in the town. Wish me luck on that.
The reason I went to town hall in the first place was to get nomination papers. Now, I suck at getting nomination papers. Truth be told, I probably would not have even gotten nomination papers were it not for the fact that I was encouraged earlier in the week to run for an elected position. That elected position: Board of Trustee for the Public Library.
Apparently, my name came up as a possible candidate for trustee. It's a weird feeling when you hear that your name came up among people who are outside your circle of friends. It can either be a good thing that people think so highly of me or a bad thing that people don't think so highly of me.
After speaking with one of the current board members to figure out what was involved with being an elected trustee and how much power I could usurp and wield, I decided to give it the old college try. Apparently, the position has a term of three years. I have underwear that is older than that. So three years should be nothing.
Of course, now I have to figure out the actual process to becoming an elected official. It seems that the first step is getting enough signatures of certified residents so that my name can even appear on the ballot. That should be fun considering that I know so few people in the town. Wish me luck on that.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
I Suck At Celebrating My Favorite Sister-In-Law's Birthday
The highlight of my Saturday, aside from seeing my friends (Cass and Ellen) and my BFF (Kerry), was that I got to spend some quality father/daughter bonding time with my newest daughter (Bridget).
Having reached the big 4-0, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) was had a big birthday bash on Saturday. Karen and I were both originally going to attend the shindig, but with the recent birth of Bridget earlier in the week, those plans sort of changed. So taking my place instead was my twenty three month old daughter (Briana). Yes, I suck at celebrating my favorite sister-in-law's birthday. I have since heard that Briana immensely enjoyed herself, which was good to know. Prior to Saturday, she was probably going stir crazy being housebound all week.
Needless to say, I spent Saturday taking care of Bridget while Karen, Briana, and Kerry attended the party. For anyone curious, Kerry stopped over prior to the birthday celebration to meet Bridget. As a bonus, she brought bagels from Bagel World. Yum! I'm a fan of their chocolate chip bagels. It was a nice surprise. What are BFFs for, right?
Turns out, Kerry has already started window shopping for possible condos down on the South Shore. As well, she'll be attending one of those first time home buyer classes soon. It'll definitely be good to have Kerry closer to the South Shore, even if that probably means no more bagels from Bagel World.
Prior to Kerry's visit, Cass and Ellen had also briefly stopped by. They were in the neighborhood as they were looking at new fixtures for a possible bathroom renovation. All in all, it was good to see some friends on Saturday. Truth be told, I was expecting to see a bunch of Karen's relatives on Saturday since they would be in the neighborhood for Janine's party. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), they did not stop by perhaps to give Karen and I some time.
Anyway, Saturday night was great. Even though Bridget did not do much except eat and sleep, it was great to be able to just hold her in my arms while she calmly went to sleep. I've missed those days when they just sleep in your arms. I'd be lucky these days if I could get Briana to stand still, let alone fall asleep in my arms. Oh well.
Having reached the big 4-0, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) was had a big birthday bash on Saturday. Karen and I were both originally going to attend the shindig, but with the recent birth of Bridget earlier in the week, those plans sort of changed. So taking my place instead was my twenty three month old daughter (Briana). Yes, I suck at celebrating my favorite sister-in-law's birthday. I have since heard that Briana immensely enjoyed herself, which was good to know. Prior to Saturday, she was probably going stir crazy being housebound all week.
Needless to say, I spent Saturday taking care of Bridget while Karen, Briana, and Kerry attended the party. For anyone curious, Kerry stopped over prior to the birthday celebration to meet Bridget. As a bonus, she brought bagels from Bagel World. Yum! I'm a fan of their chocolate chip bagels. It was a nice surprise. What are BFFs for, right?
Turns out, Kerry has already started window shopping for possible condos down on the South Shore. As well, she'll be attending one of those first time home buyer classes soon. It'll definitely be good to have Kerry closer to the South Shore, even if that probably means no more bagels from Bagel World.
Prior to Kerry's visit, Cass and Ellen had also briefly stopped by. They were in the neighborhood as they were looking at new fixtures for a possible bathroom renovation. All in all, it was good to see some friends on Saturday. Truth be told, I was expecting to see a bunch of Karen's relatives on Saturday since they would be in the neighborhood for Janine's party. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), they did not stop by perhaps to give Karen and I some time.
Anyway, Saturday night was great. Even though Bridget did not do much except eat and sleep, it was great to be able to just hold her in my arms while she calmly went to sleep. I've missed those days when they just sleep in your arms. I'd be lucky these days if I could get Briana to stand still, let alone fall asleep in my arms. Oh well.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
I Suck At The Boston Pizza Company
On Friday, my friends (Marc and Kelley) came over for a little visit. They were interested in meeting Karen and my new addition (Bridget) to the family. And it was very nice of them to pick up dinner. After all, with having just delivered a baby, the furthest things from both Karen and my braindead mind was what to make for dinner. So I'm grateful for that kind gesture.
Anyway, Marc and Kelley picked up dinner from the Boston Pizza Company. Now, I suck at the Boston Pizza Company. I had the Beacon Street sandwich. (Yummy eggplant!)
In addition to Marc and Kelley, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) also stopped by along with my niece (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). It was definitely a little crazy Friday night, in part because our twenty three month daughter (Briana) was all excited to see her auntie and cousins.
Among the topics of discussion that I remember from Friday were that Marc and Kelley got a new gaming computer... a Sony laptop no less. I remember that only because I'm a Sony person myself. Naturally, that led to a discussion about video games, comic books, and the television show "Faceoff". I still think it would be wild to cast molds and whatnot for a Halloween costume. Perhaps someday I'll look more into it.
Anyway, Marc and Kelley picked up dinner from the Boston Pizza Company. Now, I suck at the Boston Pizza Company. I had the Beacon Street sandwich. (Yummy eggplant!)
In addition to Marc and Kelley, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) also stopped by along with my niece (Kaleigh) and nephew (PJ). It was definitely a little crazy Friday night, in part because our twenty three month daughter (Briana) was all excited to see her auntie and cousins.
Among the topics of discussion that I remember from Friday were that Marc and Kelley got a new gaming computer... a Sony laptop no less. I remember that only because I'm a Sony person myself. Naturally, that led to a discussion about video games, comic books, and the television show "Faceoff". I still think it would be wild to cast molds and whatnot for a Halloween costume. Perhaps someday I'll look more into it.
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