Today has been just one of those days.
Normally, Wednesdays are Prince Spaghetti days where I get to see some of my friends. Unfortunately for today, all of us couldn't get together. It was just as well because I actually had a bunch of errands to run.
My errands began at Walgreen's where gummy bears are on sale for the week. Gummy bears! Bouncing here and there and everywhere. Gummy bears are my Achilles heel. I could eat a whole 5 pound bag in a day (which I may have actually done at one time). They are just so deliciously cute.
Anyway, I had coupons for gummy bears of course. On top of that, I had another coupon for "Friends and Family". And on top of that, I had their reward dollar coupons. Mathematically, the price should have come to fifteen cents for the five bags.
Sadly, that wasn't the case tonight. Apparently, there is a coupon limit per single transaction at Walgreen's. That limit seems to be six coupons. So instead of fifteen cents, the total actually came to one dollar and fifteen cents, which is still not bad for five bags of gummy bears. And while gummy bears are priceless, I would have much rather preferred to pay fifteen cents than a dollar and fifteen cents. But whatever. It's gummy bears!
On my next errand run, I went to Shaw's which is located right near the Walgreen's. The deal there involved their Box Top for Education promotion where a given number of items had to be purchased in a single transaction. And of course, I had coupons for that as well.
So, I loaded up my cart with the items from my list. Well, I loaded everything with the exception of one item which of course was the last item on my list. Turns out, the store did not have any in stock. And since the promotion was to purchase a given number of items in a single transaction, I didn't have enough of those items. Thus, I had to go back to each aisle and put back everything that was on my list. Fun.
From there, I made a pit stop to my BFF's (Kerry) house. That was definitely the bright spot of the day. Anytime I get to see my BFF is a good time. Kerry had asked that I help her fix her ceiling light in the dining room which had just stopped working when she recently painted her place.
Now, I suck at home improvement, but I figured I'd take a look at the electrical task. Originally, I thought the issue was a result of the switch. After all, I tried connecting the original fixture to the wires with the switch turned on and nothing happened. So tonight, I brought a new switch with me and installed it at Kerry's.
To my surprise, the fixture still did not turn on. After contemplating the issue (or as Kerry commented... stared at the fixture for some time), I decided to try attaching her lamp to the ceiling receptacle. Lo and behold, the lamp lit up. Based on that, I think the issue is the fixture itself. So I'll have to install a new ceiling light another day for Kerry. (And yes, the lamp is no longer attached to her ceiling.)
Regardless, it was good to see and hang out with Kerry. Among the topics of conversation that came up were Simply Lemonade (which is very delicious), her use (or lack thereof) of her electric stove for baking, the possible ghost in her basement, and one of her projects that she is working on. I mention the latter only because it involved SQL, which is right up my alley. Needless to say, it was fun.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
I Suck At Donating Furniture
Today, Karen and I finally got rid of our china cabinet. Hooray! Too bad I suck at donating furniture.
Luckily for me, I had someone already lined up to take the piece of furniture. I had contacted someone (Danielle) who I had met via the FreeCycle website.
Back in February of last year, Danielle and her husband (Luke) were gracious enough to take our dining room table from us when we had placed the table up on FreeCycle. At the time, Karen and I also wanted to get rid of the matching china cabinet because it just was not our style. Unfortunately, we could not get rid of the cabinet because we needed to store our seldom used dinnerware. (For anyone getting married, do not believe the hype that you need all this dinnerware. It's a sham.)
Needless to say, we inquired back then if Danielle and Luke would be interested in taking the china cabinet since it matched the dinner table. They were definitely interested at the time. Fast forward a year and a half later in which we finally got a new china cabinet... and luckily for us, Danielle and Luke were still interested in the old china cabinet.
Anyway, it was definitely good to see the old cabinet go. The old china cabinet just did not fit correctly in our dining room. And, I'm ecstatic that it went to someone who really wanted it. (For anyone curious, Danielle and Luke refinish furniture. I think it was just some hobby that Danielle started.)
Luckily for me, I had someone already lined up to take the piece of furniture. I had contacted someone (Danielle) who I had met via the FreeCycle website.
Back in February of last year, Danielle and her husband (Luke) were gracious enough to take our dining room table from us when we had placed the table up on FreeCycle. At the time, Karen and I also wanted to get rid of the matching china cabinet because it just was not our style. Unfortunately, we could not get rid of the cabinet because we needed to store our seldom used dinnerware. (For anyone getting married, do not believe the hype that you need all this dinnerware. It's a sham.)
Needless to say, we inquired back then if Danielle and Luke would be interested in taking the china cabinet since it matched the dinner table. They were definitely interested at the time. Fast forward a year and a half later in which we finally got a new china cabinet... and luckily for us, Danielle and Luke were still interested in the old china cabinet.
Anyway, it was definitely good to see the old cabinet go. The old china cabinet just did not fit correctly in our dining room. And, I'm ecstatic that it went to someone who really wanted it. (For anyone curious, Danielle and Luke refinish furniture. I think it was just some hobby that Danielle started.)
Friday, August 24, 2012
I Suck At Naming Foster Cats
On Wednesday, my friends (Marc and Kelley) hosted the weekly get-together. Joining this week's gathering were my friend (Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry). So it was a full house, especially if you include Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my five month old daughter (Bridget), and I.
On the agenda for the night: a meet and greet with Marc and Kelley's new foster cat. Among the topics of discussion that came up for the night was determining a name for the cat. Too bad I suck at naming foster cats.
In my opinion, Karen seems to have the best name thus far for the cat: Morgan Freeman. The cat is black and white, which if you look at Morgan's Freeman hair, can be quite similar. Now if the cat had a distinguished "meow", then the name would definitely be a dead ringer. Unfortunately, I did not hear the cat meow. In fact, the cat was quite active during the night.
Aside from the name game, I don't remember too much from the night. After all, we didn't stay too long (with children's bedtime and all), which seems to be the norm these days.
I do, however, remember Kerry mentioning something about doing one arm pushups. I don't know if she can or has done one arm pushups. Now that I think of it, I don't think I've ever tried doing a one arm pushup. Perhaps I'll try one after I finish writing this post to see what it's like.
Regardless, the one arm pushup was in regards to Kerry's first lawn mowing of the season. She had some difficulties getting the lawn mower to start. Hence, the feeling of having done one arm pushups as her arm was sore from trying to start the lawn mower.
Anyway, it was good to see everyone on Wednesday. And it was good to meet Morgan Freeman.
On the agenda for the night: a meet and greet with Marc and Kelley's new foster cat. Among the topics of discussion that came up for the night was determining a name for the cat. Too bad I suck at naming foster cats.
In my opinion, Karen seems to have the best name thus far for the cat: Morgan Freeman. The cat is black and white, which if you look at Morgan's Freeman hair, can be quite similar. Now if the cat had a distinguished "meow", then the name would definitely be a dead ringer. Unfortunately, I did not hear the cat meow. In fact, the cat was quite active during the night.
Aside from the name game, I don't remember too much from the night. After all, we didn't stay too long (with children's bedtime and all), which seems to be the norm these days.
I do, however, remember Kerry mentioning something about doing one arm pushups. I don't know if she can or has done one arm pushups. Now that I think of it, I don't think I've ever tried doing a one arm pushup. Perhaps I'll try one after I finish writing this post to see what it's like.
Regardless, the one arm pushup was in regards to Kerry's first lawn mowing of the season. She had some difficulties getting the lawn mower to start. Hence, the feeling of having done one arm pushups as her arm was sore from trying to start the lawn mower.
Anyway, it was good to see everyone on Wednesday. And it was good to meet Morgan Freeman.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
I Suck At CVS
Today has been free pharmacy Monday.
For starters, Karen was able to get two free Glade Expressions Air Freshener Starter Kits at Walgreens thanks to her coupon skills. She was also able to get a free 8x10 picture collage from them too after ordering it online. Apparently, the application used to order pictures online for Walgreens is... well... clunky. (I saw the peculiar online behavior myself... and if I were to order prints again from Walgreens, I would probably order them in the store.)
In addition to that, we went to CVS after dinner. Too bad I suck at CVS. Luckily for me, I received a coupon today from CVS giving me $2 off of any purchase. We didn't really need anything, so we splurged a little by using the coupon on soda. We ended up getting two 2L bottles of soda. Yay!
Needless to say, it has been a free-filled fun day today.
For starters, Karen was able to get two free Glade Expressions Air Freshener Starter Kits at Walgreens thanks to her coupon skills. She was also able to get a free 8x10 picture collage from them too after ordering it online. Apparently, the application used to order pictures online for Walgreens is... well... clunky. (I saw the peculiar online behavior myself... and if I were to order prints again from Walgreens, I would probably order them in the store.)
In addition to that, we went to CVS after dinner. Too bad I suck at CVS. Luckily for me, I received a coupon today from CVS giving me $2 off of any purchase. We didn't really need anything, so we splurged a little by using the coupon on soda. We ended up getting two 2L bottles of soda. Yay!
Needless to say, it has been a free-filled fun day today.
Monday, August 20, 2012
I Suck At The Quincy August Moon Festival
Yesterday, the city of Quincy held its annual August Moon Festival organized by the Quincy Asian Resources, Inc. Too bad I suck at the Quincy August Moon Festival.
Interestingly enough, Karen and I saw some familiar faces at the festival. Among those familiar faces were my friend's (Bill) brother (Sean), Bill's wife, my friend's (Kelley) mother and newly married sister, and someone Karen knew from her days at St. Ann's who happens to be an elected official in Quincy.
Speaking of which, the mayor of Quincy was also there. (Insert the Cass for mayor chant.) I'm not a fan of politics. It goes without saying that I'm not that big of a fan of the current mayor, especially since he tried to be all endearing to the Asian community by awkwardly petting the lion head during the lion dance. It almost reminded me of Mitt Romney asking who let the dogs out.
Needless to say, I was a little disappointed by the festival. To me, the festival seemed more political than anything. After all, there was a main stage where things like the lion dancing took place. Located above the stage was an area for the mayor and the other elected officials. And on the ground before the stage were some chairs for the "common" people. It was like the mayor was on a throne looking down on the masses. Let them eat cake... or maybe in this case... char siu bao.
Regardless, I think my parents had a good time at the festival... not because of the festival itself, but because they got to see their grandchildren. (For anyone curious, my mom thought the festival last year was better.)
Interestingly enough, Karen and I saw some familiar faces at the festival. Among those familiar faces were my friend's (Bill) brother (Sean), Bill's wife, my friend's (Kelley) mother and newly married sister, and someone Karen knew from her days at St. Ann's who happens to be an elected official in Quincy.
Speaking of which, the mayor of Quincy was also there. (Insert the Cass for mayor chant.) I'm not a fan of politics. It goes without saying that I'm not that big of a fan of the current mayor, especially since he tried to be all endearing to the Asian community by awkwardly petting the lion head during the lion dance. It almost reminded me of Mitt Romney asking who let the dogs out.
Needless to say, I was a little disappointed by the festival. To me, the festival seemed more political than anything. After all, there was a main stage where things like the lion dancing took place. Located above the stage was an area for the mayor and the other elected officials. And on the ground before the stage were some chairs for the "common" people. It was like the mayor was on a throne looking down on the masses. Let them eat cake... or maybe in this case... char siu bao.
Regardless, I think my parents had a good time at the festival... not because of the festival itself, but because they got to see their grandchildren. (For anyone curious, my mom thought the festival last year was better.)
I Suck At Chili's
On Saturday, my friends and I celebrated my friend's (Cass) birthday by dining out at Chili's in Braintree. Now, I suck at Chili's. I haven't been to Chili's in a very long time. In fact, I haven't been to the Chili's in Braintree in God knows how long. I think the last time may have been in college.
Nevertheless, Chili's was the location of choice by the birthday boy. By the way, happy birthday Cass! As usual, it was good to see everyone. Besides Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my five month old daughter (Bridget) and I, joining in on the celebration were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Ellen), my BFF (Kerry), and Cass and Ellen's year and half old daughter.
Like most outings, however, I did not exactly get to partake in many of the conversations. Parental duties and all. So I can't really recap any topics of discussion. Nonetheless, it was a good time.
The party actually moved on to Kerry's new house afterwards, sans Cass, Ellen and their daughter. We did not stay too long at Kerry's as it was getting late for the kids. But while there, I did get to christen her bathroom to which I'm sure Kerry was elated with.
All in all, it was a fun day.
Nevertheless, Chili's was the location of choice by the birthday boy. By the way, happy birthday Cass! As usual, it was good to see everyone. Besides Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my five month old daughter (Bridget) and I, joining in on the celebration were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Ellen), my BFF (Kerry), and Cass and Ellen's year and half old daughter.
Like most outings, however, I did not exactly get to partake in many of the conversations. Parental duties and all. So I can't really recap any topics of discussion. Nonetheless, it was a good time.
The party actually moved on to Kerry's new house afterwards, sans Cass, Ellen and their daughter. We did not stay too long at Kerry's as it was getting late for the kids. But while there, I did get to christen her bathroom to which I'm sure Kerry was elated with.
All in all, it was a fun day.
I Still Suck At Target
On Friday I made my third and fourth trips to Target in my attempt to get pictures developed this week. Yep, I still suck at Target.
For anyone curious, my third trip happened during my lunch break from work where I borrowed a flash drive from my friend. Thanks to my friend, I was able to bring the pictures to Target for development on his flash drive. My fourth and final trip was to actually pick up the pictures when they were done.
The lone bright spot of my picture development was my fourth and final trip, not only because I finally was able to pick up the pictures, but because I got to spend some time with my BFF (Kerry).
Knowing that Kerry loves Target, I asked if she would be interested in going to Target with me. It didn't take much convincing on my part. She does, after all, love Target. Needless to say, it was good to hang out with her on Friday night. It was fun.
And when all was said and done, getting the pictures developed at Target was worth it since the pictures ended up being free after coupon. Gotta love coupons.
For anyone curious, my third trip happened during my lunch break from work where I borrowed a flash drive from my friend. Thanks to my friend, I was able to bring the pictures to Target for development on his flash drive. My fourth and final trip was to actually pick up the pictures when they were done.
The lone bright spot of my picture development was my fourth and final trip, not only because I finally was able to pick up the pictures, but because I got to spend some time with my BFF (Kerry).
Knowing that Kerry loves Target, I asked if she would be interested in going to Target with me. It didn't take much convincing on my part. She does, after all, love Target. Needless to say, it was good to hang out with her on Friday night. It was fun.
And when all was said and done, getting the pictures developed at Target was worth it since the pictures ended up being free after coupon. Gotta love coupons.
Friday, August 17, 2012
I Suck At Target
I suck at Target. I suppose more specifically, I suck at getting pictures developed at Target.
Last night, I had plans to get a few pictures developed at Target. A while ago, Karen and I purchased a frame to display pictures of our five month old daughter (Bridget). The frame is similar to the other two frames hanging in our house of our other minions (Braden and Briana). Unfortunately, unlike those frames, Bridget's frame has remained empty for some time. So since Target was offering a sale on printing pictures in-store only, we decided to go.
Needless to say, things are never easy. The plan last night was to go to Target, place the print order, go out to a nearby restaurant to eat while the pictures get developed, go back to Target to pick them up, and then head home. If there is one thing that I have learned since becoming a parent, especially with Braden's passing, is that nothing ever goes according to the plan.
My dilemma began with getting the pictures to Target. I lost one of my flash drives a long while ago. Naturally, the other flash drive that I have does not have the adequate storage size for all of the pictures that I wanted to get developed. Similarly, Karen couldn't find her flash drive. Thinking nothing of it, I figured that the picture kiosk at Target simply needed something that had a USB connection, which is what flash drives use. So I placed the pictures on an old laptop hard drive and took it along with a USB cable to Target. Surprise, surprise... the photo kiosk did not recognize the drive.
With the first part of my plan foiled, I figured we would just go out to eat anyway and address the issue afterwards. For anyone curious, we went to Quan's Kitchen in Hanover for dinner. Dinner was good. And surprisingly, so were the girls.
Having eaten a good meal, we returned home where I went to plan B. One of the other options to get pictured transferred over to the kiosk was a CD. For someone such as myself who dislikes waste, burning a piddly amount of data onto a CD kills me. In this case, the amount of the CD that would be used is less than 10%. To me, that is a waste. So I decided to use a CD-RW disc. The RW is re-writable. Needless to say, I burned the pictures on the CD-RW disc and took the disc to Target. Surprise, surprise... the photo kiosk did not recognize the disc. It only recognizes CD-R discs.
That was frustrating. Perhaps it just wasn't meant to be yesterday. Oh well. So it goes without saying that I will be making yet another trip to Target in my determined effort to get these pictures of Bridget developed.
Last night, I had plans to get a few pictures developed at Target. A while ago, Karen and I purchased a frame to display pictures of our five month old daughter (Bridget). The frame is similar to the other two frames hanging in our house of our other minions (Braden and Briana). Unfortunately, unlike those frames, Bridget's frame has remained empty for some time. So since Target was offering a sale on printing pictures in-store only, we decided to go.
Needless to say, things are never easy. The plan last night was to go to Target, place the print order, go out to a nearby restaurant to eat while the pictures get developed, go back to Target to pick them up, and then head home. If there is one thing that I have learned since becoming a parent, especially with Braden's passing, is that nothing ever goes according to the plan.
My dilemma began with getting the pictures to Target. I lost one of my flash drives a long while ago. Naturally, the other flash drive that I have does not have the adequate storage size for all of the pictures that I wanted to get developed. Similarly, Karen couldn't find her flash drive. Thinking nothing of it, I figured that the picture kiosk at Target simply needed something that had a USB connection, which is what flash drives use. So I placed the pictures on an old laptop hard drive and took it along with a USB cable to Target. Surprise, surprise... the photo kiosk did not recognize the drive.
With the first part of my plan foiled, I figured we would just go out to eat anyway and address the issue afterwards. For anyone curious, we went to Quan's Kitchen in Hanover for dinner. Dinner was good. And surprisingly, so were the girls.
Having eaten a good meal, we returned home where I went to plan B. One of the other options to get pictured transferred over to the kiosk was a CD. For someone such as myself who dislikes waste, burning a piddly amount of data onto a CD kills me. In this case, the amount of the CD that would be used is less than 10%. To me, that is a waste. So I decided to use a CD-RW disc. The RW is re-writable. Needless to say, I burned the pictures on the CD-RW disc and took the disc to Target. Surprise, surprise... the photo kiosk did not recognize the disc. It only recognizes CD-R discs.
That was frustrating. Perhaps it just wasn't meant to be yesterday. Oh well. So it goes without saying that I will be making yet another trip to Target in my determined effort to get these pictures of Bridget developed.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
I Suck At Hanging Out
Last night was Prince Spaghetti night, just without the spaghetti. Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my five month old daughter (Bridget), and I went to my friends' (Marc and Kelley) place for our weekly pow wow. The special for the night was that this week was the first time my BFF (Kerry) joined us since moving down to the South Shore. Hooray! And in addition to Kerry, my friend (Andrea) also attended. It's been some time since all of us hung out together. I guess you can say I suck at hanging out.
Anyway, the night was pretty uneventful... aside from Karen getting chocolate everywhere, including on herself. Can't take her anyway. Needless to say, we did not stay too long at Marc and Kelley's, much to the dismay of my potato-chip-devouring daughter, Briana.
Among the topics of discussion that came up, to which I have some recollection, were Andrea's job and my clothes... although the two are not linked together.
The latter topic was in regards to Marc making fun of my wearing of a t-shirt that was close to 20 years old. The fashionista that I am, I have a tendency to wear things until they literally fall off my back. After all, why get rid of something that still does its job (that of hiding my svelte naked body from others)? It's a simple philosophy really. And truthfully, I'd rather be wearing a 20 year old shirt that still fits me than wear some of the articles of clothing that kids wear today. Although I must admit, having "Juicy" written on my butt does intrigue me just for the sheer comic aspect of it. Surprisingly, the t-shirt is still brightly colored for being close to 20 years. Although now, I think Marc and Karen may be plotting against me to get rid of my t-shirts. We'll see.
The other topic that I remember being discussed was Andrea's job and her overtime hours. In my opinion, to say that Andrea is currently burnt out is an understatement. Perhaps a career in journalism may be the remedy she needs. So hopefully things will look better in the foreseeable future for her.
Anyway, the night was pretty uneventful... aside from Karen getting chocolate everywhere, including on herself. Can't take her anyway. Needless to say, we did not stay too long at Marc and Kelley's, much to the dismay of my potato-chip-devouring daughter, Briana.
Among the topics of discussion that came up, to which I have some recollection, were Andrea's job and my clothes... although the two are not linked together.
The latter topic was in regards to Marc making fun of my wearing of a t-shirt that was close to 20 years old. The fashionista that I am, I have a tendency to wear things until they literally fall off my back. After all, why get rid of something that still does its job (that of hiding my svelte naked body from others)? It's a simple philosophy really. And truthfully, I'd rather be wearing a 20 year old shirt that still fits me than wear some of the articles of clothing that kids wear today. Although I must admit, having "Juicy" written on my butt does intrigue me just for the sheer comic aspect of it. Surprisingly, the t-shirt is still brightly colored for being close to 20 years. Although now, I think Marc and Karen may be plotting against me to get rid of my t-shirts. We'll see.
The other topic that I remember being discussed was Andrea's job and her overtime hours. In my opinion, to say that Andrea is currently burnt out is an understatement. Perhaps a career in journalism may be the remedy she needs. So hopefully things will look better in the foreseeable future for her.
Monday, August 13, 2012
I Suck At Staples
I suck at Staples. Truth be told, I might have a Staples addiction. Interestingly enough, I am finding the back to school sales very addictive. Unfortunately, I'm not going back to school. It would be nice to go back to school. Oh summer vacation, how I've missed you.
Anyway, I needed to get gas for the car today as my gauge was quickly approaching empty. Since Staples was located near where I get gas, I decided to stop on in. It just so happens that my company recently gave me a Staples customer appreciation coupon for no reason other than being an employee.
In addition to that coupon, I had a coupon on Zebra pens. Lo and behold, Zebra pens were on sale this week. Not only were they on sale, they were free after rebate. Anyway, when all is said and done, I will have received the following for free: the 7-pack of Zebra pens, 3 college ruled composition books, and a pack of 500 sheets of paper. Technically, Staples is paying me over a dollar to take the items. So I'm not complaining. Yay Staples!
Anyway, I needed to get gas for the car today as my gauge was quickly approaching empty. Since Staples was located near where I get gas, I decided to stop on in. It just so happens that my company recently gave me a Staples customer appreciation coupon for no reason other than being an employee.
In addition to that coupon, I had a coupon on Zebra pens. Lo and behold, Zebra pens were on sale this week. Not only were they on sale, they were free after rebate. Anyway, when all is said and done, I will have received the following for free: the 7-pack of Zebra pens, 3 college ruled composition books, and a pack of 500 sheets of paper. Technically, Staples is paying me over a dollar to take the items. So I'm not complaining. Yay Staples!
I Suck At IKEA
On the final day of tax free weekend in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I did my civic duty to stimulate the economy by going shopping. Sadly, one of my shopping purchases took up most of my day.
In the morning, I went to Target to score some free things. Well, I actually went to buy diapers (which are tax free anyway). But since I was at Target, I figured I would score some free things courtesy of coupons. Those free things happened to be Mead Five Star 4-pocket portfolio folders. The folders were on sale for 50 cents this week and the coupon was $1 off of 2. Sweet!
From there, I booked it to IKEA in Stoughton. Too bad I suck at IKEA. The day before, I went to purchase a dining room display cabinet. Unfortunately, the store was out of them when I went yesterday. So they had me call them today to check their stock. As it turns out, they had the display cabinet.
Nothing beats making two trips to IKEA during the weekend... during its busiest season. Fun. I suppose the good part of my second trip was that I took way less time because I already knew where the cabinet was supposed to be located in the warehouse. And the other cool part: free ice cream.
As a recruiting tool to get you to join IKEA's family and get yet another rewards card to attach to your key chain or wallet, IKEA offered free ice cream. They had me at ice cream.
Needless to say, the trip to IKEA on Sunday was much better than on Saturday especially since I got to actually leave with a dining room display cabinet. Unfortunately, the rest of my day (after a visit to my parents for lunch) was spent assembling the cabinet.
I must say... assembling furniture... much harder to do when you have children. Things seem to take exponentially longer. Regardless, the dining room display cabinet has been assembled. Yay. Now comes the hard part of getting rid of the old cabinet.
In the morning, I went to Target to score some free things. Well, I actually went to buy diapers (which are tax free anyway). But since I was at Target, I figured I would score some free things courtesy of coupons. Those free things happened to be Mead Five Star 4-pocket portfolio folders. The folders were on sale for 50 cents this week and the coupon was $1 off of 2. Sweet!
From there, I booked it to IKEA in Stoughton. Too bad I suck at IKEA. The day before, I went to purchase a dining room display cabinet. Unfortunately, the store was out of them when I went yesterday. So they had me call them today to check their stock. As it turns out, they had the display cabinet.
Nothing beats making two trips to IKEA during the weekend... during its busiest season. Fun. I suppose the good part of my second trip was that I took way less time because I already knew where the cabinet was supposed to be located in the warehouse. And the other cool part: free ice cream.
As a recruiting tool to get you to join IKEA's family and get yet another rewards card to attach to your key chain or wallet, IKEA offered free ice cream. They had me at ice cream.
Needless to say, the trip to IKEA on Sunday was much better than on Saturday especially since I got to actually leave with a dining room display cabinet. Unfortunately, the rest of my day (after a visit to my parents for lunch) was spent assembling the cabinet.
I must say... assembling furniture... much harder to do when you have children. Things seem to take exponentially longer. Regardless, the dining room display cabinet has been assembled. Yay. Now comes the hard part of getting rid of the old cabinet.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
I Suck At Moving
Saturday has been quite the busy day. I feel like I have been going non-stop since waking up this morning at a robust 7:30am. And sadly, I don't really have much to show for today.
In addition to being my friend's (Cass) birthday, Saturday kicked off the sales-inducing tactic by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts known as tax-free weekend. In tax weekends past, Karen and I have gotten some of our big purchase items like our treadmill/parallel bar for my two year old daughter (Briana).
This year, we toyed with the idea of getting a new dining room display cabinet. Our current dining room cabinet is... well... too bulky. Not only is the current display cabinet bulky, it's not really "us". For being a free hand-me-down though, the current display cabinet has served us well.
Anyway, Karen and I had discussed getting a new dining room display cabinet that was more suited to our needs in the past. And with this weekend being a tax free weekend, we decided to explore that option further. Unfortunately, the thought of getting new furniture led to other things like a new placement of existing furniture, etc. So, most of my morning was spent moving existing furniture around and getting ready for a possibly new display cabinet.
I did, however, get to take a break in the form of helping my BFF (Kerry) move into her new house. Unfortunately, I suck at moving. I really did not accomplish much in terms of helping Kerry with her move. Most of that work had already been done by my friends (Marc, Kelley, Steve, and Samantha) by the time Karen and I arrived to help out.
And while I did help move what seemed like an endless number of dressers up her stairs, I am afraid I did slack off a little particularly when Kerry's numerous family members also arrived to help. Needless to say, Kerry is now a resident of the South Shore. It'll be interesting having Kerry down this way. She hasn't been on the South Shore since high school. So I'm looking forward to seeing her more.
Anyway, following the move, I attempted to be daring and bold by making a trip to IKEA in Stoughton. After all, there was a dining room display cabinet that looked intriguing at IKEA. Plus, it just so happens that Marc and Kelley (and my friends Garv and Leeann) have the same thing in their homes.
Might I add... IKEA is nuts. Traffic is crazy. Hordes of people dilly dally. It's awful. And naturally, annoying me further about the place is that my trip was all for naught. IKEA had the display cabinet in stock... or at least part of it. There are two boxes for the cabinet. Only one of them was in stock, which seems a little bizarre because I'm not sure who would purchase half a cabinet.
Regardless, it was a wasted trip. So to unwind, I turned to my latest addiction: Staples... the office superstore. Thanks to Staples, I was able to purchase a pack of Post-It notes, and two two-packs of BIC Velocity Retractable Gel Pens all for the low price of potentially free. The former item will be free after rebate. For the pens, I had a good ol' trusty coupon. Yay coupons! (Technically, when all is said and done, Staples is paying me to take those items so I'm not complaining.)
From there, things only got better as I went to Marc and Kelley's to watch the UFC pay per view for the night. In addition to myself, Kerry, Samantha, and Cass also were there. It was good to see Cass in person (so as to wish him happy birthday face to face). Sadly, I could not have done that with my friend (Andrea) who I did not get to see on her birthday. (By the way, happy belated birthday Andrea!)
Anyway, it was fun hanging out with everyone. As a sign that we're old, everyone there fell asleep during the pay-per-view at least once. Well... everyone except for myself and Samantha. And really, Samantha and Kerry left midway through the pay per view. So I was the only person to make it through the entire pay per view (probably because I'm used to being up late... like right now writing this post). But it's understandable. It was a long day for everyone. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the time.
In addition to being my friend's (Cass) birthday, Saturday kicked off the sales-inducing tactic by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts known as tax-free weekend. In tax weekends past, Karen and I have gotten some of our big purchase items like our treadmill/parallel bar for my two year old daughter (Briana).
This year, we toyed with the idea of getting a new dining room display cabinet. Our current dining room cabinet is... well... too bulky. Not only is the current display cabinet bulky, it's not really "us". For being a free hand-me-down though, the current display cabinet has served us well.
Anyway, Karen and I had discussed getting a new dining room display cabinet that was more suited to our needs in the past. And with this weekend being a tax free weekend, we decided to explore that option further. Unfortunately, the thought of getting new furniture led to other things like a new placement of existing furniture, etc. So, most of my morning was spent moving existing furniture around and getting ready for a possibly new display cabinet.
I did, however, get to take a break in the form of helping my BFF (Kerry) move into her new house. Unfortunately, I suck at moving. I really did not accomplish much in terms of helping Kerry with her move. Most of that work had already been done by my friends (Marc, Kelley, Steve, and Samantha) by the time Karen and I arrived to help out.
And while I did help move what seemed like an endless number of dressers up her stairs, I am afraid I did slack off a little particularly when Kerry's numerous family members also arrived to help. Needless to say, Kerry is now a resident of the South Shore. It'll be interesting having Kerry down this way. She hasn't been on the South Shore since high school. So I'm looking forward to seeing her more.
Anyway, following the move, I attempted to be daring and bold by making a trip to IKEA in Stoughton. After all, there was a dining room display cabinet that looked intriguing at IKEA. Plus, it just so happens that Marc and Kelley (and my friends Garv and Leeann) have the same thing in their homes.
Might I add... IKEA is nuts. Traffic is crazy. Hordes of people dilly dally. It's awful. And naturally, annoying me further about the place is that my trip was all for naught. IKEA had the display cabinet in stock... or at least part of it. There are two boxes for the cabinet. Only one of them was in stock, which seems a little bizarre because I'm not sure who would purchase half a cabinet.
Regardless, it was a wasted trip. So to unwind, I turned to my latest addiction: Staples... the office superstore. Thanks to Staples, I was able to purchase a pack of Post-It notes, and two two-packs of BIC Velocity Retractable Gel Pens all for the low price of potentially free. The former item will be free after rebate. For the pens, I had a good ol' trusty coupon. Yay coupons! (Technically, when all is said and done, Staples is paying me to take those items so I'm not complaining.)
From there, things only got better as I went to Marc and Kelley's to watch the UFC pay per view for the night. In addition to myself, Kerry, Samantha, and Cass also were there. It was good to see Cass in person (so as to wish him happy birthday face to face). Sadly, I could not have done that with my friend (Andrea) who I did not get to see on her birthday. (By the way, happy belated birthday Andrea!)
Anyway, it was fun hanging out with everyone. As a sign that we're old, everyone there fell asleep during the pay-per-view at least once. Well... everyone except for myself and Samantha. And really, Samantha and Kerry left midway through the pay per view. So I was the only person to make it through the entire pay per view (probably because I'm used to being up late... like right now writing this post). But it's understandable. It was a long day for everyone. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the time.
Monday, August 6, 2012
I Suck At Home Improvement
I suck at home improvement. Luckily for me, my BFF (Kerry) doesn't think so. Today, I got to see Kerry's new house located in Weymouth.
Karen had visited Kerry's new house yesterday while I watched the kids. Shortly thereafter, Kerry asked if I could also come down and help with a deadbolt issue. Or more specifically, she asked about what tool she should use to help remedy her deadbolt issue.
Naturally, I thought it would be easier to just visit and also look at the deadbolt issue. I was originally slated to visit Kerry this morning, but there was a little timing snafu. So the visit had to wait until after dinner.
Anyway, I was finally able to see Kerry's place. Her place is nice. After a quick tour of the place, I quickly went to work on the deadbolt issue while Karen and Kerry entertained our two year old daughter (Briana) and our five month old (Bridget). Incidentally, Briana seems to love my yellow safety goggles now. She likes to wear it now, probably because it makes things look yellow.
Needless to say, I was able to fix the deadbolt issue. For anyone curious, the deadbolt was not entering the little hole on the strike plate. The strike plate just needed to be moved over a smidgeon.
I was pretty impressed that Kerry installed the strike plate with nothing but a screwdriver. The screws for strike plates are long. So I can imagine that installing them by hand must have taken some time. Luckily for me, I own a drill. One thing that I have learned from my years of home ownership and home improvement projects: it's all about having the right tools for the job.
Regardless, it felt good to do a home improvement project again even. For me, I find that doing projects are always easier when it's done on someone else's house. Perhaps that is why I still have a long list of unfinished projects waiting for me at my house.
And as always, it was good to see Kerry again. It'll definitely be nice to have her back on the South Shore again. To quote my friend (Garv), "Salem... is far." I think the last time Kerry lived in the South Shore was in high school. So hopefully I'll be seeing more of her now unless of course my BFF status has been replaced which is quite possible.
All in all, it was fun today.
Karen had visited Kerry's new house yesterday while I watched the kids. Shortly thereafter, Kerry asked if I could also come down and help with a deadbolt issue. Or more specifically, she asked about what tool she should use to help remedy her deadbolt issue.
Naturally, I thought it would be easier to just visit and also look at the deadbolt issue. I was originally slated to visit Kerry this morning, but there was a little timing snafu. So the visit had to wait until after dinner.
Anyway, I was finally able to see Kerry's place. Her place is nice. After a quick tour of the place, I quickly went to work on the deadbolt issue while Karen and Kerry entertained our two year old daughter (Briana) and our five month old (Bridget). Incidentally, Briana seems to love my yellow safety goggles now. She likes to wear it now, probably because it makes things look yellow.
Needless to say, I was able to fix the deadbolt issue. For anyone curious, the deadbolt was not entering the little hole on the strike plate. The strike plate just needed to be moved over a smidgeon.
I was pretty impressed that Kerry installed the strike plate with nothing but a screwdriver. The screws for strike plates are long. So I can imagine that installing them by hand must have taken some time. Luckily for me, I own a drill. One thing that I have learned from my years of home ownership and home improvement projects: it's all about having the right tools for the job.
Regardless, it felt good to do a home improvement project again even. For me, I find that doing projects are always easier when it's done on someone else's house. Perhaps that is why I still have a long list of unfinished projects waiting for me at my house.
And as always, it was good to see Kerry again. It'll definitely be nice to have her back on the South Shore again. To quote my friend (Garv), "Salem... is far." I think the last time Kerry lived in the South Shore was in high school. So hopefully I'll be seeing more of her now unless of course my BFF status has been replaced which is quite possible.
All in all, it was fun today.
I Suck At The Marshfield Tavern On Proprietor's Green
On Saturday, Karen and I decided to take the kids out for dinner again. This time, the eating establishment was the Marshfield Tavern on Proprietor's Green. Now, I suck at the Marshfield Tavern on Proprietor's Green.
Unlike Thursday, our kids were very good. Of course, it helped that my five month old daughter (Bridget) was asleep for most of the dinner. But my two year daughter (Briana) was surprisingly good. She ate a good dinner, which consisted mostly of fried green beans, bread, butter, and liver.
Yep. Liver. Karen had ordered the liver and onions. I tried a bit of Karen's plate. The liver was actually pretty good. I, of course, opted for the burger with gouda cheese and sweet potato fries. The burger was "good"-a. Needless to say, the food was delicious.
It was definitely a good time, which for me was needed as earlier in the day I met up with a fellow Board of Trustee for the public library to discuss the library's website which is one of the items on the library's agenda to revamp.
Lately, I have been a little disenchanted with being a library trustee. I think the main reason for my discontent has been the fact that I feel like the library itself has been resistant to any suggestions or requests that I have made. Maybe it's a defense mechanism on the part of the library. But right now, it seems to me like there is a desire by the library to follow the status quo.
It's somewhat frustrating to me, only because the changes I am suggesting for the website are painfully obvious to me. Yet, I stand alone in my opinion because the rest of the powers that be are not technically savvy.
Regardless, going out to dinner to the Tavern was just the thing to get my mind off of the library.
Unlike Thursday, our kids were very good. Of course, it helped that my five month old daughter (Bridget) was asleep for most of the dinner. But my two year daughter (Briana) was surprisingly good. She ate a good dinner, which consisted mostly of fried green beans, bread, butter, and liver.
Yep. Liver. Karen had ordered the liver and onions. I tried a bit of Karen's plate. The liver was actually pretty good. I, of course, opted for the burger with gouda cheese and sweet potato fries. The burger was "good"-a. Needless to say, the food was delicious.
It was definitely a good time, which for me was needed as earlier in the day I met up with a fellow Board of Trustee for the public library to discuss the library's website which is one of the items on the library's agenda to revamp.
Lately, I have been a little disenchanted with being a library trustee. I think the main reason for my discontent has been the fact that I feel like the library itself has been resistant to any suggestions or requests that I have made. Maybe it's a defense mechanism on the part of the library. But right now, it seems to me like there is a desire by the library to follow the status quo.
It's somewhat frustrating to me, only because the changes I am suggesting for the website are painfully obvious to me. Yet, I stand alone in my opinion because the rest of the powers that be are not technically savvy.
Regardless, going out to dinner to the Tavern was just the thing to get my mind off of the library.
I Suck At Celebrating My Mom's Birthday
Friday was my mom's birthday. Happy birthday, mom! Too bad I suck at celebrating my mom's birthday.
In celebration, Karen and I had her over for dinner on Friday. Naturally, my mother was ecstatic because she got to spend more time with her grandchildren. She beams with joy whenever she talks about them. It's very nice.
Anyway, I think my mom had a great birthday especially since she got to spend more time with her grandchildren. And really, that's what it's all about.
In celebration, Karen and I had her over for dinner on Friday. Naturally, my mother was ecstatic because she got to spend more time with her grandchildren. She beams with joy whenever she talks about them. It's very nice.
Anyway, I think my mom had a great birthday especially since she got to spend more time with her grandchildren. And really, that's what it's all about.
I Suck At Not Your Average Joe's
With no set plans for dinner on Thursday, Karen and I decided to take a gamble and take the kids out to eat. We decided to go to Not Your Average Joe's located in Norwell. Too bad I suck at Not Your Average Joe's.
As always, the food was absolutely delicious at Not Your Average Joe's. I had the Summer's Best Chicken Milanese... and it really was the best chicken Milanese I have ever had. Of course, I've never had chicken milanese up until Thursday night. But it was delicious nonetheless.
Unfortunately, it was a quick dinner as our kids were not exactly cooperating. So we had to leave before any possible meltdowns and become "that" family with the crying kids.
As always, the food was absolutely delicious at Not Your Average Joe's. I had the Summer's Best Chicken Milanese... and it really was the best chicken Milanese I have ever had. Of course, I've never had chicken milanese up until Thursday night. But it was delicious nonetheless.
Unfortunately, it was a quick dinner as our kids were not exactly cooperating. So we had to leave before any possible meltdowns and become "that" family with the crying kids.
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