Yesterday continued the weekend of swimming. Too bad I suck at swimming. On Sunday, Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my four month old (Bridget) and I were invited to the Pembroke resort known as my friends' (Ron and Trinh) house.
It was a rather spontaneous invite as Ron, Trinh, and their family recently came back from a trip to St. Croix for a relative's destination wedding. And naturally, when Briana saw the swimming pool, she was all excited. After all, she loves swimming... or more specifically, playing with water.
And if it isn't swimming, it's going down the playground slide for Briana. If it's not that, it's feeding the fish. If it's not that, it's playing in the water table. I have a funny feeling that Briana may think Ron and Trinh's place is a resort much like I do.
All in all, I had a great time as usual at Ron and Trinh's. After all, it is a resort. Just kidding. Ron and Trinh, and their entire family for that matter, are always gracious hosts. It was definitely a great way to end the weekend.
Showing posts with label ron. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ron. Show all posts
Monday, July 9, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
I Still Suck At Cookouts
On Memorial Day Monday, Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my three month old (Bridget) and I were invited to yet another cookout. Now, I still suck at cookouts. My friends (Ron and Trinh) invited us over since it has been a while since we last got together. Plus, it was a way for them to finally see Bridget. Having four kids of their own, Ron and Trinh's schedule has been quite busy.
Also partaking in the festivities were my friends (Garv, Aimee, Bill, and Alex), Aimee's husband (Jim), Aimee's kids, Bill's family and Alex's family. As always, it was a fun time. After all, I like to think of Ron and Trinh's place as my little vacation spa. Everything is always fun there.
I actually spent most of the time, of course, with Briana. When Briana wasn't playing with the slide, or watching the fish, or finding the turtle with the fish, she was... in the pool. Apparently, or maybe by design, Karen did not have any swimming attire for the day. Rather convenient, I know. Thus, I spent a good chunk of time in the pool with Briana, who seems rather fearless when it comes to water. At one point, she wanted to go into the deep end... with me carrying her of course.
By far, the funniest part of the day was when Garv was in the jacuzzi. The incident was just like my bachelor party in Las Vegas. Naturally, what happened there, stays there. But something that we occasionally joke about with Garv is his ear, or more specifically, when he gets water in his ear. When he got water in his ear in Vegas, he spent a good portion of time trying to get the water out. For anyone curious, Garv got water in his ear at the swimming pool in Vegas, and not by any seductive means.
Anyway, Garv has having some fun with some of the kids in the jacuzzi. In a matter of seconds, the kids started dumping pails upon pails over Garv's head. Ron's daughter (Elli) was too cute. She had this devilish grin on her face right before she took a squirt gun and started squirting Garv... directly in his ear. She aimed specifically for his ear. Funny. I was dying laughing. And yes, Garv got water in his ear on Monday.
As a side note, I learned that swimming diapers are only meant to contain poop. It makes perfect sense now that I think about it, but for some reason I thought swimming diapers also held pee. My line of thinking was that a swimming diaper was a full functioning diaper, just made so that kids can swim with them on. I learned this interesting fact while holding Briana and feeling a nice warm drizzle down my leg. Remember to remind me to never go into a public pool ever again.
All in all, I had a blast on Monday. It was a great way to end the long weekend, which I must say went by very quickly. The only downside about Monday was that I may have gotten sick. Oh well.
Also partaking in the festivities were my friends (Garv, Aimee, Bill, and Alex), Aimee's husband (Jim), Aimee's kids, Bill's family and Alex's family. As always, it was a fun time. After all, I like to think of Ron and Trinh's place as my little vacation spa. Everything is always fun there.
I actually spent most of the time, of course, with Briana. When Briana wasn't playing with the slide, or watching the fish, or finding the turtle with the fish, she was... in the pool. Apparently, or maybe by design, Karen did not have any swimming attire for the day. Rather convenient, I know. Thus, I spent a good chunk of time in the pool with Briana, who seems rather fearless when it comes to water. At one point, she wanted to go into the deep end... with me carrying her of course.
By far, the funniest part of the day was when Garv was in the jacuzzi. The incident was just like my bachelor party in Las Vegas. Naturally, what happened there, stays there. But something that we occasionally joke about with Garv is his ear, or more specifically, when he gets water in his ear. When he got water in his ear in Vegas, he spent a good portion of time trying to get the water out. For anyone curious, Garv got water in his ear at the swimming pool in Vegas, and not by any seductive means.
Anyway, Garv has having some fun with some of the kids in the jacuzzi. In a matter of seconds, the kids started dumping pails upon pails over Garv's head. Ron's daughter (Elli) was too cute. She had this devilish grin on her face right before she took a squirt gun and started squirting Garv... directly in his ear. She aimed specifically for his ear. Funny. I was dying laughing. And yes, Garv got water in his ear on Monday.
As a side note, I learned that swimming diapers are only meant to contain poop. It makes perfect sense now that I think about it, but for some reason I thought swimming diapers also held pee. My line of thinking was that a swimming diaper was a full functioning diaper, just made so that kids can swim with them on. I learned this interesting fact while holding Briana and feeling a nice warm drizzle down my leg. Remember to remind me to never go into a public pool ever again.
All in all, I had a blast on Monday. It was a great way to end the long weekend, which I must say went by very quickly. The only downside about Monday was that I may have gotten sick. Oh well.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
I Suck At The Super Bowl
As far as football goes, there is not a lot I can say about the Super Bowl itself. You can say I suck at the Super Bowl, but truth of the matter is the New England Patriots suck at the Super Bowl. Sadly, the Patriots lost yet again to those New York Giants, this time by a score of 21-17. As a fan, it's disheartening to see the team come so close. One play could have been the difference between the victory and the loss. It just wasn't meant to be this year for the Patriots. Oh well.
Game aside, it was good to see my friends (Ron, Trinh, and Aimee) again. Ron and Trinh hosted a quasi-Super Bowl party/play date of sorts. The last time Ron, Aimee, and I got together, we set up tentative plans for the next time our children could play together. That date just happened to coincide with the Super Bowl.
Despite the Patriots loss, it was a great time as usual. One of Ron and Trinh's nieces was quite excited to play with our twenty two month old daughter (Briana). It was very cute. Ron's mother even told me how good Briana was that night. Briana has them all fooled. Just kidding.
Needless to say, I had a great time, as did Briana who surpisingly did not take a nap the entire day.
Game aside, it was good to see my friends (Ron, Trinh, and Aimee) again. Ron and Trinh hosted a quasi-Super Bowl party/play date of sorts. The last time Ron, Aimee, and I got together, we set up tentative plans for the next time our children could play together. That date just happened to coincide with the Super Bowl.
Despite the Patriots loss, it was a great time as usual. One of Ron and Trinh's nieces was quite excited to play with our twenty two month old daughter (Briana). It was very cute. Ron's mother even told me how good Briana was that night. Briana has them all fooled. Just kidding.
Needless to say, I had a great time, as did Briana who surpisingly did not take a nap the entire day.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
I Still Suck At Hanging Out With Friends
This past Sunday, Karen, my twenty two month old daughter (Briana) and I hung out with my friends (Ron and Trinh) and their children. My friend (Aimee), not to be confused with Hot Amy or the other Amy I refer to as the Czar, also joined in on the festivities by bringing her kids as well. I guess you could say it was a play date of sorts.
Now, I still suck at hanging out with friends. I don't see Ron and Trinh as much as I would like to, which is sad because they only live a hop, skip and jump away from where I live. Okay, it's not that close, but it is close. For that matter, I don't see Aimee as much as I would like to either. I think our schedules just haven't meshed well of late, which is understandable when you have children.
Thankfully, Aimee decided to make plans to get together. So thanks Aimee! Needless to say, it was definitely good to see everyone on Sunday. It was definitely good to see Ron and Trinh's latest little addition to the family. Sure, their latest addition was seven months ago, but nonetheless it was good to finally meet her. (I did say I suck at hanging out with friends, didn't I?) Better to be late than never. At least I knew about Ron and Trinh's fourth child. My friend (Nhut) totally did not know until he received a photo Christmas card from them.
Anyway, I had a great time hanging out with Ron, Trinh, and Aimee. I thought the day absolutely flew by. Before I knew it, it was time for Briana's dinner. Briana, as well, seemed to enjoy the "play date" too, although probably not as much as Aimee's daughter who formed a quick bond with one of Ron and Trinh's daughters.
Following Ron and Trinh's, I spent the rest of Sunday at my friend's (Andrea). Andrea had invited my friends (Marc and Kelley) and I over to her place to watch some football. Karen and Briana did not end up going because they were both tired. Apparently, Marc, Kelley and Andrea were tired too because the three of them had taken a nap on the couch while watching football.
Luckily for me, they were awake when I showed up. With football over, we actually ended up watching the Golden Globes. Sadly, I never heard of any of the movies that were nominated. Oh well. But it was good to just hang out with Marc, Kelley and Andrea. All in all, it was a good fun day for me.
Now, I still suck at hanging out with friends. I don't see Ron and Trinh as much as I would like to, which is sad because they only live a hop, skip and jump away from where I live. Okay, it's not that close, but it is close. For that matter, I don't see Aimee as much as I would like to either. I think our schedules just haven't meshed well of late, which is understandable when you have children.
Thankfully, Aimee decided to make plans to get together. So thanks Aimee! Needless to say, it was definitely good to see everyone on Sunday. It was definitely good to see Ron and Trinh's latest little addition to the family. Sure, their latest addition was seven months ago, but nonetheless it was good to finally meet her. (I did say I suck at hanging out with friends, didn't I?) Better to be late than never. At least I knew about Ron and Trinh's fourth child. My friend (Nhut) totally did not know until he received a photo Christmas card from them.
Anyway, I had a great time hanging out with Ron, Trinh, and Aimee. I thought the day absolutely flew by. Before I knew it, it was time for Briana's dinner. Briana, as well, seemed to enjoy the "play date" too, although probably not as much as Aimee's daughter who formed a quick bond with one of Ron and Trinh's daughters.
Following Ron and Trinh's, I spent the rest of Sunday at my friend's (Andrea). Andrea had invited my friends (Marc and Kelley) and I over to her place to watch some football. Karen and Briana did not end up going because they were both tired. Apparently, Marc, Kelley and Andrea were tired too because the three of them had taken a nap on the couch while watching football.
Luckily for me, they were awake when I showed up. With football over, we actually ended up watching the Golden Globes. Sadly, I never heard of any of the movies that were nominated. Oh well. But it was good to just hang out with Marc, Kelley and Andrea. All in all, it was a good fun day for me.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
I Suck At Basketball
Today marked the beginning of a very busy weekend for Karen and I... and our baby daughter (Briana). With it being the Fourth of July weekend, we had a bunch of cookouts on our schedule... one every day of the weekend... Monday too if you include the observed holiday as part of the weekend.
The cookout that was scheduled for today was at my friends (Ron and Trinh) who live right up the street in nearby Pembroke. Truth be told, we had another cookout also scheduled for today at my friend's (Hot Amy) in Quincy. Never liking to overbook things (because of the added stress of trying to accomplish too many things in one day), I decided to simply attend the cookout which had invited me first.
In this case, the invitation I received first was for Ron and Trinh's. Naturally, Karen attempted to go to both cookouts, in part because her family was going to be at Hot Amy's. And of course with relatives, particularly my mother-in-law, Briana had to go to be "shown" to everyone. Plus, there were rampant rumors that this would be the last cookout they host on the third of July.
Anyway, Karen only stayed at Ron and Trinh's for a little while, which was fine with me because I find Ron and Trinh's place to be like a mini-vacation spot complete with a pool. Ron and Trinh, are by far, the most gracious hosts I know. Trinh had hand-made so many burgers, it was unreal. (The burgers by the way were very delicious.) The amount of food was crazy.
Ron was a great bartender as well. He was doing his best to push the "special" of the day: the Brazilian drink known as the Caipirinha. Of course, I think he just liked saying the word "caipirinha". Apparently, he had recently discovered the drink while on a trip. (And for anyone curious, I thought the drink tasted like a mojito... just without the mint.)
Needless to say, it was definitely a great time (as usual) at the mini-vacation spot known as Ron and Trinh's. It was good to catch up with old friends. I think the highlight of Ron and Trinh's party was the basketball game we ended up playing outside of his garage.
Too bad I suck at basketball. Luckily, everyone else at the party sucks at basketball too. Although, I'll have to give Ron and my friend (Garv) credit. They seemed to be in the best shape out of everyone there. It was a good thing that I happened to be on their team... not that I did much because I was sucking wind pretty early on.
I have not shot a basketball in quite a long time. Up until today, I can't remember the last time I played basketball. But just playing basketball again with a bunch of friends was fun. It reminded me of my childhood where a bunch of us would routinely get together to shoot some hoops (then at a basketball court located at Mass Fields in Quincy). It was something to do with a bunch of friends... just hang out and play.
Surprisingly, I thought I held my own while playing basketball. Granted, my friend (Marc) did have to spell me a few times. Like I said earlier, I was simply gassed from all the start-and-stop running.
Anyway, time simply flew by. Before I knew it, it was fairly late. And with Karen and Briana at Hot Amy's, Marc and my friend (Kelley) invited me back to their place for the UFC 116 pay-per-view. Naturally, I could not say no because this was the return of the heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar. Lesnar suffered a possible career ending bout of diverticulitis after his last championship match last year (which he won and made a total ass of himself after the fight). An interim champion had been determined in the meantime and so Lesnar was set to face the interim champion (Shane Carwin) to unify the titles upon his return.
The pay-per-view was good. Carwin almost actually won the fight in the first round. Unfortunately, like my current basketball conditioning, Carwin was gassed after a few minutes. Lesnar ended up winning early in the second round.
Of course, watching the pay-per-view naturally reminded me of my BFF (Kerry). Kerry, who was present at the last UFC pay-per-view that we watched... which was Lesnar's last match until today... had made the funny comment that she "could so do Joe Rogan". Joe Rogen (of Fear Factor fame) is one of the announcers for UFC. Of course, she meant that she could do his announcing job, but the Freudian slip was just classic... and comical.
Regardless, today has been a great fun day. I had a good time hanging out with friends.
The cookout that was scheduled for today was at my friends (Ron and Trinh) who live right up the street in nearby Pembroke. Truth be told, we had another cookout also scheduled for today at my friend's (Hot Amy) in Quincy. Never liking to overbook things (because of the added stress of trying to accomplish too many things in one day), I decided to simply attend the cookout which had invited me first.
In this case, the invitation I received first was for Ron and Trinh's. Naturally, Karen attempted to go to both cookouts, in part because her family was going to be at Hot Amy's. And of course with relatives, particularly my mother-in-law, Briana had to go to be "shown" to everyone. Plus, there were rampant rumors that this would be the last cookout they host on the third of July.
Anyway, Karen only stayed at Ron and Trinh's for a little while, which was fine with me because I find Ron and Trinh's place to be like a mini-vacation spot complete with a pool. Ron and Trinh, are by far, the most gracious hosts I know. Trinh had hand-made so many burgers, it was unreal. (The burgers by the way were very delicious.) The amount of food was crazy.
Ron was a great bartender as well. He was doing his best to push the "special" of the day: the Brazilian drink known as the Caipirinha. Of course, I think he just liked saying the word "caipirinha". Apparently, he had recently discovered the drink while on a trip. (And for anyone curious, I thought the drink tasted like a mojito... just without the mint.)
Needless to say, it was definitely a great time (as usual) at the mini-vacation spot known as Ron and Trinh's. It was good to catch up with old friends. I think the highlight of Ron and Trinh's party was the basketball game we ended up playing outside of his garage.
Too bad I suck at basketball. Luckily, everyone else at the party sucks at basketball too. Although, I'll have to give Ron and my friend (Garv) credit. They seemed to be in the best shape out of everyone there. It was a good thing that I happened to be on their team... not that I did much because I was sucking wind pretty early on.
I have not shot a basketball in quite a long time. Up until today, I can't remember the last time I played basketball. But just playing basketball again with a bunch of friends was fun. It reminded me of my childhood where a bunch of us would routinely get together to shoot some hoops (then at a basketball court located at Mass Fields in Quincy). It was something to do with a bunch of friends... just hang out and play.
Surprisingly, I thought I held my own while playing basketball. Granted, my friend (Marc) did have to spell me a few times. Like I said earlier, I was simply gassed from all the start-and-stop running.
Anyway, time simply flew by. Before I knew it, it was fairly late. And with Karen and Briana at Hot Amy's, Marc and my friend (Kelley) invited me back to their place for the UFC 116 pay-per-view. Naturally, I could not say no because this was the return of the heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar. Lesnar suffered a possible career ending bout of diverticulitis after his last championship match last year (which he won and made a total ass of himself after the fight). An interim champion had been determined in the meantime and so Lesnar was set to face the interim champion (Shane Carwin) to unify the titles upon his return.
The pay-per-view was good. Carwin almost actually won the fight in the first round. Unfortunately, like my current basketball conditioning, Carwin was gassed after a few minutes. Lesnar ended up winning early in the second round.
Of course, watching the pay-per-view naturally reminded me of my BFF (Kerry). Kerry, who was present at the last UFC pay-per-view that we watched... which was Lesnar's last match until today... had made the funny comment that she "could so do Joe Rogan". Joe Rogen (of Fear Factor fame) is one of the announcers for UFC. Of course, she meant that she could do his announcing job, but the Freudian slip was just classic... and comical.
Regardless, today has been a great fun day. I had a good time hanging out with friends.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
I Suck At Seeing Friends
Since becoming a parent, I have lost track of days. I have lost track of time. Luckily, I have this thing called "work" that ever so often reminds me of what day of the week it is. As for time, my time seems based around our baby daughter's (Briana) feeding schedule.
Briana currently roughly feeds every four hours. Feeding her is like a vicious cycle. By the time Karen and I finish changing her diapers, cleaning her, feeding her, burping her, washing her bottles, making sure she goes to sleep, etc., it's almost time to repeat the cycle. Needless to say, the cycle leaves very little time for socializing with friends. I guess you can say I suck at seeing friends.
Luckily, this past weekend I was able to see a few of my friends. The funny thing about having a baby is that everyone now wants to visit you to see your baby... not you. Babies seem to have that affect on most people. It just so happens that Karen and I live with Briana... like we're both an afterthought, but I'm okay with that. I still get to see my friends either way.
On Saturday, my friend (Jen) came for a quick visit during the day. Jen came with her mother as they had spent some family bonding time by shopping. It was good to see Jen again. I sometimes feel like I don't see Jen that much. And when I do, it's generally within a larger group where the group dynamic is different, so I hardly get to chat with her. Regardless, I'm glad she came to visit.
My friends (Ron and Trinh) stopped by Saturday night. They had a busy week the week prior as one of their daughters was in the hospital (she's okay), but they had some free time on Saturday. So they also stopped by. Trinh, a mother of three, was funny. She jumped at the chance to hold Briana and she did for some time. (Ron said he'd hold Briana the next time.) Apparently, Trinh learned how to multitask while holding a baby in her arm. It's quite amazing. She made it look very easy. Given the chance, she probably could have held Briana for hours. In fact, she referred to Briana as "precious", which was a term I never thought to use when talking about Briana. The term that jumps out in my mind about Briana... stinky. Just kidding.
On Sunday, a couple of Karen's friends (Lisa and Rachel) stopped by for a visit. (Again, it was to visit Briana... or at least give them an excuse to visit Karen.) Both Lisa and Rachel know Karen through her work. I had met Lisa before while attending one of Karen's company parties. Although I had never met Rachel, I heard stories of her. And interestingly enough, her current boyfriend attended college in New Orleans and happened to be in the same fraternity as one of my other friends... while my friend was there. Small world.
For me, it was good to place a face to Rachel's name. Oddly enough, she happened to be a Facebook "friend" of mine and I had not never even had a conversation with her. (Crazy how Facebook works that way.) Needless to say, Lisa and Rachel were quite nice. As they were all dietitians, it made for an interesting time. It almost reminded me of those get-together dinners that Karen has with my friends (Hot Amy and Dolores) who are also dietitians. Interestingly enough, Lisa and Rachel recommended that I have ice cream with chocolate chip cookies. After a recommendation like that from two dietitians, how could I say no to ice cream?
While Lisa and Rachel were visiting, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine), my niece (Kaleigh) and my friend (Gretchen) also stopped by Sunday. Janine has been trying to visit Briana... when Briana was awake. Every time Janine had stopped by before, Briana was fast asleep. As luck would have it, Janine got to see Briana awake for the first time.
Needless to say, Briana got to see a lot of people this weekend. In fact, she got to be held by a lot of people this weekend, which is good because Karen and I think Briana is quite the cuddle bug. Briana apparently loves to be held. And really who doesn't like to be constantly hugged? (No, I'm not jealous.) While being held, Briana practically makes no peep. People have even asked us if she ever cries. Trust me. She does. If people only knew her once they leave...
Briana currently roughly feeds every four hours. Feeding her is like a vicious cycle. By the time Karen and I finish changing her diapers, cleaning her, feeding her, burping her, washing her bottles, making sure she goes to sleep, etc., it's almost time to repeat the cycle. Needless to say, the cycle leaves very little time for socializing with friends. I guess you can say I suck at seeing friends.
Luckily, this past weekend I was able to see a few of my friends. The funny thing about having a baby is that everyone now wants to visit you to see your baby... not you. Babies seem to have that affect on most people. It just so happens that Karen and I live with Briana... like we're both an afterthought, but I'm okay with that. I still get to see my friends either way.
On Saturday, my friend (Jen) came for a quick visit during the day. Jen came with her mother as they had spent some family bonding time by shopping. It was good to see Jen again. I sometimes feel like I don't see Jen that much. And when I do, it's generally within a larger group where the group dynamic is different, so I hardly get to chat with her. Regardless, I'm glad she came to visit.
My friends (Ron and Trinh) stopped by Saturday night. They had a busy week the week prior as one of their daughters was in the hospital (she's okay), but they had some free time on Saturday. So they also stopped by. Trinh, a mother of three, was funny. She jumped at the chance to hold Briana and she did for some time. (Ron said he'd hold Briana the next time.) Apparently, Trinh learned how to multitask while holding a baby in her arm. It's quite amazing. She made it look very easy. Given the chance, she probably could have held Briana for hours. In fact, she referred to Briana as "precious", which was a term I never thought to use when talking about Briana. The term that jumps out in my mind about Briana... stinky. Just kidding.
On Sunday, a couple of Karen's friends (Lisa and Rachel) stopped by for a visit. (Again, it was to visit Briana... or at least give them an excuse to visit Karen.) Both Lisa and Rachel know Karen through her work. I had met Lisa before while attending one of Karen's company parties. Although I had never met Rachel, I heard stories of her. And interestingly enough, her current boyfriend attended college in New Orleans and happened to be in the same fraternity as one of my other friends... while my friend was there. Small world.
For me, it was good to place a face to Rachel's name. Oddly enough, she happened to be a Facebook "friend" of mine and I had not never even had a conversation with her. (Crazy how Facebook works that way.) Needless to say, Lisa and Rachel were quite nice. As they were all dietitians, it made for an interesting time. It almost reminded me of those get-together dinners that Karen has with my friends (Hot Amy and Dolores) who are also dietitians. Interestingly enough, Lisa and Rachel recommended that I have ice cream with chocolate chip cookies. After a recommendation like that from two dietitians, how could I say no to ice cream?
While Lisa and Rachel were visiting, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine), my niece (Kaleigh) and my friend (Gretchen) also stopped by Sunday. Janine has been trying to visit Briana... when Briana was awake. Every time Janine had stopped by before, Briana was fast asleep. As luck would have it, Janine got to see Briana awake for the first time.
Needless to say, Briana got to see a lot of people this weekend. In fact, she got to be held by a lot of people this weekend, which is good because Karen and I think Briana is quite the cuddle bug. Briana apparently loves to be held. And really who doesn't like to be constantly hugged? (No, I'm not jealous.) While being held, Briana practically makes no peep. People have even asked us if she ever cries. Trust me. She does. If people only knew her once they leave...
Thursday, February 4, 2010
I Suck At The Celtics Game
I had a great time last night.
Last night was sort of a guys night out for me. I don't think I have had one of those in awhile. My friends (Cass and Ron) and I attended the Celtics game last night. Unfortunately, I suck at the Celtics game. The NBA's greatest franchise, the Boston Celtics, were playing the Miami Heat.
Cass happened upon the tickets and asked if we wanted to go. So off we went! The plan was to meet up for dinner in town and then head over to the game. As Ron and I were not in town, we decided to meet up at the train station.
Interestingly enough, while waiting for Ron at the train station, I got to watch the breaking news about a shooting outside of my high school alma mater: North Quincy. I don't know the particulars about the shooting, but Ron and I could see the police cars surrounding the school on our way into town. Like I had joked with Ron, Quincy has gone downhill since we both moved out.
Speaking of which, this would be a great platform to build Cass's campaign for mayor around. Of course, I don't have any empirical data yet to prove this. Quincy, however, has been in the news recently all for the wrong reasons: crime. And what is one thing that a lot of people fear? Increased crime rates.
Fear is great motivator when it comes to the political world. After all, fear in my opinion is what got President Bush (senior) elected President in 1988. Bush's opponent at the time was former governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis. If there is one person Bush senior should thank, it's Willie Horton. Willie Horton was a convict who committed a heinous crime while on furlough, a program that was supported by Dukakis while as governor. Dukakis was consequently labeled as being soft on crime and could never recover from the negative image. His popularity with the voters simply plummeted.
Similarly, I think the same type of campaign could be run for Cass. With the seemingly increased incidents of crime in the city, current Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch (pronounced like the soft drink Coke) could be labeled as soft on crime. Of course, this also gives me the excuse to use the campaign slogan "Don't be a Koch-head... Vote Cass." Now all I have to do is convince Cass to run for mayor of Quincy.
Sorry, I digress. Ron and I met Cass at Hurricane O'Reilly's for dinner. It was a little comical because out of the three of us, I was the only one to not order a salad. (I had a burger.) It also turns out that Cass and his wife (Ellen) are attempting the infamous Atkins diet, to which I cautioned him about the possible side effect of stinky breath complements of the process known as ketosis. Luckily for me, I'm not on a diet. I enjoy food too much.
Among other topics of discussion for the night besides the food, carbs, and diabetes were silly things like Ron's daughter's (Uma) love for all things Miley Cyrus. I am guessing she puts her hands up and nods her head like yeah. And really, when it comes to partying in the United States, who wouldn't?
As well, I had mentioned to Ron that since my son (Braden) passed away, I seem to have a different outlook on things concerning work. Before, I used to have certain working goals that I would make x amount of money or have a certain type of title. I would not say that those types of things do not matter any more. They do to some extent. For me though, those things seem so trivial now in comparison to friends and family.
It's almost as though Braden's passing has taught me that there are more important things to life than money; that if you focus on these trivial things, life will pass you by. Before you know it, you will have missed all these wonderful opportunities with the things that matter like friends and family. With everything in my life now, I don't want to look back and think about missed chances.
As for the actual Celtics game, it was great.
(The video below is from the Celtics game.)
The Celtics ended up defeating the Heat 107-102. Even though all-star Paul Pierce did not play due to injury, it was great watching the Celtics win. It was also great to just hang out and enjoy the night with my friends. Needless to say, it was fun time.
Last night was sort of a guys night out for me. I don't think I have had one of those in awhile. My friends (Cass and Ron) and I attended the Celtics game last night. Unfortunately, I suck at the Celtics game. The NBA's greatest franchise, the Boston Celtics, were playing the Miami Heat.
Cass happened upon the tickets and asked if we wanted to go. So off we went! The plan was to meet up for dinner in town and then head over to the game. As Ron and I were not in town, we decided to meet up at the train station.
Interestingly enough, while waiting for Ron at the train station, I got to watch the breaking news about a shooting outside of my high school alma mater: North Quincy. I don't know the particulars about the shooting, but Ron and I could see the police cars surrounding the school on our way into town. Like I had joked with Ron, Quincy has gone downhill since we both moved out.
Speaking of which, this would be a great platform to build Cass's campaign for mayor around. Of course, I don't have any empirical data yet to prove this. Quincy, however, has been in the news recently all for the wrong reasons: crime. And what is one thing that a lot of people fear? Increased crime rates.
Fear is great motivator when it comes to the political world. After all, fear in my opinion is what got President Bush (senior) elected President in 1988. Bush's opponent at the time was former governor of Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis. If there is one person Bush senior should thank, it's Willie Horton. Willie Horton was a convict who committed a heinous crime while on furlough, a program that was supported by Dukakis while as governor. Dukakis was consequently labeled as being soft on crime and could never recover from the negative image. His popularity with the voters simply plummeted.
Similarly, I think the same type of campaign could be run for Cass. With the seemingly increased incidents of crime in the city, current Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch (pronounced like the soft drink Coke) could be labeled as soft on crime. Of course, this also gives me the excuse to use the campaign slogan "Don't be a Koch-head... Vote Cass." Now all I have to do is convince Cass to run for mayor of Quincy.
Sorry, I digress. Ron and I met Cass at Hurricane O'Reilly's for dinner. It was a little comical because out of the three of us, I was the only one to not order a salad. (I had a burger.) It also turns out that Cass and his wife (Ellen) are attempting the infamous Atkins diet, to which I cautioned him about the possible side effect of stinky breath complements of the process known as ketosis. Luckily for me, I'm not on a diet. I enjoy food too much.
Among other topics of discussion for the night besides the food, carbs, and diabetes were silly things like Ron's daughter's (Uma) love for all things Miley Cyrus. I am guessing she puts her hands up and nods her head like yeah. And really, when it comes to partying in the United States, who wouldn't?
As well, I had mentioned to Ron that since my son (Braden) passed away, I seem to have a different outlook on things concerning work. Before, I used to have certain working goals that I would make x amount of money or have a certain type of title. I would not say that those types of things do not matter any more. They do to some extent. For me though, those things seem so trivial now in comparison to friends and family.
It's almost as though Braden's passing has taught me that there are more important things to life than money; that if you focus on these trivial things, life will pass you by. Before you know it, you will have missed all these wonderful opportunities with the things that matter like friends and family. With everything in my life now, I don't want to look back and think about missed chances.
As for the actual Celtics game, it was great.
(The video below is from the Celtics game.)
The Celtics ended up defeating the Heat 107-102. Even though all-star Paul Pierce did not play due to injury, it was great watching the Celtics win. It was also great to just hang out and enjoy the night with my friends. Needless to say, it was fun time.
Monday, January 25, 2010
I Suck At Hanging Out With Ron
On Friday, Karen and I hung out with my friends (Ron and Trinh) and their family. Unfortunately, I suck at hanging out with Ron. Ron and his family live about five to ten minutes away in Pembroke. For the longest time, Ron and Trinh have been trying to get together with us for dinner.
Karen and I have lived in our current residence for almost seven years. Since that time, we have never had dinner with Ron and Trinh. As Trinh put it, everyone's schedule gets busy and before you know it... time passes you by. In this case, seven years flew by.
Needless to say, I had a great time with Ron and Trinh and their family. Knowing that I enjoy her famous egg rolls, Trinh made... her famous egg rolls. As well, we had pasta and meatballs complements of Alfredo's.
Dinner was great. I always have a great time whenever I visit Ron and Trinh. And their three daughters are so adorably cute and well behaved. I can only hope that if Karen and I have a daughter, she would be equally cute and well behaved. Apparently Ron's secret is that he piledrives them.
Anyway, following dinner we played some games with the kids. We first started off playing the game: Sorry. I have not played that game since I was a kid. For Karen, it was her first time playing. She had to receive some instructional help from Ron's daughter (Aree). The game was fun, especially since I kicked butt. Truth be told, I slipped under the radar while Ron's other daughter (Uma) ganged up on Ron.
For me, one of the more memorable things from the night was Aree's amazement with herself. Ron and Trinh have a table with a glass top. While we were playing, Aree decided to put her leg right up against the bottom of the glass thereby flattening her leg. Aree was so excited and amused that she called out to Ron so that he could see her flat leg. It was cute.
Anyway, the game of Bingo soon followed afterwards. Uma was in charge of calling out the numbers for Bingo. While everyone was playing, the youngest daughter (Elli) ran around with a microphone... for no reason other than she could. As luck would have it, I won the first game of Bingo. Ron ended up winning the second game.
From there, the kids went to bed and we simply hung out some more. Before we knew it, it was already way past Karen's bedtime. All in all, I had a blast hanging out with Ron and Trinh and their kids. It was a great time.
Hopefully I can hang out with them some more.
Karen and I have lived in our current residence for almost seven years. Since that time, we have never had dinner with Ron and Trinh. As Trinh put it, everyone's schedule gets busy and before you know it... time passes you by. In this case, seven years flew by.
Needless to say, I had a great time with Ron and Trinh and their family. Knowing that I enjoy her famous egg rolls, Trinh made... her famous egg rolls. As well, we had pasta and meatballs complements of Alfredo's.
Dinner was great. I always have a great time whenever I visit Ron and Trinh. And their three daughters are so adorably cute and well behaved. I can only hope that if Karen and I have a daughter, she would be equally cute and well behaved. Apparently Ron's secret is that he piledrives them.
Anyway, following dinner we played some games with the kids. We first started off playing the game: Sorry. I have not played that game since I was a kid. For Karen, it was her first time playing. She had to receive some instructional help from Ron's daughter (Aree). The game was fun, especially since I kicked butt. Truth be told, I slipped under the radar while Ron's other daughter (Uma) ganged up on Ron.
For me, one of the more memorable things from the night was Aree's amazement with herself. Ron and Trinh have a table with a glass top. While we were playing, Aree decided to put her leg right up against the bottom of the glass thereby flattening her leg. Aree was so excited and amused that she called out to Ron so that he could see her flat leg. It was cute.
Anyway, the game of Bingo soon followed afterwards. Uma was in charge of calling out the numbers for Bingo. While everyone was playing, the youngest daughter (Elli) ran around with a microphone... for no reason other than she could. As luck would have it, I won the first game of Bingo. Ron ended up winning the second game.
From there, the kids went to bed and we simply hung out some more. Before we knew it, it was already way past Karen's bedtime. All in all, I had a blast hanging out with Ron and Trinh and their kids. It was a great time.
Hopefully I can hang out with them some more.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
I Suck At Blue-22
On Monday night, I met up with a few friends at Blue-22 located in Quincy. Unfortunately, I suck at Blue-22.
I haven't been to Blue-22 in quite a while. Apparently, Blue-22 recently changed its menu... and by "recently" I mean last week. My friend (Garv) who is a partial owner of Blue-22 informed us of the change. In fact, at the time that he mentioned the new menu, Garv was trying one of the new menu items which was some pork dish. He also tried one of the burger sliders that Blue-22 also now offers.
Although I was full, I actually tried the pork and one of the burger sliders. It was very good. I enjoyed the new menu items.
Anyway, the reason why all of us were at Blue-22 was because my friend (Ron) proposed getting all of us together for some laughs, drinks, merriment... and some fantasy football. It has been a long while since I got to hang out with Ron. So it was great to see him again.
Ron had originally proposed the idea of getting the fantasy football owners together before the milestone known as the "trading deadline". For anyone curious, the trading deadline is the deadline where fantasy football owners can no longer trade away players on their respective teams to other owners with hopes of improving their own team.
In other words, Monday was an excuse to get out of the house, hang out, and geek it up over fantasy football. Joining in the geekfest were my friend (Cass), Ron, Garv and I. My friends (Marc, Kelley, and Ellen) unfortunately could not make the shindig.
Needless to say, it was a fun time. Cass's brother (BJ), who is a staple at Blue-22, also temporarily joined us for the geekfest. BJ was doing work while at the restaurant. Plus, he stopped by to pick up his Kango hat that he had lost at Blue-22.
Speaking of Cass, he seemed to have the best time. In terms of fantasy football, Cass without a doubt did the most wheeling and dealing. (This is yet another reason why Cass would be great as mayor of Quincy. Remember that the next time the election comes around!)
Anyway, Cass pulled off two major trades on Monday: one involving Ron and the other involving Garv. Luckily, my fantasy football team is terrible. So there really was no one on my team that garnered any interest. (After all, my team is terrible for a reason.)
All in all, it was a very enjoyable night... fantasy football aside.
I haven't been to Blue-22 in quite a while. Apparently, Blue-22 recently changed its menu... and by "recently" I mean last week. My friend (Garv) who is a partial owner of Blue-22 informed us of the change. In fact, at the time that he mentioned the new menu, Garv was trying one of the new menu items which was some pork dish. He also tried one of the burger sliders that Blue-22 also now offers.
Although I was full, I actually tried the pork and one of the burger sliders. It was very good. I enjoyed the new menu items.
Anyway, the reason why all of us were at Blue-22 was because my friend (Ron) proposed getting all of us together for some laughs, drinks, merriment... and some fantasy football. It has been a long while since I got to hang out with Ron. So it was great to see him again.
Ron had originally proposed the idea of getting the fantasy football owners together before the milestone known as the "trading deadline". For anyone curious, the trading deadline is the deadline where fantasy football owners can no longer trade away players on their respective teams to other owners with hopes of improving their own team.
In other words, Monday was an excuse to get out of the house, hang out, and geek it up over fantasy football. Joining in the geekfest were my friend (Cass), Ron, Garv and I. My friends (Marc, Kelley, and Ellen) unfortunately could not make the shindig.
Needless to say, it was a fun time. Cass's brother (BJ), who is a staple at Blue-22, also temporarily joined us for the geekfest. BJ was doing work while at the restaurant. Plus, he stopped by to pick up his Kango hat that he had lost at Blue-22.
Speaking of Cass, he seemed to have the best time. In terms of fantasy football, Cass without a doubt did the most wheeling and dealing. (This is yet another reason why Cass would be great as mayor of Quincy. Remember that the next time the election comes around!)
Anyway, Cass pulled off two major trades on Monday: one involving Ron and the other involving Garv. Luckily, my fantasy football team is terrible. So there really was no one on my team that garnered any interest. (After all, my team is terrible for a reason.)
All in all, it was a very enjoyable night... fantasy football aside.
Friday, November 6, 2009
I Suck At Five Guys
Tuesday was quite the busy day.
At work, my coworkers and I decided to go out for lunch. We ended up eating at Five Guys located in Swampscott. Now, I suck at Five Guys. I have never been to Five Guys but I have heard great things about their burgers. Since the Five Guys location in Swampscott was relatively new, we decided to give it a go.
Needless to say, the food was delicious. For anyone curious, the regular burger is a two-patty burger. Their "little" size is a one patty burger. Of course, I went for the two-patty burger with large cajun fries. It was very good. I was so stuffed following lunch. I would definitely go back to Five Guys.
After work, Karen and I ran a little errand at Target located in Hanover. We were looking for energy saving curtains. As well, I had my guilty pleasure moment of purchasing a new cd that was released on Tuesday. For anyone curious, that new cd was Glee: The Music, Volume 1. Glee is one of those new television shows that I enjoy watching this season. It just cracks me up.
Anyway, while leaving Target, Karen and I saw my friends (Ron and Trinh) and their family. Ron and Trinh, and their kids, were just arriving as we were leaving. It was nice to see them. And I must say, their kids are very cute. The middle child (Aree) was being dramatic and did not want to be buckled into the shopping carriage. It was cute.
Unfortunately, we could not chat that long with Ron and Trinh. We were actually running a little late for another get together with my friends (Hugh and Jenny) and their children. Jenny and Karen have been trying to find a time to get together. As well, Karen wanted to tell Jenny about her pregnancy. So, we were supposed to meet Jenny and Hugh at Friendly's in Hanover, which was just up the street from the Target.
It was nice seeing Hugh and Jenny again. Unfortunately, I was still a little stuffed from the Five Guys experience to eat that much at Friendly's. But, I had ice cream! It probably goes without saying that Hugh and Jenny were happy to hear the news.
All in all, it was nice busy day.
At work, my coworkers and I decided to go out for lunch. We ended up eating at Five Guys located in Swampscott. Now, I suck at Five Guys. I have never been to Five Guys but I have heard great things about their burgers. Since the Five Guys location in Swampscott was relatively new, we decided to give it a go.
Needless to say, the food was delicious. For anyone curious, the regular burger is a two-patty burger. Their "little" size is a one patty burger. Of course, I went for the two-patty burger with large cajun fries. It was very good. I was so stuffed following lunch. I would definitely go back to Five Guys.
After work, Karen and I ran a little errand at Target located in Hanover. We were looking for energy saving curtains. As well, I had my guilty pleasure moment of purchasing a new cd that was released on Tuesday. For anyone curious, that new cd was Glee: The Music, Volume 1. Glee is one of those new television shows that I enjoy watching this season. It just cracks me up.
Anyway, while leaving Target, Karen and I saw my friends (Ron and Trinh) and their family. Ron and Trinh, and their kids, were just arriving as we were leaving. It was nice to see them. And I must say, their kids are very cute. The middle child (Aree) was being dramatic and did not want to be buckled into the shopping carriage. It was cute.
Unfortunately, we could not chat that long with Ron and Trinh. We were actually running a little late for another get together with my friends (Hugh and Jenny) and their children. Jenny and Karen have been trying to find a time to get together. As well, Karen wanted to tell Jenny about her pregnancy. So, we were supposed to meet Jenny and Hugh at Friendly's in Hanover, which was just up the street from the Target.
It was nice seeing Hugh and Jenny again. Unfortunately, I was still a little stuffed from the Five Guys experience to eat that much at Friendly's. But, I had ice cream! It probably goes without saying that Hugh and Jenny were happy to hear the news.
All in all, it was nice busy day.
Monday, June 22, 2009
I Suck At Home Improvement
saturday was actually a very slow day for karen and i.
a long while ago, my bff (kerry) had asked us if we would be around on saturday because she was planning on a mid-year birthday party celebration for all of our friends who have birthdays in december (me included). well, it turns out that the party celebration had to be moved to the following weekend to include more birthday celebrants.
unfortunately, as karen and i had already committed to the plan for this weekend, the change in dates provided us with a whole day with nothing to do. so, we did what anyone would do: we worked on a home improvement project.
now, i suck at home improvement. our big home improvement project right now is our first floor bathroom. for quite some time, our first floor bathroom has been inoperable. the supply line to the toilet broke. the copper pipes to the bathroom area also burst. needless to say, the bathroom needed work.
we began demolition of the bathroom some time ago by removing some of the tiles that adorned the bathroom walls. unfortunately, we had to halt the project due to our busy schedule. as well, we had give us enough time to dispose of the construction material, rather than let the debris collect to ungodly amounts in our 1970s psychedelic green tub that came with the house.
on saturday, my favorite brother-in-law (pj) helped us out by bringing his trailer over. let me tell you, pj's trailer holds a lot more debris than a 1970s psychedelic green tub. needless to say, karen and i were thrilled to have the use of pj's trailer.
in fact, i was so thrilled that i decided to visit my friend (ron) who lives up the street in nearby pembroke. it turns out that on saturday, ron needed help with one of his home improvement projects as well. ron is having a fourth of july party at his house. (for anyone curious, his house is gorgeous.) in preparation for the party, he needed help with his outdoor shower.
as karen was feeling confident that she could demolish the bathroom on her own, i went over to help out ron for a little while. i didn't know if i were going to be more help than hindrance to ron. it was, however, nice to just hang out with ron because i haven't really hung out with him in awhile.
ron and i ended up building some walls for his outdoor shower. we also started to attach cedar to the outside of the walls. this was the first time i have ever worked on a home improvement project with ron. it was a little comical because... well, like me... ron likes to stare at walls. when it comes to my own home improvement projects, i am the same way because i like to thoroughly think things through before building something. i'm a little different when it comes to working on other people's home improvement projects.
anyway, i left ron's shortly after finishing the exterior of two walls. when i got home, i was surprised to see all the work that karen had accomplished on our bathroom. she ripped down a whole bunch of walls... down to the studs. (yes... stud... like me... just kidding.) she even ripped down the non-supporting wall that divided the room up. i was totally impressed.
as i was still in full work-on-the-house mode, i decided to continue with the home improvement theme. so i tackled the fun part: removal of the toilet. luckily, there was nothing in the toilet. i must say... i don't like to touch a toilet when it's clean... let alone one that has been nonfunctional for many months. anyway, i dismantled the toilet pretty easily. (of course, after removing the toilet, the water damaged subfloor became all the more noticeable... something that will also need to be addressed later on...)
following the toilet, i removed the light fixture above the area where the toilet used to be. i definitely do not recommend doing this, but i removed the light fixture from the junction box without shutting power off to the junction box. i know. i know. never break rule #1: turn off all power to the area where you will be doing electrical work. what can i say? i like to live dangerously. my sheer laziness and my self-confidence with electricity took the better part of me. (for anyone curious, nothing happened to me... so don't worry.)
and from there, i continued to remove some more of the wallboard within the bathroom. when all was said and done, karen and i did a lot of demolition in the bathroom. you should see pj's trailer right now. it's chock full of debris. and sadly... there's more to come.
a long while ago, my bff (kerry) had asked us if we would be around on saturday because she was planning on a mid-year birthday party celebration for all of our friends who have birthdays in december (me included). well, it turns out that the party celebration had to be moved to the following weekend to include more birthday celebrants.
unfortunately, as karen and i had already committed to the plan for this weekend, the change in dates provided us with a whole day with nothing to do. so, we did what anyone would do: we worked on a home improvement project.
now, i suck at home improvement. our big home improvement project right now is our first floor bathroom. for quite some time, our first floor bathroom has been inoperable. the supply line to the toilet broke. the copper pipes to the bathroom area also burst. needless to say, the bathroom needed work.
we began demolition of the bathroom some time ago by removing some of the tiles that adorned the bathroom walls. unfortunately, we had to halt the project due to our busy schedule. as well, we had give us enough time to dispose of the construction material, rather than let the debris collect to ungodly amounts in our 1970s psychedelic green tub that came with the house.
on saturday, my favorite brother-in-law (pj) helped us out by bringing his trailer over. let me tell you, pj's trailer holds a lot more debris than a 1970s psychedelic green tub. needless to say, karen and i were thrilled to have the use of pj's trailer.
in fact, i was so thrilled that i decided to visit my friend (ron) who lives up the street in nearby pembroke. it turns out that on saturday, ron needed help with one of his home improvement projects as well. ron is having a fourth of july party at his house. (for anyone curious, his house is gorgeous.) in preparation for the party, he needed help with his outdoor shower.
as karen was feeling confident that she could demolish the bathroom on her own, i went over to help out ron for a little while. i didn't know if i were going to be more help than hindrance to ron. it was, however, nice to just hang out with ron because i haven't really hung out with him in awhile.
ron and i ended up building some walls for his outdoor shower. we also started to attach cedar to the outside of the walls. this was the first time i have ever worked on a home improvement project with ron. it was a little comical because... well, like me... ron likes to stare at walls. when it comes to my own home improvement projects, i am the same way because i like to thoroughly think things through before building something. i'm a little different when it comes to working on other people's home improvement projects.
anyway, i left ron's shortly after finishing the exterior of two walls. when i got home, i was surprised to see all the work that karen had accomplished on our bathroom. she ripped down a whole bunch of walls... down to the studs. (yes... stud... like me... just kidding.) she even ripped down the non-supporting wall that divided the room up. i was totally impressed.
as i was still in full work-on-the-house mode, i decided to continue with the home improvement theme. so i tackled the fun part: removal of the toilet. luckily, there was nothing in the toilet. i must say... i don't like to touch a toilet when it's clean... let alone one that has been nonfunctional for many months. anyway, i dismantled the toilet pretty easily. (of course, after removing the toilet, the water damaged subfloor became all the more noticeable... something that will also need to be addressed later on...)
following the toilet, i removed the light fixture above the area where the toilet used to be. i definitely do not recommend doing this, but i removed the light fixture from the junction box without shutting power off to the junction box. i know. i know. never break rule #1: turn off all power to the area where you will be doing electrical work. what can i say? i like to live dangerously. my sheer laziness and my self-confidence with electricity took the better part of me. (for anyone curious, nothing happened to me... so don't worry.)
and from there, i continued to remove some more of the wallboard within the bathroom. when all was said and done, karen and i did a lot of demolition in the bathroom. you should see pj's trailer right now. it's chock full of debris. and sadly... there's more to come.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
I Suck At Going To The Patriots Game
today is sunday... and as any typical sports fan can tell you... it's the day of football... and massachusetts is home to the new england patriots. too bad i suck at going to the patriots game.
the last professional football game i went to was a preseason game last year. that game was against the new york giants... the eventual winners of the superbowl last year. (stupid giants!)
anyway, as luck would have it, my friend (ron) contacted me about going to the football game. ron splits season tickets with one of his other friends. it so happens that the tickets he had were for today's game. interestingly enough, he was having trouble finding two people to go to the game. he could only find one: his brother-in-law.
naturally, i agreed to go. karen, however, wanted me to go without her and have fun with ron. with all the recent events like my son's (braden) passing, she thought it would be nice if i had time away from her. with the other ticket still open, i asked ron if my friend (carlos) could go. my original thought was asking my bff (kerry) to go because she also has never been to a professional football game. as kerry was just down yesterday, i did not want to ask her to travel down again at the spur of the moment. sorry kerry.
needless to say, the four of us had a great time tailgating... watching the game... and tailgating some more.
(the video below is of the patriots game.)
making the day even better... the patriots won the game.
i'm lucky to have ron as friend... not just because he invited me to the patriots game... or had the whole tailgating setup ready within his truck... or likes to drink himself silly playing "flip cup" with a bunch of college kids who looked like they were teenagers. he genuinely cares and wants people to have fun.
i admire that about him. i know i keep saying i should hang out with ron more... i really should.
the last professional football game i went to was a preseason game last year. that game was against the new york giants... the eventual winners of the superbowl last year. (stupid giants!)
anyway, as luck would have it, my friend (ron) contacted me about going to the football game. ron splits season tickets with one of his other friends. it so happens that the tickets he had were for today's game. interestingly enough, he was having trouble finding two people to go to the game. he could only find one: his brother-in-law.
naturally, i agreed to go. karen, however, wanted me to go without her and have fun with ron. with all the recent events like my son's (braden) passing, she thought it would be nice if i had time away from her. with the other ticket still open, i asked ron if my friend (carlos) could go. my original thought was asking my bff (kerry) to go because she also has never been to a professional football game. as kerry was just down yesterday, i did not want to ask her to travel down again at the spur of the moment. sorry kerry.
needless to say, the four of us had a great time tailgating... watching the game... and tailgating some more.
(the video below is of the patriots game.)
making the day even better... the patriots won the game.
i'm lucky to have ron as friend... not just because he invited me to the patriots game... or had the whole tailgating setup ready within his truck... or likes to drink himself silly playing "flip cup" with a bunch of college kids who looked like they were teenagers. he genuinely cares and wants people to have fun.
i admire that about him. i know i keep saying i should hang out with ron more... i really should.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
I Suck At Pool Parties
following dim sum, a bunch of my friends and i were invited to my friend's (ron) for a pool party. too bad i suck at pool parties.
incidentally, ron lives just a few miles up the street from me. you'd think that with the proximity of our houses, that we'd hang out more often. sadly, we don't. i keep thinking that i should call ron more often every time i do get the chance to hang out with him because it's just fun. unfortunately, we just seem to have different schedules.
anyway, ron recently added an in-ground pool to his backyard. he also added an in-law apartment as well for his parents. in fact, he apparently just completed the finishing touches to the pool yesterday. needless to say, the pool and the backyard... awesome. i don't know where or how ron finds time to do these projects... especially with three kids. he must have great focus when he's not drunk and smeared in garv's wedding cake... i have a hard enough time doing simple projects and i don't have any children yet.
(pictured below are marc, cass and garv putting their feet in the water.)
anyway, the pool party was fantastic. ron and his wife (trinh) know how to throw parties. the food was simply delicious. trinh has a secret recipe for spring rolls involving taro... so good. (cue rachael ray's "yum-o" sound.) i must have eaten a dozen spring rolls.
all the children that were there loved the pool. they are also so well behaved. it's amazing! i can only hope that when my minion (bruce, the little dragon) is born, he/she will be as well behaved as some of those children that were there.
i even got to try the moonwalk machine! luckily, i did not exceed the weight limit for the moonwalk. (the moonwalk is the inflatable thing that you can jump and bounce around in.) it was fun.
needless to say, i had a great time at ron's. i'm already looking forward to the superbowl party there now.
incidentally, ron lives just a few miles up the street from me. you'd think that with the proximity of our houses, that we'd hang out more often. sadly, we don't. i keep thinking that i should call ron more often every time i do get the chance to hang out with him because it's just fun. unfortunately, we just seem to have different schedules.
anyway, ron recently added an in-ground pool to his backyard. he also added an in-law apartment as well for his parents. in fact, he apparently just completed the finishing touches to the pool yesterday. needless to say, the pool and the backyard... awesome. i don't know where or how ron finds time to do these projects... especially with three kids. he must have great focus when he's not drunk and smeared in garv's wedding cake... i have a hard enough time doing simple projects and i don't have any children yet.
(pictured below are marc, cass and garv putting their feet in the water.)
anyway, the pool party was fantastic. ron and his wife (trinh) know how to throw parties. the food was simply delicious. trinh has a secret recipe for spring rolls involving taro... so good. (cue rachael ray's "yum-o" sound.) i must have eaten a dozen spring rolls.
all the children that were there loved the pool. they are also so well behaved. it's amazing! i can only hope that when my minion (bruce, the little dragon) is born, he/she will be as well behaved as some of those children that were there.
i even got to try the moonwalk machine! luckily, i did not exceed the weight limit for the moonwalk. (the moonwalk is the inflatable thing that you can jump and bounce around in.) it was fun.
needless to say, i had a great time at ron's. i'm already looking forward to the superbowl party there now.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
I Suck At Hanging Out With Ron
last night, i went to the bbc (british beer company) in pembroke to meet up with some friends. the whole thing came about almost spontaneously. i have this friend (ron) who, as it turns out, i haven't seen for almost a year. the last time i saw him was the last super bowl weekend. it's amazing how time flies and before you know it, it's been x amount of time since you last saw so-and-so.
anyway, i've known ron for a long time... since childhood. in fact, i think he may be one of the few people who have never annoyed me... ever. (it's a select few and i consider myself a patient person). ron, incidentally, lives in the next town over so it's not like he's that far from me. he's got a great family: his parents are great; his wife is awesome; his daughters are adorable. he has done very well for himself and deservedly so.
out of blue, ron contacted me to get together and catch up. naturally, i jumped at the chance and gathered some friends together. we ended up at the bbc, where as it turns out... the cover band that was playing there was also scheduled to play at the restaurant owned by my other friend (garv). garv, of course, wanted to scope them out. needless to say, the groupies were fun to party with and i had a great time. i think ron had a great time too because he suggested that all of us do this more often as he hadn't gone out in quite a while to just "hang out".
naturally, it got me thinking... i suck at hanging out with ron. how come, in the past, i haven't done this more often with him? like i said, he's in the next town over. we should have been hanging out and having fun. i think i'll have to try and work on that... before it becomes another year (near superbowl weekend) that i see him again.
anyway, i've known ron for a long time... since childhood. in fact, i think he may be one of the few people who have never annoyed me... ever. (it's a select few and i consider myself a patient person). ron, incidentally, lives in the next town over so it's not like he's that far from me. he's got a great family: his parents are great; his wife is awesome; his daughters are adorable. he has done very well for himself and deservedly so.
out of blue, ron contacted me to get together and catch up. naturally, i jumped at the chance and gathered some friends together. we ended up at the bbc, where as it turns out... the cover band that was playing there was also scheduled to play at the restaurant owned by my other friend (garv). garv, of course, wanted to scope them out. needless to say, the groupies were fun to party with and i had a great time. i think ron had a great time too because he suggested that all of us do this more often as he hadn't gone out in quite a while to just "hang out".
naturally, it got me thinking... i suck at hanging out with ron. how come, in the past, i haven't done this more often with him? like i said, he's in the next town over. we should have been hanging out and having fun. i think i'll have to try and work on that... before it becomes another year (near superbowl weekend) that i see him again.
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