Karen and I spent the early part of our day running more errands. So far, it has been a very exciting vacation break, I know. Following the errands, I was again motivated to work on renovating the first floor bathroom.
The task today for the first floor bathroom was to add blocks of wood between the studs (including me... just kidding). Like most home improvement projects, one task always inevitably leads to another unforeseen task.
In the case of our first floor bathroom, the unforeseen task had to deal with our studs which were more noticeable once the insulation was removed from the wall. For anyone curious, our first floor bathroom shares a wall with our kitchen. As our kitchen has cabinets hanging on the wall, the screws that hang the cabinets protrude through the wall.
Normally, the screws that attach cabinets to walls are set into the studs for sturdiness. Oftentimes, when the screw cannot be attached directly to a stud, a drywall anchor is used to hold the screw within the piece of drywall. For anyone who knows me, they would know that I am not a big fan of that idea (even though the anchor works) especially when it comes to hanging heavy objects like cabinets full of breakable dishes.
So naturally, I figured that it would be best to attach pieces of wood (where I can) between the studs such that any future screws can be drilled directly into wood and not simply a drywall anchor. And so, I spent the better part of today cutting wood and attaching the wood between the studs shared by the kitchen and first floor bathroom. Realistically, I probably did not even need to do that. I had just figured it would make installing new kitchen cabinets easier in the future. (I currently don't plan on installing new kitchen cabinets, but you never know.)
Anyway, I had barely finished that home improvement task before going to hang out with my friends (Marc and Kelley). We had switched our weekly get-together day to today because we had plans the rest of the week.
As usual, Marc was gracious enough to make dinner. The risotto dinner he made was delicious. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I could have eaten all of it.
On the agenda for the night were a few more episodes of the greatest television show ever: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The episodes that we watched were: "Doublemeat Palace" about Buffy's new fast food job; "Dead Things" about Warren killing his ex-girlfriend and attempting to frame Buffy; and "Older and Far Away" about Dawn's guidance counselor/vengeance (justice) demon putting a curse to trap everyone inside Buffy's house on her birthday.
And for anyone curious, the justice demon known as Halfrek was formerly known as Cecily, the object of Spike's (then William) affection who had rejected him. The rejection consequently led the devastated Spike to find Drusilla and become a vampire.
Following the three episodes, we decided to end the night with some Web Soup. Now, I suck at Web Soup.
(The video below is from Web Soup.)
Web Soup was airing its Golden Download Awards show. Needless to say, the show was comical. In my opinion, the best bit from the show was the watermelon saga. That bit cracked me up.
All in all, it was a great night.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I Suck At The Chateau
Karen and I took the week between Christmas/Annamas and New Year's off from work. My former employer used to close the office during that week between the holidays. I am not sure if my former employer still does that for its employees, but ever since Karen and I have made a habit to take that week off.
One would think that Karen and I would relax and enjoy our week off from work. Yesterday, however, we ran through a bunch of errands on our ever-expanding "to-do" list. The main errands that we took care of yesterday were the oil change and the inspection sticker. (For anyone curious, it was a good thing that we did the oil change first because it turns out that our tail lights were out.)
Anyway, following our errands, I worked on renovating our first floor bathroom. The bathroom on the first floor has been in disarray for quite some time. I figured that I would at least work a little on the bathroom during my vacation break so that I could feel somewhat productive. And so, I removed all of the insulation that had lined the walls and the ceiling of the bathroom.
I realize that removing insulation now while the weather is cold and chilly outside is probably not the best idea. Helping to ease my mind, however, is the fact that the previous owner or builder did not correctly use the proper insulation anyway. The first floor bathroom was cold to begin with. I just made it a little colder now.
Needless to say, it felt good to finally remove the old insulation from the first floor bathroom. So now I can at least say I was somewhat productive during my break. Sadly, there is still a long way to go before I can finish this renovation project.
Having been somewhat productive, I then got ready to go out with Karen to the restaurant known as The Chateau. The Chateau, located in Braintree, is an Italian family restaurant. The restaurant took the place of Famous Dave's (near Bugaboo Creek).
Now, I suck at the Chateau. Truth be told, I think the owners of the place suck at naming the restaurant. After all, the word "chateau" is French. So naturally, I thought the place was a French restaurant. Nope. It's an Italian restaurant. I don't know what the Italian equivalent is to "chateau", but I guess the word just didn't have the same ring to it. Castello, is that?
Anyway, Karen and I were meeting up with our friends (Pam and Ed). Pam and Ed, who live in Bon Jovi's home state of New Jersey, were back for the holidays. (Of course, if I lived in New Jersey, I would be back in Massachusetts every day...) Nevertheless, they organized a little get-together. Apparently, Pam has dined at The Chateau before, albeit the one located in Waltham, and absolutely loved it. So it was with great excitement that she was able to plan and organize the dinner with the much closer location in Braintree.
In addition to Pam, Ed, Karen and myself, joining in on the festivities were my friends (Jen, Hot Amy) and my BFF (Kerry). My friend (Joanna) unfortunately could not join us due to communication issues. By communication issues, I mean that Joanna did not get the email about the plans until it was too late.
Needless to say, I have never been to the Chateau. The food was okay. Of course, there were great expectations for the toasted ravioli dish already because Pam had hyped up the meal. It's tough to live up to high expectations.
The high expectations remind me of the movie "Wedding Crashers". When the movie came out, the movie was hyped as the funniest movie ever. I was sadly disappointed when I finally got around to seeing the movie. Don't get me wrong. The movie was funny, but definitely not the funniest movie ever seen.
Speaking of movies, I forgot to mention that Karen and I also watched "17 Again" yesterday as well.
(The video below is the trailer for "17 Again".)
Interestingly enough, the movie was enjoyable. And contrary to what my friend (Cass) had joked about... not all white people look like Zac Efron. Regardless, the movie was entertaining. (For anyone curious, the movie also starred Michelle Trachtenberg of Buffy fame.)
Anyway, the food at The Chateau was okay. I actually did not have the toasted ravioli dish. I opted for the eggplant parm dinner, but I did try one of the toasted raviolis. It was okay.
Regardless, it was a fun night.
One would think that Karen and I would relax and enjoy our week off from work. Yesterday, however, we ran through a bunch of errands on our ever-expanding "to-do" list. The main errands that we took care of yesterday were the oil change and the inspection sticker. (For anyone curious, it was a good thing that we did the oil change first because it turns out that our tail lights were out.)
Anyway, following our errands, I worked on renovating our first floor bathroom. The bathroom on the first floor has been in disarray for quite some time. I figured that I would at least work a little on the bathroom during my vacation break so that I could feel somewhat productive. And so, I removed all of the insulation that had lined the walls and the ceiling of the bathroom.
I realize that removing insulation now while the weather is cold and chilly outside is probably not the best idea. Helping to ease my mind, however, is the fact that the previous owner or builder did not correctly use the proper insulation anyway. The first floor bathroom was cold to begin with. I just made it a little colder now.
Needless to say, it felt good to finally remove the old insulation from the first floor bathroom. So now I can at least say I was somewhat productive during my break. Sadly, there is still a long way to go before I can finish this renovation project.
Having been somewhat productive, I then got ready to go out with Karen to the restaurant known as The Chateau. The Chateau, located in Braintree, is an Italian family restaurant. The restaurant took the place of Famous Dave's (near Bugaboo Creek).
Now, I suck at the Chateau. Truth be told, I think the owners of the place suck at naming the restaurant. After all, the word "chateau" is French. So naturally, I thought the place was a French restaurant. Nope. It's an Italian restaurant. I don't know what the Italian equivalent is to "chateau", but I guess the word just didn't have the same ring to it. Castello, is that?
Anyway, Karen and I were meeting up with our friends (Pam and Ed). Pam and Ed, who live in Bon Jovi's home state of New Jersey, were back for the holidays. (Of course, if I lived in New Jersey, I would be back in Massachusetts every day...) Nevertheless, they organized a little get-together. Apparently, Pam has dined at The Chateau before, albeit the one located in Waltham, and absolutely loved it. So it was with great excitement that she was able to plan and organize the dinner with the much closer location in Braintree.
In addition to Pam, Ed, Karen and myself, joining in on the festivities were my friends (Jen, Hot Amy) and my BFF (Kerry). My friend (Joanna) unfortunately could not join us due to communication issues. By communication issues, I mean that Joanna did not get the email about the plans until it was too late.
Needless to say, I have never been to the Chateau. The food was okay. Of course, there were great expectations for the toasted ravioli dish already because Pam had hyped up the meal. It's tough to live up to high expectations.
The high expectations remind me of the movie "Wedding Crashers". When the movie came out, the movie was hyped as the funniest movie ever. I was sadly disappointed when I finally got around to seeing the movie. Don't get me wrong. The movie was funny, but definitely not the funniest movie ever seen.
Speaking of movies, I forgot to mention that Karen and I also watched "17 Again" yesterday as well.
(The video below is the trailer for "17 Again".)
Interestingly enough, the movie was enjoyable. And contrary to what my friend (Cass) had joked about... not all white people look like Zac Efron. Regardless, the movie was entertaining. (For anyone curious, the movie also starred Michelle Trachtenberg of Buffy fame.)
Anyway, the food at The Chateau was okay. I actually did not have the toasted ravioli dish. I opted for the eggplant parm dinner, but I did try one of the toasted raviolis. It was okay.
Regardless, it was a fun night.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
I Suck At Celebrating My Friend's Birthday
My friends (Cass and Ellen) organized a little get-together for today. The reason for the get-together: to hang out, have fun, celebrate birthdays and have our silly holiday present swap.
Ellen's birthday is the day before my birthday. Unfortunately, I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Of course, with the added bonus of the holidays, celebrating a birthday in the month of December is always difficult to do. Thus, Cass and Ellen organized a gathering for after Christmas/Annamas.
Needless to say, today was a blast. We got to hang out, eat great food, and just have fun. I suppose a special thanks should go out to Cass's employer as they apparently provided a lot of the food that was there today. Most notable was the apple crisp (with cranberries) from the Milk Street Cafe. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) The apple crisp was delicious. I could have eaten the whole tray... and almost did.
Anyway, joining in on the festivities today (besides Cass, Ellen, Karen and myself) were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Garv, and Leeann). And to everyone, thank you again for your generous presents. I was pleasantly surprised with everything. I am also looking forward now to March 12th, which is the date the Boston Celtics will be playing against the Indiana Pacers. I can't wait to attend.
Amid the birthday celebrations was talk about the fantasy football season. After all, today was Sunday... the day of professional football. It was a little comical because Cass and Ellen were in the playoff hunt. So they were checking the status of their respective teams. As of right now, things weren't looking too good for Ellen's fantasy team.
During halftime of the New England Patriots football game, we decided to have our "silly swap". In years past, all of us used to do a Secret Santa swap whereby we would each draw the name of someone in our group and purchase a present for them. For the most part, the Secret Santa was fun. There were, however, a couple of years where things weren't so fun... through no fault of our own of course.
A few years ago, we decided to switch things up and just have what has become known as a "silly swap", which is basically a Yankee swap of silly gifts and items (whether the items were gifts that were received and unused, things lying around the house, or whatever). In my opinion, I think the "silly swap" has been very enjoyable. I actually think we should have silly types of swaps with our other circles of friends.
From a purely green point of view, having a silly swap with our friends cuts down on waste because things are being reused. Plus, having the swap would also remove the need to remember if a specific present needs to be given to so-and-so. And realistically, after a certain point, there really aren't any secular "things" that I would personally want to receive. As you can probably tell, I am very much into pushing the idea of a "silly swap" to everyone.
I think last year, we had skipped the "silly swap". Last year, neither Karen nor I were much into the holiday spirit with the passing of our son (Braden). This year, however, the swap was brought back and I'm glad it was. The swap just made celebrating the holidays that much more enjoyable this year.
For me, I enjoyed watching Leeann open her present. She had unwrapped her gift and then pulled out the contents of the box. She then immediately burst out laughing because the contents of the box was a black and white shirtless Ryan Reynolds photo... in a South Shore YMCA picture frame. Just watching her crack up had me laughing. (Of course, it helped that Karen and I brought that silly present.)
The other silly present that Karen and I brought also had everyone laughing pretty hard. The present was also another picture frame, with a little heart on it. Within the frame itself was the following:
(The picture below is of Garv and his infatuation: Taylor Swift.)
Needless to say, Garv enjoyed the picture. Garv ended up with the picture after trading with Cass. (Although... it would have been more comical had someone else kept the picture for themselves.) All in all, the silly swap was just pure and simple fun. I am, however, curious as to where Garv will place the picture. We recommended that he put the picture at Blue-22, but he wasn't too keen on that idea.
Following the silly swap and some more football, we then decided to play a game. In fact, the game was the same game that we had played on Black Friday: "The Game of Things". The premise of the game is to determine who responded to a certain "thing" (like "Things you shouldn't do at a..."). Of course, with our group of friends, the responses degenerated to sharts, Ryan Reynolds, and a combination of both the last time around.
This time around, things were still pretty comical. In fact, sharts were a recurring theme... as was Ryan Reynolds... and Taylor Swift... and the combination of all three. Needless to say, the responses were absolutely brilliant. The game was quite enjoyable. Of course, I was pretty inept at the game... due to my horrid memory of responses. The game was fun nonetheless.
Anyway, I had an absolute blast today. Just hanging out with everyone and laughing our butts off was pure genius.
Ellen's birthday is the day before my birthday. Unfortunately, I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Of course, with the added bonus of the holidays, celebrating a birthday in the month of December is always difficult to do. Thus, Cass and Ellen organized a gathering for after Christmas/Annamas.
Needless to say, today was a blast. We got to hang out, eat great food, and just have fun. I suppose a special thanks should go out to Cass's employer as they apparently provided a lot of the food that was there today. Most notable was the apple crisp (with cranberries) from the Milk Street Cafe. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) The apple crisp was delicious. I could have eaten the whole tray... and almost did.
Anyway, joining in on the festivities today (besides Cass, Ellen, Karen and myself) were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Garv, and Leeann). And to everyone, thank you again for your generous presents. I was pleasantly surprised with everything. I am also looking forward now to March 12th, which is the date the Boston Celtics will be playing against the Indiana Pacers. I can't wait to attend.
Amid the birthday celebrations was talk about the fantasy football season. After all, today was Sunday... the day of professional football. It was a little comical because Cass and Ellen were in the playoff hunt. So they were checking the status of their respective teams. As of right now, things weren't looking too good for Ellen's fantasy team.
During halftime of the New England Patriots football game, we decided to have our "silly swap". In years past, all of us used to do a Secret Santa swap whereby we would each draw the name of someone in our group and purchase a present for them. For the most part, the Secret Santa was fun. There were, however, a couple of years where things weren't so fun... through no fault of our own of course.
A few years ago, we decided to switch things up and just have what has become known as a "silly swap", which is basically a Yankee swap of silly gifts and items (whether the items were gifts that were received and unused, things lying around the house, or whatever). In my opinion, I think the "silly swap" has been very enjoyable. I actually think we should have silly types of swaps with our other circles of friends.
From a purely green point of view, having a silly swap with our friends cuts down on waste because things are being reused. Plus, having the swap would also remove the need to remember if a specific present needs to be given to so-and-so. And realistically, after a certain point, there really aren't any secular "things" that I would personally want to receive. As you can probably tell, I am very much into pushing the idea of a "silly swap" to everyone.
I think last year, we had skipped the "silly swap". Last year, neither Karen nor I were much into the holiday spirit with the passing of our son (Braden). This year, however, the swap was brought back and I'm glad it was. The swap just made celebrating the holidays that much more enjoyable this year.
For me, I enjoyed watching Leeann open her present. She had unwrapped her gift and then pulled out the contents of the box. She then immediately burst out laughing because the contents of the box was a black and white shirtless Ryan Reynolds photo... in a South Shore YMCA picture frame. Just watching her crack up had me laughing. (Of course, it helped that Karen and I brought that silly present.)
The other silly present that Karen and I brought also had everyone laughing pretty hard. The present was also another picture frame, with a little heart on it. Within the frame itself was the following:
(The picture below is of Garv and his infatuation: Taylor Swift.)
Needless to say, Garv enjoyed the picture. Garv ended up with the picture after trading with Cass. (Although... it would have been more comical had someone else kept the picture for themselves.) All in all, the silly swap was just pure and simple fun. I am, however, curious as to where Garv will place the picture. We recommended that he put the picture at Blue-22, but he wasn't too keen on that idea.
Following the silly swap and some more football, we then decided to play a game. In fact, the game was the same game that we had played on Black Friday: "The Game of Things". The premise of the game is to determine who responded to a certain "thing" (like "Things you shouldn't do at a..."). Of course, with our group of friends, the responses degenerated to sharts, Ryan Reynolds, and a combination of both the last time around.
This time around, things were still pretty comical. In fact, sharts were a recurring theme... as was Ryan Reynolds... and Taylor Swift... and the combination of all three. Needless to say, the responses were absolutely brilliant. The game was quite enjoyable. Of course, I was pretty inept at the game... due to my horrid memory of responses. The game was fun nonetheless.
Anyway, I had an absolute blast today. Just hanging out with everyone and laughing our butts off was pure genius.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
I Suck At The Alumni Cafe
Karen and I received a call tonight from our friend (Jen). It turns out that Jen was organizing a little spontaneous get together for the night. The destination: the Alumni Cafe located in Quincy.
Unfortunately, I suck at the Alumni Cafe. I have never been a big fan of the Alumni Cafe because (among other things) I find their pizza rather greasy and not as delicious as everyone else. But since it was a get together of friends, I figured why not?
Plus, one of the bonuses of going tonight was seeing my friend (Joanna) who was back visiting from Oregon for the week. Joanna absolutely cracks me up with her stories. At one time, I had thought that Joanna would make the perfect partner in the Amazing Race... had I the opportunity to be in the show. Naturally, I have since reconsidered that notion, opting instead to choose my BFF (Kerry).
Nevertheless, it was the first time Joanna had ever been to the Alumni Cafe, which is surprising because the place is a staple of Quincy. As it was her first time there, I did my best to hype up the place with the fact that a former substitute teacher that we had worked there. Yes, the Alumni Cafe is one of those sad places.
It's probably a good thing that the former teacher was not working tonight. At least that way, Joanna will always remember that teacher the way he was back in the day... a chick magnet of epic proportions. Things are always better when they are imagined. Regardless, in addition to Joanna, Karen, Jen, and I at the Alumni were my friends (Andrea and Hot Amy).
Anyway, it was a fun night of random discussions. We talked about everything from sororities, to recycling batteries, to the cuteness of my friend's (Aimee) brother's children, to tomatoes, to Asians (in particular... me) growing facial hair, to Facebook... It was comical.
Probably the most comical moment happened when Joanna joked about someone who she knew that was 28 and still living with their parents. She had prefaced her comment to both Karen and I because we had lived with our parents until we were married. Unbeknownest to Joanna, Hot Amy still currently lives with her parents. Needless to say, Joanna felt stupid when I whispered that fact to her during her comment.
All in all, it was a good time. Unfortunately, I felt a little ill near the end of the night because I devoured my pizza, along with parts of Andrea's pizza. I think the cause of the problem may have been the fact that I ingested too much grease at a given setting. Some day I'll have to work on that part of my brain to tell me to stop eating. Some day...
Unfortunately, I suck at the Alumni Cafe. I have never been a big fan of the Alumni Cafe because (among other things) I find their pizza rather greasy and not as delicious as everyone else. But since it was a get together of friends, I figured why not?
Plus, one of the bonuses of going tonight was seeing my friend (Joanna) who was back visiting from Oregon for the week. Joanna absolutely cracks me up with her stories. At one time, I had thought that Joanna would make the perfect partner in the Amazing Race... had I the opportunity to be in the show. Naturally, I have since reconsidered that notion, opting instead to choose my BFF (Kerry).
Nevertheless, it was the first time Joanna had ever been to the Alumni Cafe, which is surprising because the place is a staple of Quincy. As it was her first time there, I did my best to hype up the place with the fact that a former substitute teacher that we had worked there. Yes, the Alumni Cafe is one of those sad places.
It's probably a good thing that the former teacher was not working tonight. At least that way, Joanna will always remember that teacher the way he was back in the day... a chick magnet of epic proportions. Things are always better when they are imagined. Regardless, in addition to Joanna, Karen, Jen, and I at the Alumni were my friends (Andrea and Hot Amy).
Anyway, it was a fun night of random discussions. We talked about everything from sororities, to recycling batteries, to the cuteness of my friend's (Aimee) brother's children, to tomatoes, to Asians (in particular... me) growing facial hair, to Facebook... It was comical.
Probably the most comical moment happened when Joanna joked about someone who she knew that was 28 and still living with their parents. She had prefaced her comment to both Karen and I because we had lived with our parents until we were married. Unbeknownest to Joanna, Hot Amy still currently lives with her parents. Needless to say, Joanna felt stupid when I whispered that fact to her during her comment.
All in all, it was a good time. Unfortunately, I felt a little ill near the end of the night because I devoured my pizza, along with parts of Andrea's pizza. I think the cause of the problem may have been the fact that I ingested too much grease at a given setting. Some day I'll have to work on that part of my brain to tell me to stop eating. Some day...
I Suck At Annamas
Yesterday was December 25th... the day our lord and savior and my friend (Anna) was born. Happy birthday Anna! I hope you enjoyed your day, Anna. Of course, it's probably hard not to enjoy December 25th. After all, the day is a national holiday.
December 25th, which I will refer to as Annamas in honor of Anna (our lord and savior)... was a good day. Unfortunately, I suck at Annamas. Luckily for me, I was on Santa's good list this year.
There were not many things on my Annamas wishlist this year. I have found that after a certain point in life, coming up with ideas on what I would want or need gets tough... and pretty much not worthwhile in the grand scheme of things. I would be happy enough wishing for Karen to reach May 2nd with her pregnancy. That would be good enough for me.
But since people like to receive an Annamas wishlist, I figured I had to try and think of something. The main thing on my list this year was the Worm Factory. Interestingly enough, Santa did leave one for me under the tree. I was pretty excited... well... as excited as one can be to play with worms. Go worms!
Of course, now I just have to finish renovating the bathroom on the first floor so that I can keep the worm factory inside our garage during the colder seasons. (Karen is against having the worm factory in the same vicinity as our washing machine and dryer.) And lo' and behold, Santa also brought me a reciprocating saw... which I need to work on the first floor bathroom. So, I have a funny feeling that there was a theme this year to get me motivated to finish renovating the bathroom.
Anyway on Annamas, my parents came over for breakfast. As I have such a small family (which consists mainly of just my parents), I feel the need to at least spend Annamas with them... if even for a brief time. So, I made omelets (with ham from the previous night) and waffles for them before exchanging gifts. My parents were thrilled with the presents they received. We had contacted my brother too, who currently resides in Texas, but we received his answering machine.
Following breakfast, Karen and I headed over to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) for Annamas dinner. This year was interesting. Karen's father's car had a warning light come on in the early morning. So, I went to pick up Karen's parents (and drive them back). And as usual, the food at Janine's was delicious. My favorite brother-in-law (PJ) made a rolled pork that he had learned from the weekend he spent at the Endicott House.
I ate... so much. I was pretty stuffed by night's end. Among the other highlights of the night (aside from my gourging), was the breaking of the traditional gingerbread house, and the playing of Family Feud on the Wii. (For anyone curious, it was men versus the women... and we ended up splitting two games.) All in all, it was a great time at Janine and PJ's.
At the end of the night, Karen and I even finished watching another one of Karen's movies that was on her Netflix queue: My Life in Ruins.
(The video below is a trailer for "My Life in Ruins".)
The movie was surprisingly good. I enjoyed it. It was a nice way to end the day.
Anyway, Merry Annamas everyone!
December 25th, which I will refer to as Annamas in honor of Anna (our lord and savior)... was a good day. Unfortunately, I suck at Annamas. Luckily for me, I was on Santa's good list this year.
There were not many things on my Annamas wishlist this year. I have found that after a certain point in life, coming up with ideas on what I would want or need gets tough... and pretty much not worthwhile in the grand scheme of things. I would be happy enough wishing for Karen to reach May 2nd with her pregnancy. That would be good enough for me.
But since people like to receive an Annamas wishlist, I figured I had to try and think of something. The main thing on my list this year was the Worm Factory. Interestingly enough, Santa did leave one for me under the tree. I was pretty excited... well... as excited as one can be to play with worms. Go worms!
Of course, now I just have to finish renovating the bathroom on the first floor so that I can keep the worm factory inside our garage during the colder seasons. (Karen is against having the worm factory in the same vicinity as our washing machine and dryer.) And lo' and behold, Santa also brought me a reciprocating saw... which I need to work on the first floor bathroom. So, I have a funny feeling that there was a theme this year to get me motivated to finish renovating the bathroom.
Anyway on Annamas, my parents came over for breakfast. As I have such a small family (which consists mainly of just my parents), I feel the need to at least spend Annamas with them... if even for a brief time. So, I made omelets (with ham from the previous night) and waffles for them before exchanging gifts. My parents were thrilled with the presents they received. We had contacted my brother too, who currently resides in Texas, but we received his answering machine.
Following breakfast, Karen and I headed over to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) for Annamas dinner. This year was interesting. Karen's father's car had a warning light come on in the early morning. So, I went to pick up Karen's parents (and drive them back). And as usual, the food at Janine's was delicious. My favorite brother-in-law (PJ) made a rolled pork that he had learned from the weekend he spent at the Endicott House.
I ate... so much. I was pretty stuffed by night's end. Among the other highlights of the night (aside from my gourging), was the breaking of the traditional gingerbread house, and the playing of Family Feud on the Wii. (For anyone curious, it was men versus the women... and we ended up splitting two games.) All in all, it was a great time at Janine and PJ's.
At the end of the night, Karen and I even finished watching another one of Karen's movies that was on her Netflix queue: My Life in Ruins.
(The video below is a trailer for "My Life in Ruins".)
The movie was surprisingly good. I enjoyed it. It was a nice way to end the day.
Anyway, Merry Annamas everyone!
I Suck At Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve went by very quickly. (Unfortunately, I suck at Christmas Eve.)
The day started off with breakfast at Stars, located in Hingham. For the past several years, Karen, my BFF (Kerry), my friend (Jen) and I would meet and have breakfast together. Occasionally, our friend (Joanna) who currently lives in Oregon would also join us. I guess you could say that Christmas Eve breakfast is pretty much a tradition now.
As usual, breakfast was delicious. The food at Stars is simply amazing. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) It helps that I was pretty hungry too when I arrived. I think I ate my breakfast, part of Karen's breakfast, and part of Kerry's breakfast. All in all, it was definitely fun to hang out with Jen and Kerry. One of the benefits of hanging out with a smaller group of people is that things seem more connected and involved. I feel that people can talk more among each other regardless of the shape or size of the table (square, rectangle, circle, etc.)
It's not that I dislike hanging out with larger groups of people. Larger groups allow seeing more friends at a given point in time. That is always a benefit. Conversations, however, are sometimes disjointed within a larger group because not everyone is involved in the same conversation. It's only natural group dynamics.
So needless to say, with the holidays and all, it was good to start off Christmas Eve with Jen and Kerry. Of course, after breakfast I was simply stuffed. To work off my fullness, Karen and I began tidying up our house as we were hosting dinner for the night. I don't think I have ever cleaned and vacuumed so much within a given day. It seemed like the chores never ended.
Plus, I was cooking dinner for everyone. So that is always stressful... hoping that the food comes out edible. I don't know how mothers used to do it in the past. It simply is a lot of work. Hats off to all those mothers.
Anyway, I was cooking something that I've never cooked before: ham. In truth, ham is actually pretty easy to cook because it is already... cooked. I simply had to heat it up in the oven and pour a glaze over it.
Needless to say, I think the ham came out okay. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Karen and I have been hosting Christmas Eve dinner for my parent and Karen's parents for awhile now. It's usually a small gathering, but the night is always open to any and all friends who want to stop by.
In the past, Jen and her brother (Bill) would stop by. Karen's grandparents sometimes stopped by. My friends (Marc and Kelley) have been stopping by the past few years. My BFF (Kerry) always tries to stop by, but can never make it due to her family obligations. Other friends have sporadically stopped by.
But all in all, Christmas Eve went by very quickly. I think everyone had a great time. I certainly did. The only downside of the entire day was our treadmill. Apparently our treadmill died. I was very disheartened by that. But, I am hoping to get it fixed. I just don't know how yet.
The day started off with breakfast at Stars, located in Hingham. For the past several years, Karen, my BFF (Kerry), my friend (Jen) and I would meet and have breakfast together. Occasionally, our friend (Joanna) who currently lives in Oregon would also join us. I guess you could say that Christmas Eve breakfast is pretty much a tradition now.
As usual, breakfast was delicious. The food at Stars is simply amazing. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) It helps that I was pretty hungry too when I arrived. I think I ate my breakfast, part of Karen's breakfast, and part of Kerry's breakfast. All in all, it was definitely fun to hang out with Jen and Kerry. One of the benefits of hanging out with a smaller group of people is that things seem more connected and involved. I feel that people can talk more among each other regardless of the shape or size of the table (square, rectangle, circle, etc.)
It's not that I dislike hanging out with larger groups of people. Larger groups allow seeing more friends at a given point in time. That is always a benefit. Conversations, however, are sometimes disjointed within a larger group because not everyone is involved in the same conversation. It's only natural group dynamics.
So needless to say, with the holidays and all, it was good to start off Christmas Eve with Jen and Kerry. Of course, after breakfast I was simply stuffed. To work off my fullness, Karen and I began tidying up our house as we were hosting dinner for the night. I don't think I have ever cleaned and vacuumed so much within a given day. It seemed like the chores never ended.
Plus, I was cooking dinner for everyone. So that is always stressful... hoping that the food comes out edible. I don't know how mothers used to do it in the past. It simply is a lot of work. Hats off to all those mothers.
Anyway, I was cooking something that I've never cooked before: ham. In truth, ham is actually pretty easy to cook because it is already... cooked. I simply had to heat it up in the oven and pour a glaze over it.
Needless to say, I think the ham came out okay. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. Karen and I have been hosting Christmas Eve dinner for my parent and Karen's parents for awhile now. It's usually a small gathering, but the night is always open to any and all friends who want to stop by.
In the past, Jen and her brother (Bill) would stop by. Karen's grandparents sometimes stopped by. My friends (Marc and Kelley) have been stopping by the past few years. My BFF (Kerry) always tries to stop by, but can never make it due to her family obligations. Other friends have sporadically stopped by.
But all in all, Christmas Eve went by very quickly. I think everyone had a great time. I certainly did. The only downside of the entire day was our treadmill. Apparently our treadmill died. I was very disheartened by that. But, I am hoping to get it fixed. I just don't know how yet.
I Suck At Alice
On Wednesday, Karen and I hung out with my friends (Marc and Kelley).
Marc was gracious enough to make dinner for all of us. He made pasta with meatballs. Yum! To go along with the pasta, I made garlic bread.
I have actually never made garlic bread before. I probably would not have made garlic bread on Wednesday were it not for our experience at Trader Joe's in Hanover. While at Trader Joe's, Karen and I were looking to pick up garlic bread. Apparently, Trader Joe's does not sell garlic bread. They did, however, recommend making it from scratch with these crushed garlic cubes that they sold.
So basically on Wednesday, I decided to make garlic bread from scratch. Naturally, one would think that I would make it using the crushed garlic cubes that we purchased from Trader Joe's, as recommended by the employee there. Nope. Not me. I decided to use real garlic that we had in our refrigerator. After all, how hard could it be?
Needless to say, I did a quick search online for possible garlic bread recipes. There was a recipe that seemed interesting (from Guy Fieri) involving hot sauce, but I decided against it because I was relatively certain that Karen would not enjoy it. And so, I settled on a recipe based in part from Rachael Ray (Yum-O!). I simply added other oregano and parsley to it.
Anyway, I think the garlic bread came out okay. So I guess it is true: garlic bread is easy to make. Of course, it donned on me after the fact that Kelley could not eat the garlic bread. Kelley has had a history of stomach issues. She believes that she may have a gluten allergy. I sometimes wonder if it's difficult for doctors to diagnose gluten allergies, because Kelley has had a seemingly long history of stomach issues.
Regardless, we had a good meal. And of course, Kelley made some of her delicious cookies. Yum! And rather than do the usual watching of Buffy and/or Angel, we decided to change things up a little.
On Wednesday, we decided to watch the Syfy channel's mini-series known as Alice. Now, I suck at Alice. This version of Alice is a take on the Alice in Wonderland story.
(The video below is a preview for "Alice".)
In my opinion, the mini-series was okay. I was not a big fan of Alice, probably because she was not blonde. (Remember, I am attracted to shiny objects.) But the mini-series was entertaining, even if I did think the ending wrapped up very conveniently.
All in all, it was a good time. Karen and I actually left Marc and Kelley's a little earlier than usual. Of course, we had arrived earlier than usual as well because Karen left work early. Apparently it was a slow day in the research dietitian world.
So following Marc and Kelley's, Karen and I headed home and decided to watch another movie: The Proposal.
(The video below is the trailer for "The Proposal".)
Karen had recently received a gift certificate to Netflix. The first movie on her list was "The Proposal". Interestingly enough, I actually did enjoy the movie. The movie was the predictable chick flick, but enjoyable nonetheless. And of course, because the movie starred Ryan Reynolds, there had to be the naked Ryan Reynolds scene.
As far as I can remember, it seems like since the movie "Blade: Trinity", Ryan Reynolds is shirtless in all his movies now. Not that I blame him. If I had his abs, I would probably show them off all the time as well. I would probably never wear a shirt ever again... which could be tough when it comes to going to work... or shoveling snow.
Anyway, it was good time on Wednesday.
Marc was gracious enough to make dinner for all of us. He made pasta with meatballs. Yum! To go along with the pasta, I made garlic bread.
I have actually never made garlic bread before. I probably would not have made garlic bread on Wednesday were it not for our experience at Trader Joe's in Hanover. While at Trader Joe's, Karen and I were looking to pick up garlic bread. Apparently, Trader Joe's does not sell garlic bread. They did, however, recommend making it from scratch with these crushed garlic cubes that they sold.
So basically on Wednesday, I decided to make garlic bread from scratch. Naturally, one would think that I would make it using the crushed garlic cubes that we purchased from Trader Joe's, as recommended by the employee there. Nope. Not me. I decided to use real garlic that we had in our refrigerator. After all, how hard could it be?
Needless to say, I did a quick search online for possible garlic bread recipes. There was a recipe that seemed interesting (from Guy Fieri) involving hot sauce, but I decided against it because I was relatively certain that Karen would not enjoy it. And so, I settled on a recipe based in part from Rachael Ray (Yum-O!). I simply added other oregano and parsley to it.
Anyway, I think the garlic bread came out okay. So I guess it is true: garlic bread is easy to make. Of course, it donned on me after the fact that Kelley could not eat the garlic bread. Kelley has had a history of stomach issues. She believes that she may have a gluten allergy. I sometimes wonder if it's difficult for doctors to diagnose gluten allergies, because Kelley has had a seemingly long history of stomach issues.
Regardless, we had a good meal. And of course, Kelley made some of her delicious cookies. Yum! And rather than do the usual watching of Buffy and/or Angel, we decided to change things up a little.
On Wednesday, we decided to watch the Syfy channel's mini-series known as Alice. Now, I suck at Alice. This version of Alice is a take on the Alice in Wonderland story.
(The video below is a preview for "Alice".)
In my opinion, the mini-series was okay. I was not a big fan of Alice, probably because she was not blonde. (Remember, I am attracted to shiny objects.) But the mini-series was entertaining, even if I did think the ending wrapped up very conveniently.
All in all, it was a good time. Karen and I actually left Marc and Kelley's a little earlier than usual. Of course, we had arrived earlier than usual as well because Karen left work early. Apparently it was a slow day in the research dietitian world.
So following Marc and Kelley's, Karen and I headed home and decided to watch another movie: The Proposal.
(The video below is the trailer for "The Proposal".)
Karen had recently received a gift certificate to Netflix. The first movie on her list was "The Proposal". Interestingly enough, I actually did enjoy the movie. The movie was the predictable chick flick, but enjoyable nonetheless. And of course, because the movie starred Ryan Reynolds, there had to be the naked Ryan Reynolds scene.
As far as I can remember, it seems like since the movie "Blade: Trinity", Ryan Reynolds is shirtless in all his movies now. Not that I blame him. If I had his abs, I would probably show them off all the time as well. I would probably never wear a shirt ever again... which could be tough when it comes to going to work... or shoveling snow.
Anyway, it was good time on Wednesday.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)