Today has been a long day... with my seven month old daughter (Bridget) waking up at 4 in the morning... to my two year old daughter (Briana) waking up at 5 in the morning... to now, having finished looking into a "bug" for work in the wee hours of night. That said, I'm sure the feeling is not as bad in comparison to my friends (Jen and Bill) whose father recently passed away. Their father's wake was held today. Too bad I suck at wakes.
The service was nice, if not longer than I expected. I think I would have liked it more had the priest not thrown in the schpiel that Jen and Bill's father should have gone to church more frequently than he did. It almost reminded me of my friend's (Hot Amy) wedding where the priest mentioned the four horsemen of Apocalypse. I sometimes wonder what the men of the cloth are thinking when they say these asinine things. Of course, that's easy for me to say because I'm not religious.
Regardless, I wish Jen, Bill, and the rest of their family the best. I can't even begin to imagine how it must feel to lose a parent. Sadly, I know what it's like the other way around in losing a child. Trust me when I say it is not fun.
I must say, however, that one of the more interesting things of the day happened at the wake. My BFF (Kerry) and I were hanging out before the service. As is customary in some wakes, there is a book to sign when you first walk into the funeral home. Someone who looked familiar to Kerry came to the wake and signed the book. Curious as to whether or not she knew that person, Kerry wanted to see if that person's name rang a bell.
Having already signed the book myself, I couldn't think of a way to discretely walk up to the book to see the name that was signed. Lo and behold, Kerry pulled it off by walking up to the book to grab a prayer card from the stack located near the book. I thought that was pretty smooth and quite impressive. Heck, I was so impressed I told her that I'd write about it.
Following the wake, Jen and Bill's mother had everyone come back to her house. It has been quite some time since I was there. Apparently, the last time I was there was for a Flag Day cookout, where I was lucky enough to see the rain barrel.
It's weird how wedding and funerals serve as venues toward seeing people whom you haven't seen in awhile. At Jen and Bill's mother's place, I got to see my friend (Carlos). It was good to catch up with him again. As well, I was able to see my friend (Pam), who is training to be a hair stylist. She apparently does some waxing as well, although waxing the hair from butt cracks was not one of those things she is willing to do. (I asked out of sheer curiosity.)
Anyway, from there I headed off to Kerry's who had invited a bunch of us over for dinner. Joining in the festivities at Kerry's were my friends (Andrea, Marc, and Kelley). For me, it was definitely a great way to end the night.
We just hung out and had some laughs. Heck, we even were able to catch a few episodes of the first season of Arrested Development. Prior to today, I've never seen the show. I must say, it's a funny show.
Some of the silly topics of conversation that came up at Kerry's were Andrea's new television, the worst movies we ever watched, and Halloween costumes. For me, there are a lot of terrible movies... only because I'll watch practically anything. As for Halloween costumes, that topic led to all sorts of laughs as we contemplated costumes based on puns.
In addition to the laughs, Kerry made apple crisp for dessert. Yum! Apple crisp! Yom yom yom yom. Truth be told, I like any crisp. Needless to say, the dessert was absolutely a great way to end the night. I had a great time.
Showing posts with label carlos. Show all posts
Showing posts with label carlos. Show all posts
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Monday, December 6, 2010
I Suck At Holiday Parties
Feeling that there was very little time between now and Christmas, I spent most of Saturday putting up our Christmas tree. Luckily for Karen and I, our Christmas tree is artificial and does not require much effort to actually place in a stand. Had Karen and I gotten a real tree, things would have taken a lot more time.
Needless to say, our Christmas tree is up and decorated. As well, Karen decorated the rest of our house with holiday items. For anyone curious, one of my favorite holiday decorations is this tiny little glass frog with a Santa hat on it. The tiny glass frog was something that Karen and I just happened to pick up while on vacation.
Anyway, we were able to finish decorating the house for the holidays just in time for my BFF's (Kerry) holiday party that evening. For anyone curious, I suck at holiday parties.
This was the eighth annual holiday party that Kerry has hosted. If I had to guess, I would guess that her holiday party is one of the things that she looks forward to every year. Because of that fact, I have attended every single one of her holiday parties thus far, with the exception of one. (And for anyone curious, that exception happened to be a result of the party being scheduled on the birthday celebration of another friend.)
Shortly before the party, I received a call from my friend (Carlos). The Check Engine Light appeared in Carlos's car as he was coming back from the gym. Hesitant to continue driving the car, especially from Quincy to Salem where the party was being held, he asked for Kerry's number to notify her that he could not make the party. Naturally, I offered him a ride instead.
It was definitely good to see Carlos again. Prior to the week before at the Quincy parade, I had not seen Carlos since probably February. So it has been a long time. I thought the drive both to and from the party would be a nice way to catch up on things. And it was. Among the things that I do miss about working in downtown Boston is hanging out with Carlos. Hanging out with Aimee and Hot Amy are other things too that I miss. And of course, I also miss the food.
Anyway, the holiday party itself was an interesting time. I think a bunch of us got to learn some new friend facts. Granted, most of those facts centered around Kerry's friend (Steve). Steve was thought to be a long time Rhode Island resident, since that is how all of us came to know him (via Kerry and her connections to Rhode Island). It turns out, Steve is from Massachusetts.
Another random fact: Steve also scored a 1440 on his SAT scores. I happen to remember this fact only because immediately after he told everyone, I thought about my friend (Sam). Back in the day, Sam scored a 1300 on his SATs. And to make sure that everyone knew about this amazing feat, Sam kept his SAT results in his wallet. Sam would then promptly (and proudly) show anyone who asked about his results. Naturally, that led me to wonder if Steve did the same thing with his scores.
Karen and I had a nice time. I think it was good to get out of the house without our baby daughter (Briana). For sanity reasons, I think it's always good to do things without feeling handcuffed by your child.
Luckily, Kerry's adults only party provided the much needed relief. Interestingly enough, I think Karen and I may have been the only ones at the party who even had a child. Regardless, it was fun. As usual, it was good to hang out with friends at the party. Joining in on the festivities this year were our friends (Cass, Ellen, Marc, Kelley, Garv, Leeann, and Andrea). So all in all, it was a fun time.
Needless to say, our Christmas tree is up and decorated. As well, Karen decorated the rest of our house with holiday items. For anyone curious, one of my favorite holiday decorations is this tiny little glass frog with a Santa hat on it. The tiny glass frog was something that Karen and I just happened to pick up while on vacation.
Anyway, we were able to finish decorating the house for the holidays just in time for my BFF's (Kerry) holiday party that evening. For anyone curious, I suck at holiday parties.
This was the eighth annual holiday party that Kerry has hosted. If I had to guess, I would guess that her holiday party is one of the things that she looks forward to every year. Because of that fact, I have attended every single one of her holiday parties thus far, with the exception of one. (And for anyone curious, that exception happened to be a result of the party being scheduled on the birthday celebration of another friend.)
Shortly before the party, I received a call from my friend (Carlos). The Check Engine Light appeared in Carlos's car as he was coming back from the gym. Hesitant to continue driving the car, especially from Quincy to Salem where the party was being held, he asked for Kerry's number to notify her that he could not make the party. Naturally, I offered him a ride instead.
It was definitely good to see Carlos again. Prior to the week before at the Quincy parade, I had not seen Carlos since probably February. So it has been a long time. I thought the drive both to and from the party would be a nice way to catch up on things. And it was. Among the things that I do miss about working in downtown Boston is hanging out with Carlos. Hanging out with Aimee and Hot Amy are other things too that I miss. And of course, I also miss the food.
Anyway, the holiday party itself was an interesting time. I think a bunch of us got to learn some new friend facts. Granted, most of those facts centered around Kerry's friend (Steve). Steve was thought to be a long time Rhode Island resident, since that is how all of us came to know him (via Kerry and her connections to Rhode Island). It turns out, Steve is from Massachusetts.
Another random fact: Steve also scored a 1440 on his SAT scores. I happen to remember this fact only because immediately after he told everyone, I thought about my friend (Sam). Back in the day, Sam scored a 1300 on his SATs. And to make sure that everyone knew about this amazing feat, Sam kept his SAT results in his wallet. Sam would then promptly (and proudly) show anyone who asked about his results. Naturally, that led me to wonder if Steve did the same thing with his scores.
Karen and I had a nice time. I think it was good to get out of the house without our baby daughter (Briana). For sanity reasons, I think it's always good to do things without feeling handcuffed by your child.
Luckily, Kerry's adults only party provided the much needed relief. Interestingly enough, I think Karen and I may have been the only ones at the party who even had a child. Regardless, it was fun. As usual, it was good to hang out with friends at the party. Joining in on the festivities this year were our friends (Cass, Ellen, Marc, Kelley, Garv, Leeann, and Andrea). So all in all, it was a fun time.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
I Suck At Half Birthday Parties
Yesterday, Karen and I... and our baby daughter (Briana) traveled to the bewitching town of Salem. What is in Salem besides witches? Well... my bff (Kerry) just so happens to reside in Salem and she decided to have a little cookout celebration.
Kerry, like a good many friends that I know, was born in the month of December. And as anyone with a December birthday can tell you, celebrating your day with a group of people within that month can be quite difficult with the holidays and all. Thus, she came up with the idea of having a birthday party in June... or as she refers to it as... a half birthday party because it's halfway to her birthday.
Unfortunately, I suck at half birthday parties. Truth be told, I think the idea is pretty ingenious, in part because I also happen to have a birthday in the month of December. In fact, I started my whole photo scavenger hunt because of that very dilemma as well... how to celebrate your day with a bunch of friends without having to celebrate it in the month of December.
Needless to say, Karen and I attended Kerry's half birthday party. We had wanted to bring a gag gift in honor of it being Kerry's half birthday, but we could not decide upon something. I had originally suggested a two piece bathing suit, but only giving her either the top or the bottom. Our other ideas were very limited... like a single shoe.
Anyway, the half birthday party was good. As a new parent of a 3 month old, I have recently been comparing Briana to other children close to her age. After all, I felt a lot of pressure with Briana because people used to always tell Karen and I that our future baby will be so adorable and all of that (being of a mixed race and all). I have no idea what these people used to base their assumptions on. Naturally, I felt that Briana had high expectations to live up to.
So it may have been a little possible that at the half birthday party, I compared Briana to another baby who also happened to be at the party. Now, I know parents always think their own child is the most beautiful thing since sliced bread. After all, it's their own child and of course they would be biased. That said, I was quite ecstatic during the half birthday party. Briana was easily the best looking baby, despite the my-baby-is-so-wonderful stories by the mother of the other baby. But to each their own.
The half birthday party itself was interesting. As usual, the food was delicious. In addition to the standard cookout staples of hot dogs and hamburgers, Kerry made a corn casserole dish. The dish was very delicious. Similarly, I'll give props to my friend (Hot Amy) for her guacamole. It was surprisingly good.
Speaking of which, the other friends of mine who attended the half birthday party included Marc, Kelley, Andrea, Cass, Jenn, Bill, Carlos and Steve. I have gotten to known Steve through Kerry. He is a funny guy... and one who I think has a neat job. I would definitely love to be able to watch a live open heart operation. That would be cool to watch.
Anyway, like many of Kerry's friends, Steve is from Rhode Island. In general, whenever Kerry has a party, it's usually a party of two locations: Massachusetts of where Kerry grew up; and Rhode Island of where Kerry attended college. Even though the party would be at the same location, the group interactions would usually be divided. The friends from Massachusetts would talk amongst themselves. The friends from Rhode Island would talk amongst themselves. Steve, however, seems to be the only who can easily bridge the gap between the two groups. It's interesting to watch.
In my opinion, the half birthday party was no different. Those from Massachusetts generally hung outside of Kerry's place. Those from Rhode Island generally hung inside of Kerry's place. I'm not saying it's bad. It's just how it is. And really, it makes logical sense. People will do what they are most comfortable with... and that is associate with people they know. Given the option of having a conversation with someone who you hardly know versus having a conversation with someone you grew up with... the choice generally will be the latter probably because it requires less effort.
Unfortunately, I was not up for conversing either way. I was busy imbibing libations with Andrea, Kelley and Cass. There may have been a conversation about South Africa in there somewhere.
Anyway, it was a nice birthday party. I hope Kerry had a great time. Happy half birthday BFF!
Kerry, like a good many friends that I know, was born in the month of December. And as anyone with a December birthday can tell you, celebrating your day with a group of people within that month can be quite difficult with the holidays and all. Thus, she came up with the idea of having a birthday party in June... or as she refers to it as... a half birthday party because it's halfway to her birthday.
Unfortunately, I suck at half birthday parties. Truth be told, I think the idea is pretty ingenious, in part because I also happen to have a birthday in the month of December. In fact, I started my whole photo scavenger hunt because of that very dilemma as well... how to celebrate your day with a bunch of friends without having to celebrate it in the month of December.
Needless to say, Karen and I attended Kerry's half birthday party. We had wanted to bring a gag gift in honor of it being Kerry's half birthday, but we could not decide upon something. I had originally suggested a two piece bathing suit, but only giving her either the top or the bottom. Our other ideas were very limited... like a single shoe.
Anyway, the half birthday party was good. As a new parent of a 3 month old, I have recently been comparing Briana to other children close to her age. After all, I felt a lot of pressure with Briana because people used to always tell Karen and I that our future baby will be so adorable and all of that (being of a mixed race and all). I have no idea what these people used to base their assumptions on. Naturally, I felt that Briana had high expectations to live up to.
So it may have been a little possible that at the half birthday party, I compared Briana to another baby who also happened to be at the party. Now, I know parents always think their own child is the most beautiful thing since sliced bread. After all, it's their own child and of course they would be biased. That said, I was quite ecstatic during the half birthday party. Briana was easily the best looking baby, despite the my-baby-is-so-wonderful stories by the mother of the other baby. But to each their own.
The half birthday party itself was interesting. As usual, the food was delicious. In addition to the standard cookout staples of hot dogs and hamburgers, Kerry made a corn casserole dish. The dish was very delicious. Similarly, I'll give props to my friend (Hot Amy) for her guacamole. It was surprisingly good.
Speaking of which, the other friends of mine who attended the half birthday party included Marc, Kelley, Andrea, Cass, Jenn, Bill, Carlos and Steve. I have gotten to known Steve through Kerry. He is a funny guy... and one who I think has a neat job. I would definitely love to be able to watch a live open heart operation. That would be cool to watch.
Anyway, like many of Kerry's friends, Steve is from Rhode Island. In general, whenever Kerry has a party, it's usually a party of two locations: Massachusetts of where Kerry grew up; and Rhode Island of where Kerry attended college. Even though the party would be at the same location, the group interactions would usually be divided. The friends from Massachusetts would talk amongst themselves. The friends from Rhode Island would talk amongst themselves. Steve, however, seems to be the only who can easily bridge the gap between the two groups. It's interesting to watch.
In my opinion, the half birthday party was no different. Those from Massachusetts generally hung outside of Kerry's place. Those from Rhode Island generally hung inside of Kerry's place. I'm not saying it's bad. It's just how it is. And really, it makes logical sense. People will do what they are most comfortable with... and that is associate with people they know. Given the option of having a conversation with someone who you hardly know versus having a conversation with someone you grew up with... the choice generally will be the latter probably because it requires less effort.
Unfortunately, I was not up for conversing either way. I was busy imbibing libations with Andrea, Kelley and Cass. There may have been a conversation about South Africa in there somewhere.
Anyway, it was a nice birthday party. I hope Kerry had a great time. Happy half birthday BFF!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
I Suck At Home Improvement
My friend (Carlos) stopped by on Saturday. Knowing that I was still in the midst of working on renovating the bathroom on the first floor, he offered to help. Naturally, I suck at home improvement. So I gladly took Carlos up on his offer.
Of course, if the home improvement project involved getting absolutely dirty, then I would most likely not take Carlos or any of my other friends up on their offers to help. I would feel pretty badly asking a friend to get covered in dirt... unless that friend were a buxom blonde and the dirt were mud. Just kidding.
In case anyone is curious, I find plumbing to be very dirty. Even when you clean the pipes to solder them together... it's dirty. Luckily for Carlos, I had finished most of the plumbing for the first floor bathroom. (I still have to tie the drain in to our existing system, which requires getting dirty in the crawlspace.)
Anyway, apparently Carlos is new to the whole working-on-the-house thing. Home renovations had never interested him. So it meant a lot to me for Carlos to offer his help for a home improvement project. Hopefully I did not scare him away from future home improvement projects.
After all, Karen... and probably some of my friends... think I'm ridiculously anal when it comes to home improvement projects. In my defense, it's not about being particular about things. Like Mike Holmes from television would say, It's about making it right the first time so that you don't have to come back and fix it at a later time.
Needless to say, with it being Carlos's first time doing a home improvement project, I had him start with the simple things: insulation. While Carlos insulated the walls with the environmentally friendly denim insulation, I was measuring and cutting the drywall boards used for the walls.
I think the highlight of the day was seeing Carlos's amazement when we actually installing the drywall. Carlos had doubts about how we would install the drywall over the plumbing pipes that stuck out from the wall. Needless to say, with some fancy math, I was able to drill precise holes for the pipes.
In my resourcefulness, I also used some makeup to help outline the location of the pipes. In case anyone is curious, the makeup was not Karen's (because she doesn't wear any). And in case anyone is still curious, the makeup was definitely not mine. The makeup was a leftover from the second photo scavenger hunt that I organized. The makeup was used to make our team look like the members of KISS. (Yes, we were part of the KISS army for one brief moment of time.)
Regardless, seeing Carlos's surprise when the piece of drywall went in was memorable. His amazement almost made me feel like I knew what I was doing. Carlos and I eventually ended up installing drywall for the entire wall.
All in all, Carlos did a good job for his first time doing a home improvement project. I'm glad that he offered to help out. I haven't really hung out much with Carlos of late, so it was definitely good to see him. Plus, it turns out that Carlos is now a big fan of Freschetta pizza after we had some during lunch. Having never had Freschetta frozen pizza beforehand, Carlos absolutely raved about the taste. Who knew?
Anyway, thanks again Carlos for the help.
Of course, if the home improvement project involved getting absolutely dirty, then I would most likely not take Carlos or any of my other friends up on their offers to help. I would feel pretty badly asking a friend to get covered in dirt... unless that friend were a buxom blonde and the dirt were mud. Just kidding.
In case anyone is curious, I find plumbing to be very dirty. Even when you clean the pipes to solder them together... it's dirty. Luckily for Carlos, I had finished most of the plumbing for the first floor bathroom. (I still have to tie the drain in to our existing system, which requires getting dirty in the crawlspace.)
Anyway, apparently Carlos is new to the whole working-on-the-house thing. Home renovations had never interested him. So it meant a lot to me for Carlos to offer his help for a home improvement project. Hopefully I did not scare him away from future home improvement projects.
After all, Karen... and probably some of my friends... think I'm ridiculously anal when it comes to home improvement projects. In my defense, it's not about being particular about things. Like Mike Holmes from television would say, It's about making it right the first time so that you don't have to come back and fix it at a later time.
Needless to say, with it being Carlos's first time doing a home improvement project, I had him start with the simple things: insulation. While Carlos insulated the walls with the environmentally friendly denim insulation, I was measuring and cutting the drywall boards used for the walls.
I think the highlight of the day was seeing Carlos's amazement when we actually installing the drywall. Carlos had doubts about how we would install the drywall over the plumbing pipes that stuck out from the wall. Needless to say, with some fancy math, I was able to drill precise holes for the pipes.
In my resourcefulness, I also used some makeup to help outline the location of the pipes. In case anyone is curious, the makeup was not Karen's (because she doesn't wear any). And in case anyone is still curious, the makeup was definitely not mine. The makeup was a leftover from the second photo scavenger hunt that I organized. The makeup was used to make our team look like the members of KISS. (Yes, we were part of the KISS army for one brief moment of time.)
Regardless, seeing Carlos's surprise when the piece of drywall went in was memorable. His amazement almost made me feel like I knew what I was doing. Carlos and I eventually ended up installing drywall for the entire wall.
All in all, Carlos did a good job for his first time doing a home improvement project. I'm glad that he offered to help out. I haven't really hung out much with Carlos of late, so it was definitely good to see him. Plus, it turns out that Carlos is now a big fan of Freschetta pizza after we had some during lunch. Having never had Freschetta frozen pizza beforehand, Carlos absolutely raved about the taste. Who knew?
Anyway, thanks again Carlos for the help.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
I Suck At Holiday Parties
Yesterday was quite the busy day. In fact, the month of December is generally a busy month. My birthday, my friends' (Jen, Ellen, Anna) birthdays, my BFF's (Kerry) birthday, other birthdays and events which I'm sure I forgot about, and of course the traditional birthday of baby Jesus are all in the month of December.
I refer to Jesus's birthday as the traditional birthday because contrary to what a lot of people believe, December 25th is not Jesus's actual date of birth. From what I have read, there is evidence that Jesus was born around Yom Kippur which is in the fall. December 25th just happened to be designated as Jesus's birthday to coincide with the pagan festival of Saturnalia. I guess Saturnalia-mas just did not have the same ring to it as Christmas.
Needless to say, December is busy with the holiday season. And of course, holidays would not be complete without holiday parties. Unfortunately, I suck at holiday parties.
Karen and I kicked off our holiday party tour by venturing to Lowell. There is a lot to like about Lowell... or so the city of Lowell would like to have you believe. Karen's aunt (Denise) hosted the annual family Christmas get-together. This was the first year that Christmas was not being celebrated at Karen's grandmother's (Nana) house, in part because Nana's house is no longer accessible to the family. (The house was recently sold... and I have a funny feeling that the new owners would not appreciate an entire family showing up on their doorstep to celebrate Christmas.)
For a family steep in tradition, I imagine celebrating Christmas at a location other than Nana's house may have been a little strange. As it was, things did seem a little different because not all of the usual suspects were able to attend the family get together. Luckily for me, I was not one of those usual suspects.
Truth be told, it was not that bad. I was expecting a lot worse because Nana's sister was scheduled to attend. I suppose every family has that one crazy family member. I think for Karen's family, that crazy family member is Nana's younger sister. More often than naught, Nana's sister is likely to say something crazy... forget... and then say the same exact crazy thing again... forget... and then repeat the cycle again and again. I imagine it's much like talking to me... which is probably why I expect the worst.
But like I said, the family celebration was not bad. No rigamaroles yesterday. It turns out that yesterday was the first time in over a year that my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) has been to Aunt Denise's. As well, I got to meet one of Karen's cousin's (Laura) significant other. He was quite the interesting person.
All in all, it was fun. The food was good. The highlight of the celebration was probably the family Yankee swap... also known as the inappropriately named Ghetto swap. The swap is basically a Yankee swap of items that family members are trying to get rid of from their household. So needless to say, the items are generally interesting. I'm glad that Karen's cousin (Karlene) started that tradition because the swap definitely does make things a little more fun. (For anyone curious, I ended up with a couple of sombreros that I had pawned off in a previous family Yankee swap. So I got it back... Damn!)
Anyway, following the family fun, Karen and I then headed off to Salem where Kerry was hosting her annual holiday party. For Kerry, this was her 7th annual holiday party. I don't remember how the annual party started, but I believe Kerry looks forward to this event every year.
Attending Kerry's 7th annual party were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Andrea, Jen, Hot Amy, Carlos), Hot Amy's significant other (Mark), and a whole slew of Kerry's friends from Rhode Island. In years past, the party was a little territorial. By that, I mean the party was segregated by location. Kerry's friends from Rhode Island would be in one room; her childhood friends from Massachusetts would be in another; her friends which did not fit either category would be dispersed in-between. It's only natural because people tend to do what they are naturally comfortable with. Thus, people tend to associate with others who they know and whatnot.
This year, however, I think there was more of an interaction between groups which was nice. I think it definitely helps that Marc was there. This year was Marc and Kelley's first year attending. Out of Kerry's childhood friends from Massachusetts, I would definitely say that Marc is probably best suited to bridge the gap between the groups with his unreserved comical personality. So it was great that he was there. Of course, it may also have been the fact that each group is now more comfortable with the other group now.
Anyway while at Kerry's, I decided to come up with a new term. The term is "blog-worthy". Much like the Seinfeld episode involving Elaine and the sponge, "blog-worthy", to me, will refer to anything that is deemed worthy of printing in this blog.
Normally, the thought would not enter my mind. After all, to my knowledge, I didn't think anyone even read this dribble known as my blog... outside of a handful of people. And even of that handful, I am never sure if they actually read this blog because they never add any comments or whatnot.
It came to my attention, however, that someone wanted to be mentioned in my blog. Hence, that certain someone wanted to be "blog-worthy". It never occurred to me that any of my friends would want to be mentioned in my dribble. Most of the time when I mention things, people simply roll their eyes.
So in accordance with my friend's wishes: Kudos to Andrea! Truth be told, I probably would have mentioned her regardless in this post because she made some delicious stuffed mushrooms for Kerry's party. I love fungus. Yummy yummy fungus! The stuffed mushrooms were delicious. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I must have eaten half the tray of mushrooms.
In general, Andrea does make some great food. Her peanut butter balls... yum! Maybe instead of a bake-off between Kerry and Kelley, I can now convince them to have a showdown with Andrea as well. Yeah, maybe I do just want to eat the fruits of their labor...
I refer to Jesus's birthday as the traditional birthday because contrary to what a lot of people believe, December 25th is not Jesus's actual date of birth. From what I have read, there is evidence that Jesus was born around Yom Kippur which is in the fall. December 25th just happened to be designated as Jesus's birthday to coincide with the pagan festival of Saturnalia. I guess Saturnalia-mas just did not have the same ring to it as Christmas.
Needless to say, December is busy with the holiday season. And of course, holidays would not be complete without holiday parties. Unfortunately, I suck at holiday parties.
Karen and I kicked off our holiday party tour by venturing to Lowell. There is a lot to like about Lowell... or so the city of Lowell would like to have you believe. Karen's aunt (Denise) hosted the annual family Christmas get-together. This was the first year that Christmas was not being celebrated at Karen's grandmother's (Nana) house, in part because Nana's house is no longer accessible to the family. (The house was recently sold... and I have a funny feeling that the new owners would not appreciate an entire family showing up on their doorstep to celebrate Christmas.)
For a family steep in tradition, I imagine celebrating Christmas at a location other than Nana's house may have been a little strange. As it was, things did seem a little different because not all of the usual suspects were able to attend the family get together. Luckily for me, I was not one of those usual suspects.
Truth be told, it was not that bad. I was expecting a lot worse because Nana's sister was scheduled to attend. I suppose every family has that one crazy family member. I think for Karen's family, that crazy family member is Nana's younger sister. More often than naught, Nana's sister is likely to say something crazy... forget... and then say the same exact crazy thing again... forget... and then repeat the cycle again and again. I imagine it's much like talking to me... which is probably why I expect the worst.
But like I said, the family celebration was not bad. No rigamaroles yesterday. It turns out that yesterday was the first time in over a year that my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) has been to Aunt Denise's. As well, I got to meet one of Karen's cousin's (Laura) significant other. He was quite the interesting person.
All in all, it was fun. The food was good. The highlight of the celebration was probably the family Yankee swap... also known as the inappropriately named Ghetto swap. The swap is basically a Yankee swap of items that family members are trying to get rid of from their household. So needless to say, the items are generally interesting. I'm glad that Karen's cousin (Karlene) started that tradition because the swap definitely does make things a little more fun. (For anyone curious, I ended up with a couple of sombreros that I had pawned off in a previous family Yankee swap. So I got it back... Damn!)
Anyway, following the family fun, Karen and I then headed off to Salem where Kerry was hosting her annual holiday party. For Kerry, this was her 7th annual holiday party. I don't remember how the annual party started, but I believe Kerry looks forward to this event every year.
Attending Kerry's 7th annual party were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Andrea, Jen, Hot Amy, Carlos), Hot Amy's significant other (Mark), and a whole slew of Kerry's friends from Rhode Island. In years past, the party was a little territorial. By that, I mean the party was segregated by location. Kerry's friends from Rhode Island would be in one room; her childhood friends from Massachusetts would be in another; her friends which did not fit either category would be dispersed in-between. It's only natural because people tend to do what they are naturally comfortable with. Thus, people tend to associate with others who they know and whatnot.
This year, however, I think there was more of an interaction between groups which was nice. I think it definitely helps that Marc was there. This year was Marc and Kelley's first year attending. Out of Kerry's childhood friends from Massachusetts, I would definitely say that Marc is probably best suited to bridge the gap between the groups with his unreserved comical personality. So it was great that he was there. Of course, it may also have been the fact that each group is now more comfortable with the other group now.
Anyway while at Kerry's, I decided to come up with a new term. The term is "blog-worthy". Much like the Seinfeld episode involving Elaine and the sponge, "blog-worthy", to me, will refer to anything that is deemed worthy of printing in this blog.
Normally, the thought would not enter my mind. After all, to my knowledge, I didn't think anyone even read this dribble known as my blog... outside of a handful of people. And even of that handful, I am never sure if they actually read this blog because they never add any comments or whatnot.
It came to my attention, however, that someone wanted to be mentioned in my blog. Hence, that certain someone wanted to be "blog-worthy". It never occurred to me that any of my friends would want to be mentioned in my dribble. Most of the time when I mention things, people simply roll their eyes.
So in accordance with my friend's wishes: Kudos to Andrea! Truth be told, I probably would have mentioned her regardless in this post because she made some delicious stuffed mushrooms for Kerry's party. I love fungus. Yummy yummy fungus! The stuffed mushrooms were delicious. (Cue Rachael Ray's "Yum-O" sound.) I must have eaten half the tray of mushrooms.
In general, Andrea does make some great food. Her peanut butter balls... yum! Maybe instead of a bake-off between Kerry and Kelley, I can now convince them to have a showdown with Andrea as well. Yeah, maybe I do just want to eat the fruits of their labor...
Friday, November 27, 2009
I Suck At Imperial Terrace
On Wednesday, my friend (Jen) organized a little pre-Thanksgiving get-together. The get-together consisted of dinner at the Imperial Terrace located in Quincy. Now, I suck at Imperial Terrace.
For anyone curious, the Imperial Terrace is a restaurant specializing in Chinese food, and not just any Chinese food. The place specializes in American Chinese food that consists of greasy... everything... that will eventually make you hungry again within the hour.
Truth be told, I don't particularly like Chinese food... at least not the type at so-called Chinese restaurants. I may have been spoiled growing up because my mother cooked real Chinese food that tasted great and was not at all greasy. Needless to say, the food at these other restaurants just never compared to my mother's cooking. Thus, I never particularly enjoyed eating at these restaurants.
Nevertheless, Jen was gracious enough to organize the shindig. Consequently, the Imperial Terrace was a great reason to simply hang out with friends and have a good time.
Making it to the shindig were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Carlos), Jen, her brother (Bill), a couple of Bill's friends, my friend (Hot Amy) and her sister (Terri), Karen and I. There were a bunch of us. Unfortunately, we sat at a rectangular table. And for anyone who knows me, they would know that I have a dislike of rectangular tables when it comes to large parties (because people at the ends of these tables are never included in the conversations at the other end of the table).
Although truth be told, it was probably good that we were at a rectangular table on Wednesday. As I had been a little inebriated beforehand with my drinking buddy (Kelley), I had the latest Miley Cyrus song stuck in my head.
(The video below is the Miley Cyrus song that was stuck in my head.)
I'm not proud of the fact that I enjoy the Miley Cyrus song. Sadly, the song is just so darn catchy. Regardless, in my inebriated state, I may have repeated lyrics from the song a few thousand times. I, of course, butchered the song because I do not actually know the lyrics. So I may have been making no sense whatsoever with my constant rendition of the song on Wednesday.
Anyway, I'm afraid I don't remember much from the Imperial Terrace... other than the scorpion bowl that Kelley and I shared... and Miley Cyrus. So like I said, it may have been better that we were seated at the end of the rectangular table.
Following dinner, a bunch of us headed back to Jen and Bill's place. It was fun to hang out with Jen, Hot Amy, and Carlos, whom I really haven't seen much of late. From what I can remember, Hot Amy challenged me to a macaroni and cheese throw down. I don't remember if we wagered anything or not. Of course, a wager would not matter much anyway. There is no doubt that I will beat Hot Amy. She is pre-disposed to losing. And luckily, she is a glutton for punishment which makes it fun.
As is my nature, I may have angered Hot Amy a little with my ribbing. I forget how the subject of her significant other (Mark) came up, but he did. Mark works for MIT's Lincoln Labs. For anyone curious, Lincoln Labs is federal funded by the government for the area of research and development. Due to the nature of his work, Mark cannot tell anyone what he actually does at MIT's Lincoln Labs. Naturally, I joked that Mark was the janitor there. For the record, I don't think there is anything wrong with being a janitor. I just happened to know that it would annoy Hot Amy.
Needless to say, Carlos enjoyed my joke a lot. He kept laughing at the thought. Yeah, I'm a stinker. But it was funny to get under Hot Amy's skin. She's a good sport about my jokes. I could definitely see that she was getting a little angry with me.
Speaking of Mark, my other friend (Marc) actually watched a little of Fox's Glee while at Jen's. Jen was recording the show which happened to be on while we were there. Sadly, Marc is not a big fan of Glee. It's too bad. I love Glee. The show is one of my guilty pleasures.
Go Quinn Fabray! Yes, I may be drawn to the show due to the blond cheerleader. It's not my fault. I'm attracted to shiny objects. And, I feel robbed of my high school cheerleading experience because the cheerleaders at my high school... definitely looked nothing like television. Sure, they may have had the attitude... just not the flexibility or cheer...
Anyway, it was definitely a fun night. I'm glad Jen organized the get-together. I had a great time.
For anyone curious, the Imperial Terrace is a restaurant specializing in Chinese food, and not just any Chinese food. The place specializes in American Chinese food that consists of greasy... everything... that will eventually make you hungry again within the hour.
Truth be told, I don't particularly like Chinese food... at least not the type at so-called Chinese restaurants. I may have been spoiled growing up because my mother cooked real Chinese food that tasted great and was not at all greasy. Needless to say, the food at these other restaurants just never compared to my mother's cooking. Thus, I never particularly enjoyed eating at these restaurants.
Nevertheless, Jen was gracious enough to organize the shindig. Consequently, the Imperial Terrace was a great reason to simply hang out with friends and have a good time.
Making it to the shindig were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Carlos), Jen, her brother (Bill), a couple of Bill's friends, my friend (Hot Amy) and her sister (Terri), Karen and I. There were a bunch of us. Unfortunately, we sat at a rectangular table. And for anyone who knows me, they would know that I have a dislike of rectangular tables when it comes to large parties (because people at the ends of these tables are never included in the conversations at the other end of the table).
Although truth be told, it was probably good that we were at a rectangular table on Wednesday. As I had been a little inebriated beforehand with my drinking buddy (Kelley), I had the latest Miley Cyrus song stuck in my head.
(The video below is the Miley Cyrus song that was stuck in my head.)
I'm not proud of the fact that I enjoy the Miley Cyrus song. Sadly, the song is just so darn catchy. Regardless, in my inebriated state, I may have repeated lyrics from the song a few thousand times. I, of course, butchered the song because I do not actually know the lyrics. So I may have been making no sense whatsoever with my constant rendition of the song on Wednesday.
Anyway, I'm afraid I don't remember much from the Imperial Terrace... other than the scorpion bowl that Kelley and I shared... and Miley Cyrus. So like I said, it may have been better that we were seated at the end of the rectangular table.
Following dinner, a bunch of us headed back to Jen and Bill's place. It was fun to hang out with Jen, Hot Amy, and Carlos, whom I really haven't seen much of late. From what I can remember, Hot Amy challenged me to a macaroni and cheese throw down. I don't remember if we wagered anything or not. Of course, a wager would not matter much anyway. There is no doubt that I will beat Hot Amy. She is pre-disposed to losing. And luckily, she is a glutton for punishment which makes it fun.
As is my nature, I may have angered Hot Amy a little with my ribbing. I forget how the subject of her significant other (Mark) came up, but he did. Mark works for MIT's Lincoln Labs. For anyone curious, Lincoln Labs is federal funded by the government for the area of research and development. Due to the nature of his work, Mark cannot tell anyone what he actually does at MIT's Lincoln Labs. Naturally, I joked that Mark was the janitor there. For the record, I don't think there is anything wrong with being a janitor. I just happened to know that it would annoy Hot Amy.
Needless to say, Carlos enjoyed my joke a lot. He kept laughing at the thought. Yeah, I'm a stinker. But it was funny to get under Hot Amy's skin. She's a good sport about my jokes. I could definitely see that she was getting a little angry with me.
Speaking of Mark, my other friend (Marc) actually watched a little of Fox's Glee while at Jen's. Jen was recording the show which happened to be on while we were there. Sadly, Marc is not a big fan of Glee. It's too bad. I love Glee. The show is one of my guilty pleasures.
Go Quinn Fabray! Yes, I may be drawn to the show due to the blond cheerleader. It's not my fault. I'm attracted to shiny objects. And, I feel robbed of my high school cheerleading experience because the cheerleaders at my high school... definitely looked nothing like television. Sure, they may have had the attitude... just not the flexibility or cheer...
Anyway, it was definitely a fun night. I'm glad Jen organized the get-together. I had a great time.
Monday, April 27, 2009
I Suck At The Hancock Tavern
following our little picnic at wollaston beach, karen, my friend (jen), and i met up with my friends (marc and kelley). a while ago, jen had wanted to get together with marc and kelley for drinks. as everyone was around on saturday, all of us decided to just go out. the place that we ended up going to: the hancock tavern in quincy. now, i suck at the hancock tavern.
we chose the hancock tavern because the place was going to be centrally located for our other friends (andrea and carlos)who were going to meet us there. andrea was coming from her place; carlos was coming from the red sox game.
needless to say, the hancock tavern was interesting. in fact, i learned something interesting at the tavern... that interesting thing being the video about "2 girls 1 cup". i won't explain the video any further because the video is rated m for mature. should you attempt to google the video... be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. (when they say "curiosity killed the cat"... yes, it did...)
also while at the hancock tavern, carlos ran into some people he knew. carlos seems to know a lot of people, so it really was not surprising that he ran into some people there. (plus, carlos frequents the hancock tavern a lot.) the interesting thing about that was the fact that i recognized one of the people carlos knew. at the time, my mind was drawing a blank on her name.
as it turns out... (at least, if my assumption is correct and it is her...) the woman that was in the group that carlos knew used to work with me... and carlos for that matter. i found it funny that carlos forgot to mention that part to me when i asked him why she (erin) looked so familiar. anyway, i believe erin had just started working at my old company when i was leaving the company. the reason i remember her was because she told me that she loved my giggle and thought that i should electronically record my laughter and send it to my company so that they would always remember my laugh. needless to say, as much as i enjoyed the idea, i never did record my giggle for my old company.
anyway, the seven of us shortly left the hancock tavern after the alarm system started going off. the ear-deafening alarm simply blared... non-stop... for quite some time... for no reason what the waitress told us. it was a peculiar way to end the dinner portion of our night.
from there, carlos told us that he was too tired and decided to head home. so, the rest of us headed to friendly's... for a quick visit of the take out window (we never purchased anything) and subsequently ended at the alumni cafe. needless to say, the alumni is always an interesting experience.
while at the alumni, my friend (hot amy) joined us. in addition to hot amy, a group of other young women entered the alumni... dressed and ready to party. the group of looked like they were 12. okay, so maybe i was exaggerating about the age. they were young... and none too pretty. one of them, in particular, looked like rachel dratch from saturday night live fame. some of them ended up dancing with this older guy... to old songs. it was very interesting. his beer goggles may have been on at the time.
anyway, amidst the excitement of the overly dressed young women at the alumni cafe, we decided on one last pit stop for the night. that pit stop: murphy's bar in quincy. apparently, carlos had sent us a text message that he was there and that his friend, known only as "ventulo", was with him.
the interesting thing about ventulo is that i have only heard stories about him through carlos. i have never met the person. apparently, everyone else was interested in meeting ventulo as well. so off we went to murphy's. marc and kelley, unfortunately, did not join us for the murphy's portion of the night.
needless to say, we did not stay long at murphy's. carlos was already inebriated with that glazed over look. (so much for being tired and going home after the hancock tavern.) the sad thing is... i still never got to meet ventulo because carlos was not really all there. oh well. perhaps the next time...
all in all, it was quite the interesting night. i was not sure how the night was going to unfold, especially with the mixing of friends. i hope marc and kelley had a good time. i know i did. it was fun to hang out with everyone at once. i'd like to do it again some time.
we chose the hancock tavern because the place was going to be centrally located for our other friends (andrea and carlos)who were going to meet us there. andrea was coming from her place; carlos was coming from the red sox game.
needless to say, the hancock tavern was interesting. in fact, i learned something interesting at the tavern... that interesting thing being the video about "2 girls 1 cup". i won't explain the video any further because the video is rated m for mature. should you attempt to google the video... be warned, it's not for the faint of heart. (when they say "curiosity killed the cat"... yes, it did...)
also while at the hancock tavern, carlos ran into some people he knew. carlos seems to know a lot of people, so it really was not surprising that he ran into some people there. (plus, carlos frequents the hancock tavern a lot.) the interesting thing about that was the fact that i recognized one of the people carlos knew. at the time, my mind was drawing a blank on her name.
as it turns out... (at least, if my assumption is correct and it is her...) the woman that was in the group that carlos knew used to work with me... and carlos for that matter. i found it funny that carlos forgot to mention that part to me when i asked him why she (erin) looked so familiar. anyway, i believe erin had just started working at my old company when i was leaving the company. the reason i remember her was because she told me that she loved my giggle and thought that i should electronically record my laughter and send it to my company so that they would always remember my laugh. needless to say, as much as i enjoyed the idea, i never did record my giggle for my old company.
anyway, the seven of us shortly left the hancock tavern after the alarm system started going off. the ear-deafening alarm simply blared... non-stop... for quite some time... for no reason what the waitress told us. it was a peculiar way to end the dinner portion of our night.
from there, carlos told us that he was too tired and decided to head home. so, the rest of us headed to friendly's... for a quick visit of the take out window (we never purchased anything) and subsequently ended at the alumni cafe. needless to say, the alumni is always an interesting experience.
while at the alumni, my friend (hot amy) joined us. in addition to hot amy, a group of other young women entered the alumni... dressed and ready to party. the group of looked like they were 12. okay, so maybe i was exaggerating about the age. they were young... and none too pretty. one of them, in particular, looked like rachel dratch from saturday night live fame. some of them ended up dancing with this older guy... to old songs. it was very interesting. his beer goggles may have been on at the time.
anyway, amidst the excitement of the overly dressed young women at the alumni cafe, we decided on one last pit stop for the night. that pit stop: murphy's bar in quincy. apparently, carlos had sent us a text message that he was there and that his friend, known only as "ventulo", was with him.
the interesting thing about ventulo is that i have only heard stories about him through carlos. i have never met the person. apparently, everyone else was interested in meeting ventulo as well. so off we went to murphy's. marc and kelley, unfortunately, did not join us for the murphy's portion of the night.
needless to say, we did not stay long at murphy's. carlos was already inebriated with that glazed over look. (so much for being tired and going home after the hancock tavern.) the sad thing is... i still never got to meet ventulo because carlos was not really all there. oh well. perhaps the next time...
all in all, it was quite the interesting night. i was not sure how the night was going to unfold, especially with the mixing of friends. i hope marc and kelley had a good time. i know i did. it was fun to hang out with everyone at once. i'd like to do it again some time.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
I Suck At The Toad Concert
last night, i went to a concert... and not just any concert... the toad the wet sprocket concert. now, i suck at the toad concert. it's not like i dislike the band or anything. in fact, i own three of their albums. sadly, aside from their big hits, i can't name another song from any of those albums. perhaps i should have re-listened to their albums before the concert. oh well.
anyway, the reason that i came to even be at the concert was due to my friend (carlos). carlos apparently is a big fan of toad the wet sprocket. in particular, he enjoys the "good intentions" and "all i want" song. when he heard they were playing in foxboro, he organized a little outing to the toad concert.
the first one to jump on board and decide to go to the concert was my friend (hot amy). apparently, she is a big fan of toad the wet sprocket as well. her becoming a fan was quite accidental as the previous owner of her previous car had left a toad the wet sprocket album in the car. curious, hot amy listened to the cd and apparently has liked the band ever since.
my friend (bill) was the next to be on board with the concert. apparently, bill is also a big fan of toad the wet sprocket. he has actually gone to two of their other concerts in the past.
aside from those three, none of my other friends who were asked wanted to go... mostly because they did not even know who toad the wet sprocket was. as i knew of the band, i was naturally the obvious choice for the ever popular technique known as peer pressure. anyway, that was how the motley crew came to be for the concert.
as it also turns out, carlos was bringing his friend (shannon) from minnesota. apparently, carlos and shannon were going to meet the rest of us at the cbs scene restaurant and bar at patriot place before the concert. they were heading down early to walk around patriot place... and possibly tailgate.
needless to say, i headed down with bill and hot amy. we actually had to listen to some songs by toad the wet sprocket because... well... i didn't remember any of them outside of their hits. it was an interesting ride down to foxboro. i found out some interesting things... like how hot amy would rather pay someone to do stuff for her than actually do it herself... like sew a button back on. for some reason, that fact did not really seem that shocking to me.
anyway, we met carlos and shannon at the cbs scene restaurant and bar... and i must say... it is very nice looking. there is this huge television above the bar; the music that was played was pretty catchy; and the waitstaff of course was friendly. when bill, hot amy and i arrived, we met shannon. shannon is a dj. he seems like a pretty decent guy... even if i think he may have been flirting with the waitstaff.
as proof that we are old... our waitperson was this young looking woman with glitter makeup on her cheeks. shannon was telling her how we were going to see toad the wet sprocket. her reply: "who?" i got a chuckle out of that.
the food, by the way, was good at cbs scene. i had part of hot amy's appetizer... which was pita and hummus... or something like that. the drinks, i felt, were just okay though. we each had a couple of shots... to numb the pain as i like to tell my friends. i think it may have affected carlos more than anyone because by the end of the concert, he was a little huggy with that glazed over look.
speaking of the concert, the concert was fun. for anyone curious, toad the wet sprocket was playing at showcase live, not at the football stadium itself. showcase live is a little club at patriot place. i don't know if toad the wet sprocket could fill an entire football stadium, although i could be mistaken because the place was surprisingly packed.
anyway, the inside of showcase live is interesting. along the back is the bar. as you move closer to the stage, there is an entrance to a walled off section for dining... and as you get even closer there is a "vip" section which consisted of a roped off area.
needless to say, the five of us were initially along the back by the bar. carlos told me to give him some time so that he could get all of us in the vip section. so carlos and shannon disappeared for a little while. they apparently also ran into an old friend of theirs that they both knew. so bill, hot amy, and i remained in the crowded area by the bar.
the next thing i knew, carlos and shannon were walking in front of us in the vip section. carlos looked back at me and gave me a wave to come along. impressed, i called him on his cell to see how he got up to the vip area. he told me to just walk in.
who knew it was that easy? so naturally, hot amy and i... well... walked in. surprisingly, the attendant in front of the entrance to the dining and vip area did not even bat an eyelash. of course, for all i know, he could have been too enamored with hot amy to care. bill, however, actually stayed behind. he circled around to the side of the stage for a better view.
(the picture below is of toad the wet sprocket.)
anyway, there we were... standing in the vip area of the concert... listening to toad the wet sprocket. it was fun. granted, i did not know a lot of their songs. carlos and hot amy seemed to know more of the songs than i did. hot amy even got to hear one of her favorite words mentioned in a song... "moot". (i am guessing she must like rick springfield's "jessie's girl" as well.) nonetheless, i enjoyed myself at the concert.
it was fun. thanks carlos for organizing a good time!
anyway, the reason that i came to even be at the concert was due to my friend (carlos). carlos apparently is a big fan of toad the wet sprocket. in particular, he enjoys the "good intentions" and "all i want" song. when he heard they were playing in foxboro, he organized a little outing to the toad concert.
the first one to jump on board and decide to go to the concert was my friend (hot amy). apparently, she is a big fan of toad the wet sprocket as well. her becoming a fan was quite accidental as the previous owner of her previous car had left a toad the wet sprocket album in the car. curious, hot amy listened to the cd and apparently has liked the band ever since.
my friend (bill) was the next to be on board with the concert. apparently, bill is also a big fan of toad the wet sprocket. he has actually gone to two of their other concerts in the past.
aside from those three, none of my other friends who were asked wanted to go... mostly because they did not even know who toad the wet sprocket was. as i knew of the band, i was naturally the obvious choice for the ever popular technique known as peer pressure. anyway, that was how the motley crew came to be for the concert.
as it also turns out, carlos was bringing his friend (shannon) from minnesota. apparently, carlos and shannon were going to meet the rest of us at the cbs scene restaurant and bar at patriot place before the concert. they were heading down early to walk around patriot place... and possibly tailgate.
needless to say, i headed down with bill and hot amy. we actually had to listen to some songs by toad the wet sprocket because... well... i didn't remember any of them outside of their hits. it was an interesting ride down to foxboro. i found out some interesting things... like how hot amy would rather pay someone to do stuff for her than actually do it herself... like sew a button back on. for some reason, that fact did not really seem that shocking to me.
anyway, we met carlos and shannon at the cbs scene restaurant and bar... and i must say... it is very nice looking. there is this huge television above the bar; the music that was played was pretty catchy; and the waitstaff of course was friendly. when bill, hot amy and i arrived, we met shannon. shannon is a dj. he seems like a pretty decent guy... even if i think he may have been flirting with the waitstaff.
as proof that we are old... our waitperson was this young looking woman with glitter makeup on her cheeks. shannon was telling her how we were going to see toad the wet sprocket. her reply: "who?" i got a chuckle out of that.
the food, by the way, was good at cbs scene. i had part of hot amy's appetizer... which was pita and hummus... or something like that. the drinks, i felt, were just okay though. we each had a couple of shots... to numb the pain as i like to tell my friends. i think it may have affected carlos more than anyone because by the end of the concert, he was a little huggy with that glazed over look.
speaking of the concert, the concert was fun. for anyone curious, toad the wet sprocket was playing at showcase live, not at the football stadium itself. showcase live is a little club at patriot place. i don't know if toad the wet sprocket could fill an entire football stadium, although i could be mistaken because the place was surprisingly packed.
anyway, the inside of showcase live is interesting. along the back is the bar. as you move closer to the stage, there is an entrance to a walled off section for dining... and as you get even closer there is a "vip" section which consisted of a roped off area.
needless to say, the five of us were initially along the back by the bar. carlos told me to give him some time so that he could get all of us in the vip section. so carlos and shannon disappeared for a little while. they apparently also ran into an old friend of theirs that they both knew. so bill, hot amy, and i remained in the crowded area by the bar.
the next thing i knew, carlos and shannon were walking in front of us in the vip section. carlos looked back at me and gave me a wave to come along. impressed, i called him on his cell to see how he got up to the vip area. he told me to just walk in.
who knew it was that easy? so naturally, hot amy and i... well... walked in. surprisingly, the attendant in front of the entrance to the dining and vip area did not even bat an eyelash. of course, for all i know, he could have been too enamored with hot amy to care. bill, however, actually stayed behind. he circled around to the side of the stage for a better view.
(the picture below is of toad the wet sprocket.)
anyway, there we were... standing in the vip area of the concert... listening to toad the wet sprocket. it was fun. granted, i did not know a lot of their songs. carlos and hot amy seemed to know more of the songs than i did. hot amy even got to hear one of her favorite words mentioned in a song... "moot". (i am guessing she must like rick springfield's "jessie's girl" as well.) nonetheless, i enjoyed myself at the concert.
it was fun. thanks carlos for organizing a good time!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
I Suck At Coop's
tonight was supposed to be the start of my chauffeuring services for the year. by chauffeuring services, i mean i was going to be doing my best driving miss daisy impersonation shuttling my friend (hot amy) and karen home from simmons college. hot amy and karen are teaching a nutrition course wednesday nights at simmons.
due to inclement weather consisting of snow and slush, however, my chauffeuring services were not needed. simmons college canceled classes for the night. thus, i was off the hook in terms of driving the two miss daisies.
before the cancellation of the class, my original plan was to meet up with my friend (carlos) for a quick dinner at one of his favorite restaurants... the hancock tavern located in quincy... before heading into town to pick up hot amy and karen. carlos has been wanting to hang out for some time with me.
needless to say, with the cancellation of classes at simmons college, hot amy and karen were able to join us for dinner. it's probably just as well because i'm sure carlos would rather hang out with company other than just myself. instead of going to the hancock tavern, we decided to go to coop's located in quincy. i probably should clarify that. hot amy decided to go to coop's located in quincy. coop's should probably come as no surprise to anyone who knows hot amy. after all, it is one of the few places that she likes to go to (predictable?).
too bad i suck at coop's. don't get me wrong. the food at coop's is good. i just fail to see the constant allure of the place, much like i fail to see the constant allure of the bar formerly known as sarsfields in quincy. but that is just my opinion.
anyway, i had coop's cheese pizza for dinner. apparently, on mondays, tuesdays, and wednesdays from 5pm to 9pm, the 10" cheese pizza is two dollars. (here is where i inject the line "i want my two dollars" from one of the best movies from the 1980s... "better off dead".) for two dollars, why not try it? what a deal, especially considering the fact that i didn't have anything to drink with the meal other than water.
and with what has become commonplace when dining with karen and hot amy, i got to sample some of their meals too. so all in all, it was good. i even have lunch for tomorrow thanks to hot amy who thought her meatball sub smelled funny. for anyone curious, the meatball sub smelled like... a meatball sub. i think her nose must be stuffed up or something.
regardless, it was an interesting time. i sometimes wonder if carlos (and hot amy) think that karen and i are fairly odd. after all, we told carlos the story about how karen and i ended up together (because carlos asked). i always like to tell the story that in high school karen broke my heart and dumped me for my friend (garv), who happens to be quite the intellectual according to hot amy. karen, obviously, tells the story a different way.
among the other things that we talked about were my ex-girlfriend, who i loving refer to as the "scourge of evil"... hot amy's latin debating club... carlos's "d" in spanish (yes, carlos is fluent in spanish)... and whether or not hot amy and i were in the same class in college. oh... for anyone curious, carlos actually graduated the same year... from the same college... as my friend (andrea) and myself. the interesting thing is... none of us knew each other back then. small world.
another tidbit of information that i found interesting is that hot amy is having lunch tomorrow with my friend (dave), who i used to work with in town. (carlos will be at the lunch too.) the reason i find this funny is because hot amy is now hanging out with my old work friends. it is like... in order to defeat me, she must become me. or i suppose in a bizarro world she could simply be stalking me. personally, i can think of a lot more people who are more interesting to stalk. but i guess i should be flattered. (heck, i'm flattered that dave finds me attractive.)
anyway, i had a good time tonight. it was interesting to say the least...
due to inclement weather consisting of snow and slush, however, my chauffeuring services were not needed. simmons college canceled classes for the night. thus, i was off the hook in terms of driving the two miss daisies.
before the cancellation of the class, my original plan was to meet up with my friend (carlos) for a quick dinner at one of his favorite restaurants... the hancock tavern located in quincy... before heading into town to pick up hot amy and karen. carlos has been wanting to hang out for some time with me.
needless to say, with the cancellation of classes at simmons college, hot amy and karen were able to join us for dinner. it's probably just as well because i'm sure carlos would rather hang out with company other than just myself. instead of going to the hancock tavern, we decided to go to coop's located in quincy. i probably should clarify that. hot amy decided to go to coop's located in quincy. coop's should probably come as no surprise to anyone who knows hot amy. after all, it is one of the few places that she likes to go to (predictable?).
too bad i suck at coop's. don't get me wrong. the food at coop's is good. i just fail to see the constant allure of the place, much like i fail to see the constant allure of the bar formerly known as sarsfields in quincy. but that is just my opinion.
anyway, i had coop's cheese pizza for dinner. apparently, on mondays, tuesdays, and wednesdays from 5pm to 9pm, the 10" cheese pizza is two dollars. (here is where i inject the line "i want my two dollars" from one of the best movies from the 1980s... "better off dead".) for two dollars, why not try it? what a deal, especially considering the fact that i didn't have anything to drink with the meal other than water.
and with what has become commonplace when dining with karen and hot amy, i got to sample some of their meals too. so all in all, it was good. i even have lunch for tomorrow thanks to hot amy who thought her meatball sub smelled funny. for anyone curious, the meatball sub smelled like... a meatball sub. i think her nose must be stuffed up or something.
regardless, it was an interesting time. i sometimes wonder if carlos (and hot amy) think that karen and i are fairly odd. after all, we told carlos the story about how karen and i ended up together (because carlos asked). i always like to tell the story that in high school karen broke my heart and dumped me for my friend (garv), who happens to be quite the intellectual according to hot amy. karen, obviously, tells the story a different way.
among the other things that we talked about were my ex-girlfriend, who i loving refer to as the "scourge of evil"... hot amy's latin debating club... carlos's "d" in spanish (yes, carlos is fluent in spanish)... and whether or not hot amy and i were in the same class in college. oh... for anyone curious, carlos actually graduated the same year... from the same college... as my friend (andrea) and myself. the interesting thing is... none of us knew each other back then. small world.
another tidbit of information that i found interesting is that hot amy is having lunch tomorrow with my friend (dave), who i used to work with in town. (carlos will be at the lunch too.) the reason i find this funny is because hot amy is now hanging out with my old work friends. it is like... in order to defeat me, she must become me. or i suppose in a bizarro world she could simply be stalking me. personally, i can think of a lot more people who are more interesting to stalk. but i guess i should be flattered. (heck, i'm flattered that dave finds me attractive.)
anyway, i had a good time tonight. it was interesting to say the least...
Sunday, January 25, 2009
I Suck At Murphy's Twin Shamrocks
after our dinner last night at stars with my friends (jen, hot amy, and andrea), my friends, karen and i went to meet my bff (kerry) at murphy's twin shamrocks located in quincy for a few drinks. too bad i suck at murphy's twin shamrocks.
i haven't been to murphy's twin shamrocks in quite some time. in fact, i don't think i have gone to a bar with all of them in a long while. generally speaking, karen and i are usually not invited whenever the opportunity arises to go to a bar. perhaps that is a good thing because the people at the bars that my friends generally frequent look considerably younger than we do. murphy's seemed to have a good mix of people last night. i must admit that i did derive some pleasure in seeing a group of young'uns get turned away at the door.
anyway, it was a great time at murphy's. my friend (carlos) also stopped by to meet all of us. apparently, hot amy had sent him a text message that we were going to be there. like i told everyone, carlos is always good for a drink... or ten. as it also turned out, carlos knew the musician (stu) playing at the bar. carlos is well connected that way.
speaking of which, i had an interesting conversation with kerry about social epidemics. kerry is reading a book called "the tipping point" by malcolm gladwell. according to my friend wikipedia, gladwell believes that the "success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social skills". those individuals are called: mavens, connectors, and salesmen. kerry happens to think carlos is a connector because he knows so many people... the musician at murphy's being one of them. hot amy has also since corroborated the fact that carlos is well connected because people always come up to him at the train station when they commute home.
in addition to the social epidemic discussion, kerry was also kind enough to show me some basics in sign language. for any curious, she is taking a sign language course. hopefully i can remember the phrases she taught me in sign language.
murphy's wasn't all serious though. we did have a bunch of laughs, including jen's impersonation of my lip balm application technique. (yes, i have trouble putting on lip balm. i generally tend to smudge the lip balm everywhere.) as well, karen had a question about stu... and whether the constant strumming with the guitar made his arm strong. there was a visual that she used in conjunction with the question that made all of us laugh.
needless to say, it was a good time at murphy's. sadly, i didn't get to have a chance to chat with andrea, hot amy, and carlos (and eventually stu). they were at the other end of the rectangular table... which is yet again another reason i like circular tables. as it turned out, andrea left right before stu sang her "wahoooo" song. the song is actually called "got you (where i want you)" by the flys. andrea does a great rendition of the song. perhaps next time...
i haven't been to murphy's twin shamrocks in quite some time. in fact, i don't think i have gone to a bar with all of them in a long while. generally speaking, karen and i are usually not invited whenever the opportunity arises to go to a bar. perhaps that is a good thing because the people at the bars that my friends generally frequent look considerably younger than we do. murphy's seemed to have a good mix of people last night. i must admit that i did derive some pleasure in seeing a group of young'uns get turned away at the door.
anyway, it was a great time at murphy's. my friend (carlos) also stopped by to meet all of us. apparently, hot amy had sent him a text message that we were going to be there. like i told everyone, carlos is always good for a drink... or ten. as it also turned out, carlos knew the musician (stu) playing at the bar. carlos is well connected that way.
speaking of which, i had an interesting conversation with kerry about social epidemics. kerry is reading a book called "the tipping point" by malcolm gladwell. according to my friend wikipedia, gladwell believes that the "success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social skills". those individuals are called: mavens, connectors, and salesmen. kerry happens to think carlos is a connector because he knows so many people... the musician at murphy's being one of them. hot amy has also since corroborated the fact that carlos is well connected because people always come up to him at the train station when they commute home.
in addition to the social epidemic discussion, kerry was also kind enough to show me some basics in sign language. for any curious, she is taking a sign language course. hopefully i can remember the phrases she taught me in sign language.
murphy's wasn't all serious though. we did have a bunch of laughs, including jen's impersonation of my lip balm application technique. (yes, i have trouble putting on lip balm. i generally tend to smudge the lip balm everywhere.) as well, karen had a question about stu... and whether the constant strumming with the guitar made his arm strong. there was a visual that she used in conjunction with the question that made all of us laugh.
needless to say, it was a good time at murphy's. sadly, i didn't get to have a chance to chat with andrea, hot amy, and carlos (and eventually stu). they were at the other end of the rectangular table... which is yet again another reason i like circular tables. as it turned out, andrea left right before stu sang her "wahoooo" song. the song is actually called "got you (where i want you)" by the flys. andrea does a great rendition of the song. perhaps next time...
Sunday, January 18, 2009
I Suck At Wii Bowling
saturday night was my big showdown with my friend (hot amy). for anyone curious, hot amy and i have been having competitive wagers against one another. it all started with the tennis challenge in which i defeated her in the sport she played in high school... tennis. (i had never played competitive tennis... unless you consider that one time i played with my ex-girlfriend who i lovingly call "the scourge of evil".)
anyway, this time the challenge was wii bowling. hot amy received the wii for christmas. naturally, she challenged me to wii bowling as it was a game that she was very good at. of course, i don't own a wii. i still have the gamer mentality that the wii is not really a gaming console, and has thus refused to get one. nonetheless, i agreed to the challenge. the wager: homemade pizza.
in all honesty, i figured this would be the challenge that i would finally lose to hot amy. after all, i don't own the wii and i am terrible at real bowling. so things were looking pretty good in 2009 for hot amy. even my friend (jen) thought that this would be the challenge that i would lose because jen has seen hot amy play wii bowling and knows how good she is at it. jen, by the way, apparently knows "the secret" to wii bowling.
well, karen and i invited a bunch of our friends (jen, kerry, carlos, and hot amy), my favorite sister-in-law (janine), my favorite brother-in-law (pj) and my nephew (pj) over to witness the inevitable triumph of hot amy.
(the video below is of hot amy wii bowling while karen and jen watch.)
unfortunately for hot amy, things didn't go quite according to plan. whether it was the sensei-student training that i had with hot amy's father earlier or the home field advantage of having the bowling challenge at our place... the stars were simply aligned in my favor on saturday night. hot amy probably had her worst bowling string while i had a fairly decent one. in the end, i was victorious.
it simply was not a good night for hot amy. she subsequently lost the other games against me as well that night. carlos, on the other hand, whupped my butt in boxing. (i still think it would be cool to have a wii boxing tournament... but that's just me. boxing on wii, by the way... very tiring and difficult.)
anyway, looking back... i almost feel guilty for defeating hot amy... again. i'm sure i'll get over the guilt though, because i'm sure the homemade pizza will taste really good. better luck next time, hot amy!
anyway, this time the challenge was wii bowling. hot amy received the wii for christmas. naturally, she challenged me to wii bowling as it was a game that she was very good at. of course, i don't own a wii. i still have the gamer mentality that the wii is not really a gaming console, and has thus refused to get one. nonetheless, i agreed to the challenge. the wager: homemade pizza.
in all honesty, i figured this would be the challenge that i would finally lose to hot amy. after all, i don't own the wii and i am terrible at real bowling. so things were looking pretty good in 2009 for hot amy. even my friend (jen) thought that this would be the challenge that i would lose because jen has seen hot amy play wii bowling and knows how good she is at it. jen, by the way, apparently knows "the secret" to wii bowling.
well, karen and i invited a bunch of our friends (jen, kerry, carlos, and hot amy), my favorite sister-in-law (janine), my favorite brother-in-law (pj) and my nephew (pj) over to witness the inevitable triumph of hot amy.
(the video below is of hot amy wii bowling while karen and jen watch.)
unfortunately for hot amy, things didn't go quite according to plan. whether it was the sensei-student training that i had with hot amy's father earlier or the home field advantage of having the bowling challenge at our place... the stars were simply aligned in my favor on saturday night. hot amy probably had her worst bowling string while i had a fairly decent one. in the end, i was victorious.
it simply was not a good night for hot amy. she subsequently lost the other games against me as well that night. carlos, on the other hand, whupped my butt in boxing. (i still think it would be cool to have a wii boxing tournament... but that's just me. boxing on wii, by the way... very tiring and difficult.)
anyway, looking back... i almost feel guilty for defeating hot amy... again. i'm sure i'll get over the guilt though, because i'm sure the homemade pizza will taste really good. better luck next time, hot amy!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
I Suck At Casting
today is election day. happy election day!
regardless of which candidate you support for the presidential election (or any of your other political decisions impacting your state), please perform your civic duty and vote today. and afterwards, go get a free ice cream. i hear ben and jerry's is giving a free scoop of ice cream today from 5pm to 8pm. if only there were a ben and jerry's located near me... (ah, the good ol' days when i worked in town... i could have gotten one then.)
anyway, karen and i went to perform our civic duty this morning. there was a line at the polling place, but it moved very quickly. we were done casting our ballots in no time.
speaking of casting... i suck at casting.
my friends (marc and kelley) brought up the topic of my other friend (carlos) today. one of the silly things that my friends and i do is come up with actors or actresses to play us in the movie about our lives (as if our lives were even that interesting to make a movie out of.)
as we were talking about carlos, here is who i came up with to play carlos in the movie... about carlos: jon favreau.
(pictured below is jon favreau as carlos.)
carlos is so money! (that was a reference to the movie "swingers" to which jon favreau starred in with vince vaughn.)
regardless of which candidate you support for the presidential election (or any of your other political decisions impacting your state), please perform your civic duty and vote today. and afterwards, go get a free ice cream. i hear ben and jerry's is giving a free scoop of ice cream today from 5pm to 8pm. if only there were a ben and jerry's located near me... (ah, the good ol' days when i worked in town... i could have gotten one then.)
anyway, karen and i went to perform our civic duty this morning. there was a line at the polling place, but it moved very quickly. we were done casting our ballots in no time.
speaking of casting... i suck at casting.
my friends (marc and kelley) brought up the topic of my other friend (carlos) today. one of the silly things that my friends and i do is come up with actors or actresses to play us in the movie about our lives (as if our lives were even that interesting to make a movie out of.)
as we were talking about carlos, here is who i came up with to play carlos in the movie... about carlos: jon favreau.
(pictured below is jon favreau as carlos.)
carlos is so money! (that was a reference to the movie "swingers" to which jon favreau starred in with vince vaughn.)
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