I Suck At Holiday Parties

Tonight was my BFF's (Kerry) birthday. Happy birthday Kerry!

Tonight also happened to be Kerry's annual holiday party. Now, I suck at holiday parties. This was not just any annual holiday party. Tonight was Kerry's 10th annual holiday party... and according to Kerry, her last holiday party.

So in a way, this was Kerry's annual holiday party to end all holiday parties. And for a final farewell party, I had a great time.

Of course, I was a bit late to the party. I ran a quick errand to Staples to pick up some batteries, which would be free after getting Staples Rewards. Little did I know, when I did arrive to Kerry's party, I would be the topic of conversation.

The topic was about coupons and my apparent obsession with them. Personally, I don't think I have an obsession. I happen to enjoy items that are free. And most of the items that I get for free are a means to an end.

For example, prior to tonight's party I made a trip to my local Target. I needed to reach $50 at Target to get a $10 gift card. It just so happens that I could get floss for free thanks to some coupons. Now, I don't technically need floss. But in this case, the floss was my means to an end. I needed to purchase $50 worth of items, and the floss helped me do that... and after coupons they were free. So they served a purpose by helping me get that $10 gift card.

For anyone curious, I didn't keep the floss. I gave them to my mom who was watching my kids tonight while Karen and I attended the party. She also ended up with some deodorant... which was another topic of discussion because I haven't been as diligent in finding a new home for the free deodorant. Sadly, Karen and I have about 12 things of deodorant. Even if Karen and I do smell and stink up the joint, that's still a lot of deodorant to go through.

Needless to say, my friends got some big laughs over my coupon abilities. Joining in on the festivities of Kerry's party were my friends (Marc, Kelley, Cass, Ellen, Garv, Leeann, Andrea, Samantha, Steve, Jen, and Hot Amy) and my favorite sister-in-law (Janine). It was definitely good to see everyone. I had a good time.

Karen is still threatening to write a blog about living with me and my seemingly bizarre habits, which was another topic of discussion. I'd definitely be curious to read that. So we'll see if that ever comes about.

Anyway, it was a nice party to end all holiday parties. Hopefully Kerry had a good time and enjoyed her birthday.

I Suck At Girls' Night Out

Saturday was quite the interesting day.

For starters, I did something that I don't normally do: clean the rims of my car. While cleaning the garage, I came upon some car cleaning supplies that I got a long while back. So I figured... instead of just standing idly by watching my two year old daughter (Briana) running around in the front yard, why not do something productive like clean the rims of the car while my two year old daughter runs around in the front yard.

And might I add... Armor All... amazing. The rims came out all nice and shiny (and I do like shiny things). So now I can travel in style, until I actually drive somewhere and get the rims dirty again. And it just so happened that I had plans that night.

Saturday night, Karen organized a girls' night out. Not only was it a girls' night out, it was a potluck party too. The theme for the potluck: cereal. As much as I was curious about the cereal potluck, I had no problems taking Briana and my six month old daughter (Bridget) out for the night. After all, I'm big on individualism. Plus, I enjoy my quality father-daughters time together.

Unfortunately, I suck at girls' night out. I actually ended up staying a little bit for the cereal dinner, although I did my best to try to stay out of the way of the girls and take care of my daughters in another room. Attending the cereal shindig were my BFF (Kerry), my favorite sister-in-law (Janine), my friends (Jen and Hot Amy), and Hot Amy's husband (Mark).

I did eventually get to go out on my quality father-daughter trip later that night. Unfortunately, it was just with one daughter and not two. I ended up taking Briana to one of her favorite places: Target. It was quite a lot of fun, even though we spent a good deal of time at the college futon section and the princess paper plate section. (Those were Briana's choices, not mine.)

Anyway, by the time I got back from Target with Briana, girls night out was over. I may have missed the pajama party pillow fight. I seem to always miss that!

I Suck At Getting Signatures

With the deadline to turn in the necessary paperwork for my bid to become an elected official quickly approaching, I spent yesterday getting signatures outside of the local public library. After all, I am running to be a trustee of the public library. Too bad I suck at getting signatures.

I must say, getting signatures to get placed on the ballot is definitely one of the worst parts about running for an elected position. I would say on a whole that the majority of the town where I reside is very friendly and helpful in signing my nomination papers. There are the occasional people who are downright rude and refuse to sign, but they are few and far between.

One man, with his ever hip sunglasses and sweat-stained shirt, simply bolted past me telling me to ask someone else who has the time. One cranky elderly woman snapped that she would not sign because she does not know enough about the candidates to sign. I didn't have the heart to tell her that the nomination papers were just so that I would get on the ballot and that it had nothing to do with endorsing me.

That said, I did have an interesting conversation with a woman who asked if I were for or against the public library. This woman was outraged over the recent attempts by the elected selectmen's attempt to outsource the library to another town. For anyone curious, a huge number of residents opposed the outsourcing attempt. It turns out, none of the elected selectmen use, or have ever stepped foot in, the public library, which sort of reminds me of Marie Antoinette and her out of touch "Let them eat cake" quote. (By the way, the position of trustee for the library is... for the library. Hence, "trust".)

Anyway, I was able to collect enough signatures yesterday to be on the ballot, thanks in part to Genevieve Davis, who is running for state senate. Turns out, the library is a hot spot for getting signatures for nomination papers. Genevieve came along shortly after I was getting signatures and she definitely made my job a lot easier when she came.

Ever the politician, she attempted to greet everyone with a nice handshake. And once she got her signatures, she passed the respective person off to me. It definitely made my job easier because most of the screening was already done for me. For anyone curious, I had to get signatures from Norwell voters for my nomination papers. Genevieve had to get a more specific subset: Norwell voters who were not Republican. Thanks Genevieve! And as an interesting side note, I learned that Norwell is primarily a Republican town. (Genevieve and I had a lot of time to bond together.)

Anyway, it was an interesting time at the library getting signatures. Following my little library excursion, my BFF (Kerry) came down for a visit. As always, it was good to see Kerry. She brought our two year old daughter (Briana) a little present for her birthday, which Karen seems to enjoy more than Briana. The present was a stuffed animal in the form of a giant carrot. Karen is a dietitian, so it makes sense that she would enjoy the carrot. Even though Briana has warmed up to the carrot, I wouldn't be surprised if Karen took the carrot for her own.

Like I said, it was great to see Kerry. Among the topics of conversation that I remember which came up were her first time home buyer class, her apartment, and going out to the movies. I remember the latter because it has been a long time since either of us went out to watch an actual movie in the theaters.

From there, the night essentially ended with a visit from my friend (Hot Amy) and her husband (Mark). Hot Amy and Mark came to meet our newest daughter (Bridget). I had not seen them since they had invited us, along with our friends (Dolores and Tom) to their place the month before. Some of the topics of discussion that came up were wedding anniversary gifts by year (like how the first year is paper), Facebook, and their plans for their first anniversary.

All in all, it was a good day.

I Suck At Going Into Town

On Saturday, I was invited to attend the dietetic gathering between Karen and our friends (Hot Amy and Dolores). Truth be told, I was not even sure if I would be able to attend due to my lingering sickness. But since I was no longer having random dreams, I thought it would be okay to go.

For anyone curious, the last random dream during my sickened state was of my BFF (Kerry) confiding in me with a particular secret. That secret: that she was falling in love with our friend (Steve), to which I naturally asked "Isn't he gay?" with surprise. I have no idea if Steve is gay. It was just a dream after all.

Anyway, ever so often, Karen, Hot Amy and Dolores get together to hang out and discuss all things nutrition (because they are all dietitians). On Saturday, I guess the guys were fortunate enough to be included this time around. The plan for the night: to go into town and see Hot Amy's apartment.

Now, I suck at going into town. It has been a long while since I have been in town. I think the last time may have been, coincidentally enough, to see Hot Amy's place when they had their house warming last year. But since Dolores has never been, that was part of the plan.

Needless to say, it was good to see Dolores and Loser Tom. I don't think Tom is a loser, but I still refer to him as such because the name has a good ring to it and I'm mean that way. The name derived when all of us first met him. He was afraid that all of us would think he was a loser. Hence, Loser Tom was born.

I actually got to spend some time with Loser Tom hiking up Diamondhead in Hawaii when the former American Dietetic Association held its annual conference in Hawaii. For anyone curious, the American Dietitic Association is now called the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. I joked that the reason for the name change was because the American Dental Association, which also went by ADA, was too strong and did not want people confusing the two (much like wrestling and the wildlife foundation). I have no idea if that really is the case.

Anyway, hanging out at Hot Amy's was good. She made her legendary mac 'n cheese for dinner. I haven't really hung out with Hot Amy in quite some time, so it was nice to be able to joke around with her again. Don't get me wrong, I've seen her, but we haven't joked as much as we used to. We may, however, have lined up a new competition: an ice skating race. The idea came about because Hot Amy apparently is Dorothy Hamill-esque on skates, just without the salchows or so the claim goes. And naturally, I am curious if whether I could beat her in a skating race particularly because I can't skate. So we'll see if that challenge materializes.

Among the other topics of discussion from the night were Dolores's tattoo, Facebook, and Whitney Houston. Yes, Dolores has a tattoo of an ankh. She could be the female Moon Knight. Sadly, I could not get the location of the said tattoo out of her. I was only curious, just to give my "friend of all things supernatural" a hard time.

As for the latter topics, Whitney Houston and Facebook went hand-in-hand. Of all the people there, only Hot Amy was a prolific user of Facebook. Sadly, she knew more about Karen's relatives than Karen. Plus, apparently Facebook told everyone at the table that night that Whitney Houston passed away. Got to love social media. I still am curious about experimenting with Facebook to update my status based on my daily bowel movements, just to see what would happen. I can't imagine my status updates being any worse than the ones that are posted.

Anyway, it was a good time. The ride home was definitely interesting as well. Not only did I got to see women in their short short skirts walk around in the freezing night, but I got to drive 30mph getting onto the highway because the car in front of me was just that slow. Fun.

I Suck At Being Sick

Following our tour of Neeham (or more appropriately, Newton) on Saturday, things went physically downhill for me. Let's just say I may have worked a little too much over the previous two nights without getting the appropriate rest.

The previous two nights I spent doing a particular home improvement project. Yes, it's a shocker that I even did a home improvement project at all. I generally take forever when it comes to working on the house. It's not that I dislike doing home improvement projects. It's quite the contrary. But like working out, I recently have found myself looking for any reason to avoid actually completing any home improvement projects. But not this time. This, by far, was probably the quickest turnaround I ever had on a home improvement project.

The home improvement project involved running the necessary wires, as well as the mounting of a new television in our living room. The television was a result of the new furniture that we purchased for that room on Christmas. It's funny how purchasing new furniture leads to other projects. Anyway, with a twenty two month old (Briana), I worked on the project at night when Briana was fast asleep, sometimes into the wee hours of night.

Needless to say, I may have needed more rest because by Saturday afternoon, I was feeling a little rundown and sick. Too bad I suck at being sick. My friend (Hot Amy), however, is not. She is synonymous with being sick. And it just so happens that Hot Amy and my friend (Jen) stopped by for a visit Saturday afternoon.

Jen, in her quest for a license, decided to drive on down for a visit using Hot Amy's car. I think it was Jen's first time driving on the highway, so I'm happy she decided to take it to see Karen and I. Jen seemed pretty excited. In general, she seems pretty excited with this whole new fandango thing known as driving. Interestingly enough, she won't tell us when her driving test is, but I believe it is scheduled for sometime this month. I'm sure she'll do fine.

Anyway, my voice started going during their visit and it only got worse from there when my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) and my BFF (Kerry) came over. I think by the time the night was over, my voice was totally gone.

Sadly, I don't remember much from Saturday night aside from the fact that all of us watched an episode of "Face Off". The original plan was to watch the movie, "Inception" since Kerry never saw it, but none of us owned the movie. But at least everyone got to watch the episode of "Face Off" on the newly mounted television.

I guess that's not entirely true. I remember grabbing dinner from the Boston Pizza Company, which was very good. I think I actually had a tasting from everyone's plate, except Karen's. I remember that only because my BFF pointed out that fact. And I also remember Andrea joking with me about my being in emergency management. I'm not in emergency management, but I remember saying I should be for some reason... which then led to Andrea joking about how I shouldn't be in emergency management because I couldn't even decide on an item from the Boston Pizza Company menu.

Oh well. Like I said, my memory from Saturday night was a bit hazy. I just remember it was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone as usual. Damn you sickness.

I Suck At Uno's

Last night, Karen and I (and our twenty one month old daughter, Briana) were invited to dinner. My friend (Pam) and her family were up from Bon Jovi's home state of New Jersey for the holidays. As a result, she wanted to meet up for dinner at Uno's while she was in Massachusetts.

Too bad I suck at Uno's. It has been a while since I have been to the Uno's in Braintree. I had not even realized that Dave and Buster's took over the old Circuit City location. Or quite possibly, I did realize it but forgot about it. Damn you my selective memory. Just kidding.

As a side note, an interesting thing actually happened on the way to Uno's in Braintree. While we were leaving, I came upon a package left at my doorstep. As neither Karen nor I were expecting a package, we were curious as to the contents. It turns out, the package was from Circle Furniture.

Last week, our new furniture arrived from Circle Furniture. We were absolutely delighted by our experience with Circle Furniture. It turns out, Karen's aunt (Denise) also has had a great experience with Circle Furniture. Anyway, the package contained some gifts from the company accompanied with a tiny little note.

According to the note, Circle Furniture had read my post about my experience with them and decided to send me a little thank you present. The company was initially cautious about reading my post because the title of my post, like all of my posts, began with "I suck at..." Upon further reading, however, they knew it was not the case that they "suck". In fact, it was quite the contrary. Because of it, they wanted to thank me with a present.

Needless to say, Circle Furniture's thoughtful gift made my day. It was just a nice gesture from the company; one I'm sure to remember for years and years. Their service is definitely amazing. If only more companies were as great when in comes to service (and yes, I'm still referring to you Alba Restaurant in Quincy).

Anyway, the gift made my night. So thank you again, Circle Furniture! I was pretty happy as a clam when we arrived to meet Pam and her family. Also joining us for the dinner were my friends (Jen and Hot Amy).

Dinner went by pretty quickly. After all, with Briana and Pam's three children, time definitely passes at a quicker rate. For anyone curious, I had the Cabot aged cheddar and sauteed mushroom burger, while Briana practically devoured my fries. The burger was good. I also enjoyed the mango lemonade. Yum!

One of the topics of discussion that I remember from the dinner involved Jen. It turns out that 2012 may be the year she finally gets her driver's license. She seems dedicated and excited, more so than in previous years. So that was nice. Yay Jen. For anyone curious, she is planning to have a party when it happens. As an interesting side note, Pam failed her first driving test.

Anyway, it was a good day all around with the Circle Furniture gift and hanging out with friends.

I Suck At Visiting My Friend

I think I have become quite "South Shore" with my old age. I never used to be that way. Quincy just seems far these days for me, which is sad because Quincy is really not that far from where I live. For anyone curious, I live in Norwell. If Quincy seems far now, you can only imagine how far the city of Boston may seem to me.

In keeping up with the Boston-themed weekend (as I visited Karen's Nana at a nursing home in Boston on Saturday), my friend (Hot Amy) invited us over to her new place on Sunday. Hot Amy and her husband (Mark) live on Beacon Hill in Boston. Since getting married, they have been working on getting their apartment "ready" for visitors. So for the second straight day, Karen, my seventeen month old daughter (Briana), and I headed into Boston. Luckily, I suck at visiting my friend. And just so you know, carrying a seventeen month old while walking up a hill... not as easy as you think.

It was a good visit. I really haven't talked with Hot Amy in probably well over a year. Granted, I went to her wedding and the annual cookout that her parents have on the fourth of July, but those times were more of a salutatory conversation of "congratulations" or "hi" or something like that. I don't really remember the last time I hung around and just joked around with her.

And truthfully, I didn't get a chance to do much of that at her apartment. As is common these days, either Karen or I have to make sure Briana is not getting into things when she shouldn't. So one of us always has to keep an eye out for her. I've gotten pretty used to it from my weekly get together with my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea). Needless to say, I spent much of the time cooped up with Briana and Hot Amy's sister's (Terri) daughter in one of the rooms watching them as they screamed out to the pedestrians below.

When I did make it out of the room, though, it was nice to laugh it up with my friends (Jen and Andrea) who were also there. And I know some of you may be curious, Andrea has just completed the third season of Friday Night Lights. But all in all, it was a good time. I even got to see my "mom" (Shirley) again. There is a story to that, of course, but I'll divulge it at some other time.

I Suck At Chores

In addition to being my friend's (Hot Amy) birthday, Saturday was a day of chores. (Happy birthday Hot Amy!) For some time, my house has been a mess. I can usually let the house cleaning go for quite awhile. After all, I have a higher tolerance for chaos and disorder than Karen.

Unfortunately, Saturday I felt like I had to bring some order back into the house. After all, our lawn is overgrowing with weeds; Our vegetable garden is a tangled mess; Our dishes were dirty; We had loads of laundry; and with a seventeen month old (Briana) leaving crumbs everywhere, our entire house needed to be vacuumed; Too bad I suck at doing chores.

Needless to say, with a long list of to-do's, Karen and I started early. We can generally accomplish more when Briana is asleep. When Briana the Energizer bunny is awake, she gets into everything and keeps going and going and going... Hence, the disarray.

It turned out to be a very productive day. Everything on the to-do list was accomplished, which felt like a relief. Granted, the cleanliness did not last long as Briana ran amok when she was awake. But it was fun while it lasted.

And naturally, to unwind after everything, I began Friday Night Lights season 4. My friend (Andrea) was kind enough to drop off the dvds as she and Karen were going out for Hot Amy's birthday celebration.

I Suck At Oral-B

My age is starting to catch up to me. Of course, it could also be the fact that I have not done a home improvement project in some time. My body just feels sore today.

Yesterday, I continued my home improvement project on the back entrance to our house. Prior to our adding vinyl siding to the exterior of our house, there were signs of water damage on the drywall. (Knock on wood. There have been many downpours since and I have not seen any more water damage.) Needless to say, I removed the existing pieces of drywall that were water damaged and replaced them with new pieces.

I was lucky enough to finish the task before my daughter (Briana) woke up from her nap. It took her awhile though to recognize me behind the goggles and the mask. But she did.

Anyway, a nice clean shower later, I ended up going to Rite Aid for this week's deal: an Oral-B Pulsar toothbrush. Now, I suck at Oral-B. To me, a toothbrush is a toothbrush. I was shocked to see the retail value of this toothbrush being over $5. It's a toothbrush!

Regardless, Rite Aid was giving a rebate which would essentially make the cost of the toothbrush $0.50 after rebate. And of course, I had to get it. After all, it's essentially a "money maker" because Karen had a $2 coupon for the item. Yay Karen!

I'd be curious to see how well the toothbrush works. Apparently, the toothbrush uses a non-replaceable battery that is supposed to last for about 3 months. That seems pretty short to me, but we'll see how it goes.

After getting the toothbrush, Karen, Briana, and I headed off to Quincy where we attended my friend's (Hot Amy) family's annual 3rd of July party. Truth be told, things were looking a little grim for the party with the rain and all. Luckily the weather cooperated just enough.

It was good to see my friends (Jen, Andrea, Hot Amy) and my BFF (Kerry). In comparison to other years, this party was smaller than usual probably due to the weather. I got a kick out of our discussion about breasts becoming a "shelf".

And like most events that happen during the night, my fifteen month daughter could only last so long. Having already done a face plant that left an egg on the top of her head, she got tired before the night's festivities of fireworks. So it was a quick night.

I Suck At The Sea Dog Brew Pub

My Saturday began with a little visit from our financial planner. The funny thing is, our financial planner is not really a financial planner per se. Our financial planner (Daniel) is our life insurance representative. And as luck would have it, part of the representative's duties is financial planning.

Anyway, Daniel didn't really tell Karen and I anything new. I knew, as well as Karen, that our future outlook for retirement as well as our baby daughter's (Briana) possible college funding needed some improvements. Sure, Briana is still only six months old, but it's never too early to plan for her education. After all, by the time she is ready for college, the cost of tuition is probably going to be insane.

Plus, it's always good to have contingency plans in the event something unexpected does happen. And if there is something that the passing of my son (Braden) has taught me, it's that life is very unpredictable. You would think that having been laid off twice in my lifetime would have taught me that. Sadly, I'm a slow learner.

Needless to say, Daniel was great at suggesting possible solutions for Karen and I. The funniest part of our meeting was finding out that if Karen were to pass away, I'd have a surplus of funds to raise Briana on my own. I got a kick out of that projected outcome because Karen would still need help should I pass away.

All in all, the financial planning meeting was good. In my case, it was definitely worth the time.

Later that day, I was invited to go out for dinner at the Sea Dog Brew Pub located in Hull. Now, I suck at the Sea Dog Brew Pub. I have never been there. Apparently, Maine's famous brewery decided to open shop in Hull.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who sucks at the Sea Dog Brew Pub because everyone got lost trying to find the place in Hull. Joining us for dinner were my friends (Hot Amy, Jen, and Andrea) and Hot Amy's fiance (Mark). Karen and I assumed the restaurant would be near the beach. We were quite mistaken as the pub was located on the third floor of a building way in Hull and way away from Nantasket beach.

It was good to see everyone. I haven't seen Jen and Hot Amy in quite some time. In fact, I don't think I've ventured out that much since Briana was born. Karen has gone out a lot more than I have. I guess that has added to my feelings of being in a rut.

Nevertheless, it was a good time. The food at the Sea Dog Brew Pub was delicious. Granted, I had a simple mushroom and swiss burger, but it was good. (And sure, I may have had some of Andrea's meal as well... and Karen's too... I was hungry...) Andrea, Jen and I also had ordered the samples of beer at the Sea Dog. Our waitperson told us that it was the first time she had a table that ordered so many samples. I think of the samples, my favorite was the blueberry. Jen had a spiced pumpkin which was pretty good as well. (Jen was kind enough to share.)

All in all, it was a good dinner... at a non-circular table. Andrea apparently will be a home owner soon enough; and Hot Amy and Mark seem excited about their upcoming trip to Australia. Interestingly enough, I think Briana enjoyed the dinner too. She received a lot of attention from random strangers.

One random woman approached us and asked how old Briana was because it was the first time that this particular woman had gone out since having a five month old baby. Seeing Briana had reminded her of her own baby. It was very bizarre to be approached by so many people saying how cute Briana was. I'm glad Briana doesn't understand English yet because I wouldn't want all these compliments to go to her head.

Anyway, it was definitely nice to go out on Saturday.

I Suck At Celebrating My Friend's Birthday

On Saturday, Karen and I celebrated my friend's (Andrea) birthday. Happy belated birthday Andrea! Andrea's birthday (and for anyone curious... Dustin Hoffman's) was not until Sunday (8/8). In celebration, Andrea wanted to have dinner at the Union Brew House located in Weymouth.

Too bad I suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Before dinner, Karen and I dropped off our baby daughter (Briana) with my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ). Incidentally, PJ's cousin is dating a frequent patron of the Union Brew House who is the self-proclaimed Mayor of Weymouth. If I can't get my friend (Cass) to run for mayor of Quincy, I should at least try to get him to proclaim that he is the mayor... much like PJ's cousin's significant other.

Anyway, it has been a while since anyone has babysat our daughter. The reason is not because we don't trust anyone or anything like that. Heck, I'd probably let anyone watch our daughter. Karen and I simply haven't gone out alone. Briana is cramping our style. Just kidding.

Thinking that everything would be fine, we left Briana with Janine, PJ, their kids, and Janine's BFF (Gretchen). So off we went to celebrate at the Union Brew House. Karen and I were the first to arrive. For anyone curious, the Union Brew House is a tiny hole in the wall. I would say that the Brew House's "thing" is that is has 99 different types of beer available. 99 may have been one too many for this particular guy who was trying to pick up some women at a nearby table when Karen and I first arrived. For me, it was a little comical watching this guy. He was simply awful. He had no idea that the husband of one of the women had been sitting at the table. Yes, he was quite the catch.

Eventually everyone else showed up. Partaking in the festivities for the night were Andrea (the birthday girl of course), and my friends (Marc, Kelley, Kerry, Hot Amy) and Hot Amy's fiancee (Mark). It was good to see everyone. I don't think I have seen Hot Amy and Mark in quite some time. I believe they have been a little preoccupied with wedding plans. Apparently, Hot Amy has finally picked out a wedding dress. Whether true or not, Mark mentioned using the Mortal Kombat theme as the song to enter the reception area with. If Hot Amy and Mark use that song, I will be very impressed.

As a side note, the new Mortal Kombat movie trailer does look pretty exciting.
(The video below is a trailer for the Mortal Kombat rebirth.)


Kelley had shared the above with me some time ago. And for a movie based on a video game, I would have to say that the trailer does in fact make the movie look pretty exciting. (Historically, movies based on video games are never good.)

Regardless, it was a fun night hanging out with everyone. I think Andrea had a good time, which is really all that mattered for the night. Andrea, Marc, and Kelley were thinking of other movies for movie night. The 80s theme had progressed into a 90s theme. And although I don't think the movie made the cut, the movie "Threesome" was mentioned. (For anyone curious, "Threesome was made in 1994 and starred Lara Flynn Boyle and Stephen Baldwin.)

Unfortunately, Karen and I had to leave the festivities early. Remember... I do suck at celebrating my friend's birthday. Apparently, things weren't going too well at Janine's with Briana. Briana was crying non-stop. She cried. Janine cried. Her kids cried. I felt pretty bad for Janine and them.

I am thinking that Briana is having attachment issues, which does not bode well for our upcoming babysitting gig later this week. Anyway, I hope Andrea enjoyed her day. Again happy belated birthday, Andrea!

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!

I Suck At Religion

I guess you could say that yesterday was a religious day of sorts for me, which is pretty sad because I suck at religion. Heck, I still have original sin in the eyes of God. (And really, I still have yet to figure out how a little water scrubs out original sin. Is it like laundry? Is the water like Tide? Can you Shout it out?)

Regardless, last night Karen and I attended a wake for my friend's (Pam) husband's (Ed) brother. The wake was held at an interesting location: McMaster Funeral Home in Braintree. I have never been to this particular funeral home. For those who have never been to McMaster, the tiny funeral home is sandwiched between two residential houses on a main street. And of course, there is very limited parking at the funeral home.

Needless to say, it was an interesting time. Apparently, there is a picture of Karen dancing with the deceased at Pam's wedding. (I may need to clarify that statement... Karen was dancing with the deceased before he became deceased... not after.) As far as wakes go, it was the typical wake that I have been accustomed to: sign in book, pictures, casket, receiving line of family, people hanging around.

Obviously wakes are what they are... a means for people to pay tribute to the deceased. Having lost a child (Braden) myself, I can empathize with Ed's parents. Parents should not have to bury their own children no matter how old they are. I remember feeling the loss in the pit of my stomach when Braden passed away. It's definitely not a good feeling.

One of Ed's brothers (Joe) said something all too familiar while I was at the wake. He had mentioned the famous saying about how things happen for a reason. It seems always true that people always want or need explanations for things. I wonder if that is simply human nature to want an explanation, or the fact that people have faith in a higher power. (Do you think a bunch of flies are gathered together wondering why the other fly got squished by a fly swatter?)

Don't get me wrong. I felt the same way when Braden passed away. I agonized over the reasons as to why my baby had to pass away after only one week of life. I don't think I will truly ever have a reason for his passing. He just did... despite the omnipotent powers of the seemingly all-loving merciful God. What puts my mind at ease about it is what I rationalize to be the reason for his death. For me, my own internal rationalization makes accepting Braden's death easier. For all I know, Braden gave up his life for us like Jesus. How is anyone going to disprove that?

Anyway, it was an interesting wake. Following the wake, Karen and I went to J.J. Mulligans... which is right down the street from the funeral home... with my friends (Hot Amy and Jen) who had also attended the wake. I have not hung out with Hot Amy and Jen in quite some time. Truth be told, it was good to see them again.

I had a few laughs. Hot Amy appeared to be her quirky self again. The topics of discussion included things like her upcoming marriage preparations complete with possible eggplant costumes, her desire to wash my car, and Jen's trip to Egypt which she bonded over with our waitress. It was like old times again, which was nice. I've missed seeing them.

Unfortunately, Karen and I could not stay long at J.J. Mulligans. After all, we still had our baby daughter (Briana) to pick up at my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ). So naturally, to end the entire religious day of sorts, we asked Janine and PJ to be Briana's godparents... which was good because they already enjoy watching her. (And for anyone curious, they did agree.)

So all in all, it was an interesting day of thrilling religion.

I Suck At Father/Daughter Bonding Time

Today, I got to spend some quality father/daughter bonding time. Too bad I suck at father/daughter bonding time.

Karen was going out tonight with my friends (Hot Amy and Jen). So that left me by my lonesome with our baby daughter (Briana). Truth be told, I'm glad Karen got out of the house. I think it's good for her to have some time away from taking care of Briana. (Not that I am deadbeat and don't take care of Briana myself.) I think it just does the mind and body good to relax for awhile without the constant worries of taking care of a child... even for a couple of hours.

So naturally, I'm all for her going out and hanging out with friends. And I think she was happy to get out of the house. (Truth be told, she was probably tired of seeing my ugly mug day in and day out.) For Karen, just being asked to go out is nice. Being a mother of a newborn baby, she knows that she cannot always go out with her friends. So just being asked and having the option of going out is enough to make her day.

Anyway, with Karen out of the house, I decided to bond with my daughter by changing her diaper. And if people must know, Briana's diaper was quite dirty. Some day, I will actually use Facebook and update my status every single time I change her diaper. Just kidding.

By the time I finished changing Briana's diaper, talking to my BFF (Kerry) on the phone while changing her diaper, holding Briana until she fell asleep, and doing some other menial tasks, Karen had already came home from her night out. It's amazing how time quickly passes by when you have a baby. Some day, I'll actually get to bond with my daughter when she is more alert. Some day...

I Suck At Hanging Out With Hot Amy

Today, I got to spend some quality time with my favorite girl: my daughter (Briana). In the morning, Karen had volunteered to help out with a fund-raising activity for the public library, leaving me to take care of Briana.

So what does one do during father-daughter bonding time? Well... not much. I wrote a few thank you letters because I've been running a little behind on those. It seems like just when I'm almost done, more thank you letters have to be written. Case in point: I had written a few today. I thought I was close to being done. But my friends (Cass and Ellen) stopped on by to drop off a present from a mutual friend of ours. It's not like it's a bad thing. It just seems like I'll never catch up at my snail mail pace.

Cass and Ellen did not stay long. They hung out for a little while to see Briana again before heading to DirectBuy and to the new BJs located in Quincy. As soon as they left, Karen returned from her fund-raising activity. From there, my parents, my cousin (Betty), and Betty's son (Marvin) came over for lunch. As usual, my mother was ecstatic to see Briana. She probably would have held her all day if she could.

It was the first time Betty and Marvin got to meet Briana. Betty and my mom even took Briana for a little walk around the neighborhood. While they were walking Briana, my father, Karen and I hung out with Marvin. I can't believe Marvin will be entering high school in September. I remember when he was born and how when he was a baby, Betty was taking him to Hong Kong. It's amazing how time flies.

Interestingly enough, Marvin runs track in middle school. Also interesting is that he runs the hurdles... an event that I ran in track. Maybe hurdling is in our genes? One of his favorite video games happens to be one of my favorite games too: Resident Evil 4. (Resident Evil 4 is awesome! It's a great game.)

Anyway, it was good to see Betty and Marvin (and my parents, of course) during lunch. And naturally, it being the weekend, the busyness never stops. Because shortly after Betty, Marvin, and my parents left, my friends (Jen, Hot Amy) and Hot Amy's fiance (Mark) came over.

Now, I suck at hanging out with Hot Amy. I feel like I haven't hung out with her in awhile. Apparently, she has been sick of late, which is never good when seeing newborn babies. And I'm sure if I were to remind her that she's always sick, she would probably tell me to shut it... even though it's true... Hot Amy is always sick. So like Betty, this was also Hot Amy's first time meeting Briana too.

Hot Amy, Mark, and Jen brought dinner from the Villa Rosa located in Quincy. As well, they brought an ice cream cake. I'm always a sucker for ice cream cake! So it was definitely a good meal. And of course, the three of them got to hold little Briana too. I think for Mark, it was his first time holding a baby... ever. Needless to say, it was fun hanging out.

Most of the discussion centered around Briana and Hot Amy/Mark's upcoming wedding. There is talks about having an ice luge at the reception, which I am all for. Karen and I even came up with a cool new idea: a chocolate martini fountain! I'll keep my fingers crossed. I think Jen wanted a big dance floor.

Following dinner, all of us got to see Jen's pictures from her trip to Egypt. The pictures made Egypt look amazing. I think it would be awesome to go there some day. Jen really looked like she had a great time.

And of course, since I was moved by finding out that Marvin ran hurdles earlier in the day, I subjected everyone to watching the Penn Relays on television. It just happened to be on. And as Jen and Karen could tell you, the Penn Relays were featured in an episode of the Cosby Show. Needless to say, Karen and I got to reminisce about the good old days when we used to run track. (Now, we'd both be sucking wind.) But I do miss those competitive days, especially when I watch Track and Field now. Sadly, the only competition I get now is from Hot Amy... and trust me, she's not much competition.

Anyway, it was a fun night. I had a good time. And as if the day came full circle, I got to end the night with my daughter, Briana. Granted, Briana pooped all over me... but it's okay. And when I say "pooped all over me", I literally mean it. While changing her diaper, she shot a laser beam of poop right at my hand. You wouldn't think that a lot of poop would come from such a tiny little peanut like my daughter, but it does. The projectile poop was definitely a first.

I Suck At Project Management

On Saturday, I got to play the role of project manager. Unfortunately, I suck at project management. My friend and possible future mayor of Quincy (Cass) would probably be better at it because he likes to boss people around. Plus, I think it's what he does. So remember... vote Cass!

Anyway, to help Karen and I while our daughter (Briana) was at the hospital, my friends (Marc and Kelley) organized a little get together with a bunch of our friends. The general idea was to have everyone come over to our house and help us complete a bunch of projects. Since Karen and I had so little time these days, every little helping hand helped. And I must say... I was pleasantly surprised come Saturday. There were just so many friends offering to help us out. It was amazing. Without sounding too sappy, it was moments like that which make me extremely thankful to have the friends that I do.

Needless to say, there were simply a bunch of friends doing our projects around our house. Since Karen could not drive (due to having stitches from pregnancy... doctor's orders...), Marc drove her around certain stores to run errands; My BFF (Kerry) and Kelley helped paint our first floor bathroom; My friends (Ellen and Leeann) hung up shades in Briana's room; My friend (Carlos) moved a bunch of rocks from our driveway; My friend (Garv) and Cass also helped move the rocks when Carlos had to leave (yes, there are a lot of rocks); My friends (Jen, Hot Amy, and Andrea) removed fallen tree limbs and turned over the soil in our garden; Andrea even took a sledgehammer to our driveway; Hot Amy even cooked some things for us;

The list goes on and on. I'm sure I missed listing a few projects, and for that I apologize. My friends were so efficient that they finished many of the tasks all within the limited time frame that Karen and I had before having to shuttle ourselves back to the hospital to see Briana. To me, it was amazing to have so many our friends coming together to help us out. I know I will never forget it.

Again, thank you everyone. And of course thank you Marc and Kelley for organizing it. All of you made it a special day for me, Karen and Briana. So thank you... all of you! I feel blessed to be able to call all of you friends.

I Suck At Roasted Potatoes

On Saturday, Karen and I began our day with a memorial service in Hingham. The memorial service was for the spouse of my former friend's mother (Peggy). (I say former because my friend passed away.) I can imagine that it must be difficult for Peggy. After all, she has lost her only son and her husband all within five or six years.

Nevertheless, the service was good. The last time I was at the church (The Episcopal Parish of St. John the Evangelist) where the service was held was for the memorial of Peggy's son. And prior to that, it was for Peggy's wedding 14 years ago.

If there can be anything "interesting" from a memorial, it's seeing familiar teachers of yore. (Did I mention that Peggy was a teacher at the high school I attended?) Having not seen a teacher for quite some time... and then seeing then now... is an odd feeling. You sometimes wonder if those teachers remember you the way you remember them.

Anyway, a bunch of friends were at the service too. Attending were Sam (who flew in from Virginia), Jeannette and her son, Nicole, Meredith, Garv and Leeann, and my BFF (Kerry). I think Peggy was ecstatic to see all of us there, which was nice.

And for anyone curious, Jeannette's son (Sam) is very good for a four month old. He didn't cry, scream... anything during the service. He did manage to put three of my fingers in his mouth though. Other than that, he didn't make a peep. He was good... possibly the envy of all parents who have a four month old.

Following the service, Kerry headed back to our house. My friend (Andrea) had planned a little get together for the night. As we had time before the big shindig, the three of us decided to catch a couple of episodes of Veronica Mars. Slowly, we're making it through the third and final season. Too bad it takes us awhile to watch the episodes. Remembering what happened in previous episodes is sometimes tough. Nonetheless, it was fun.

Eventually, it was time for Andrea's shindig. Her get together consisted of her self proclaimed famous dinner: chicken and potatoes. Originally, she had debated about whether to make roasted potatoes or mashed potatoes. Rather than make one or the other, she made both. (She also made asparagus and rolls too... and a trifle for dessert.)

And might I add, this dinner was pretty hyped up by Andrea. For those who know me, they know about my feelings on hyped up things. With all the fanfare, there naturally is some lofty expectations. Needless to say, Andrea delivered. Her dinner was absolutely delicious. (I probably should not be surprised because everything that I have had from Andrea has been delicious.)

I think my favorite dish was the roasted potatoes. Too bad I suck at roasted potatoes. I must have eaten a whole lot of them. Truth be told, I probably could have eaten just the roasted potatoes and been happy.

Needless to say, dinner at Andrea's was great. Besides Karen, Kerry and I, my friends (Jen and Hot Amy), and Hot Amy's significant other (Mark) were able to attend the dinner. I think they enjoyed the dinner too.

I'm pretty sure Kerry enjoyed the "bread in a can". Speaking of Kerry, it turns out that her favorite U.S. currency is the quarter. That was an interesting fact that was discovered for the night. I did not know people had a favorite currency. Who knew? Among other interesting facts are that the favorite numbers of Andrea, Jen and Kerry are 8, 21 and 2 (or 5... hence the quarter) respectively. Favorite colors are red, blue and purple for Jen, Kerry, and Hot Amy respectively. And Mark apparently is not a sanitation engineer (or so he claims)... not that there is anything wrong with that.

Anyway, it was a fun time at Andrea's. Following dinner, Jen, Karen and I then headed off to Stars in Hingham. On Christmas Eve, the three of us and Kerry had discovered that Stars was having an ugly holiday sweater party. Everyone seemed pretty excited about the party (except for me). So we figured we'd give it a try.

(Picture below is Jen in her ugly sweater.)


Joining us at Stars were my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my favorite brother-in-law (PJ). The place was packed... and cold. Nevertheless, it was a fun time. Jen even won a free t-shirt for having such an ugly sweater. And for anyone curious, I thought the band (The Smoking Jackets) was great. The band covered a bunch of songs that you wouldn't normally think would be covered at a bar... like Dancing Queen by ABBA... or the Safety Dance by Men Without Hats. Based on the turnout for the ugly holiday sweater party, I would probably suggest the idea to my friend (Garv) for his bar (Blue-22). But, I'm pretty sure he would pretend to jot the idea down in his hand, crumple the piece of paper, and toss it over his shoulder.

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.

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...

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...