I Suck At Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was the day I got to see my friend (Jen). Too bad I suck at Christmas Eve.

In the morning, Karen and I met up with Jen and my BFF (Kerry) for breakfast at Stars on Hingham Harbor. Christmas Eve breakfast has practically become a tradition now amongst all of us. I think all of us have been doing it since college. Sadly, this year my friend (Joanna) could not make it.

Joanna lives out in Oregon. And this year, she wasn't coming back to Massachusetts for the holiday. Bummer. She cracks me up with some of her stories.

Anyway, breakfast was delicious as usual at Stars. I ordered the low carb breakfast. The low carb dish was chock full of meat... eggs... and cheese. Basically, a protein dish. Normally, I don't care for low carb dishes primarily because I consider the term synonymous with dieting... and I don't diet as obviously from my svelte figure. (That's sarcasm.)

It just so happens that I did not eat much protein at all the day before. So come Christmas Eve morning, I had a craving for protein. And I devoured the low carb plate. Yum! Food aside, it was good to see Kerry and Jen even if most of my time was spent trying to get my two year old (Briana) to sit and stay in her seat during breakfast.

And as luck would have it, I got to see Jen again later that night. For some time now, Karen and I have hosted Christmas Eve for our families. This year, however, we decided to switch things up a little and host Christmas day instead. So doing the hosting duties for Christmas Eve this year were my mother-in-law and my father-in-law.

I have a feeling that my mother-in-law has been wanting to host for some time. So it didn't take much to convince her to host Christmas Eve... not that she needed convincing. Regardless, Jen happens to live near my in-laws. So she and her brother (Bill) came to Christmas Eve dinner too (after they themselves hosted for their family).

Needless to say, Christmas Eve was a good time.

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 Flu Shots

I've been slacking off of late. I haven't written a post in quite some time, mostly because I have been lacking the time to do so. But today, I just had to make time for a post because something comical happened to me today.

Before I write about today, however, I'll quickly recap all of the things that I had missed since my last post.

Wednesday: (at least I think it was Wednesday) Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my seven month old daughter (Bridget) and I went to Wild Willy's Burger located in Quincy. My friend (Marc) apparently had been craving Wild Willy's. So he, my friends (Kelley, Andrea, and Sam), and my BFF (Kerry) went to satisfy his cravings. As usual, the food there was very delicious. I had the "all natural" burger, which was a burger made from cows fed a vegetarian diet. It was quite delicious! Probably the most memorable part of the night was my attempt to give Bridget a strawberry allergy by giving her a taste of my strawberry shake. For anyone curious, she was fine... no allergy... yet. Aside from that, the only thing I really remember from that night was heading back to Marc and Kelley's afterward and possibly scaring Andrea by mentioning she may have a ghost in her basement... her dark basement... which wouldn't be scary otherwise were it not for the fact that she could possibly be alone in the dark basement with the ghost. (Yes, I'm a jerk... but it's almost Halloween.)

Saturday: My friends (Garv and Leeann) decided to have a whiskey/fire pit night. The original idea came about as Andrea really wanted Garv to host a night to show off the fire pit. Interestingly enough, Andrea could not attend the shin dig that she was instrumental in cajoling. Attending the party were my friends (Cass and Ellen), Marc, Kelley, and Kerry. As usual, it was a fun time, if you throw out the part of where I got lost driving to Garv and Leeann's. I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquergue. Oops. Regardless, it was a fun time even if most of my time was spent with the ever active Briana.

Sunday: Completing my Marc and Kerry weekend was breakfast at Stars on Hingham Harbor in... Hingham. As usual, the food there was delicious. Truth be told, I was not even sure if I were supposed to go to breakfast that Sunday. Originally, Karen told me that her, Kerry and my friend (Jen) were meeting there for breakfast. Thus, I wasn't sure if it were a girls' thing or not. Luckily for me, Marc was also invited (on Saturday night). So I figured it was an open invite. Needless to say, the food was delicious as usual, and it was good to hang out and see Jen.

Following breakfast, Karen, Briana, Bridget, and I went to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) to celebrate my nephew's (PJ) birthday. The theme for the party was sharks. It was an interesting party. I'll leave it at that. I've never been good at being fake around people, especially people who I may have grudges against. I usually don't hold grudges, but sometimes I just can't let it go when it relates to my son (Braden) who passed away. Luckily for me, I don't have to see them all that often.

Yesterday: Last night, Marc and Kelley had us over for our usual weekly get together. Joining in on the fun were Andrea and Kerry. We basically just hung out and had some laughs. One of the topics of conversation that came up was my stellar fashion sense. For those who don't know, I will wear something until it literally falls apart. I've never been big into clothes as evident from my t-shirt/shorts attire. The topic came about because I was wearing a t-shirt that is older than most teenagers. Eventually, that led to my regimen of wearing certain dress clothes on certain days... which only has been restarted since my current employer has a business casual dress code. It should be noted that I dislike dress codes. After all, I'm a t-shirt and shorts type of guy.

Anyway, all of that has led to today where my daughters had to get a flu shot. Too bad I suck at flu shots. In fact, I suck so badly that I have never had a flu shot as an adult. Yes, I put a hefty price on my antibodies.

Needless to say, Bridget was not a fan at all of the shot as she immediately started crying. Briana, on the hand, was one tough cookie. The needle didn't faze her at all. So in celebration of flu shots (Yay flu shots), we went out to Bertucci's in Hingham for dinner.

And it was not until I went to the bathroom at Bertucci's did I realize... I had a big gaping tear in my dress pants. The tear was from the inseam across one of the butt cheeks. I have no idea how long the tear was there. The pants were fine this morning. The pants were fine when I got home. Either the tear happened at the doctors' office or at Bertucci's. Either way, I'm sure someone got a nice look at my styling boxers. Good thing I wasn't going commando.

Anyway, I got a good chuckle when I got home to see just how big the gaping hole was. I guess now I can introduce a new pair of pants into my stylish wardrobe routine for work.

I Suck At Wakes

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.

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 Father's Day

Happy Father's Day!

Sadly, I suck at Father's Day. Truth be told, I actually almost broke down in tears today on my way to the cemetery. The loss of my son (Braden) almost four years ago still hurts. I guess in some ways, it's good to know that I'm still human.

All in all, today was a nice day. My in-laws invited Karen, my two year old daughter (Briana), my three month old daughter (Bridget), and I over for lunch to celebrate Father's Day. It was nice of my in-laws. Plus, the lunch was good.

One of the more interesting things about today was actually running into my friend (Jen). My in-laws happen to live near Jen. As we were taking Briana and Bridget out for a walk down Wollaston Beach, I mentioned to Karen that perhaps we should stop by Jen's place to see if she would want to go for the walk too.

And pretty much on queue: a car comes driving along, stops right in front of us, and out jumps Jen. Jen was ecstatic to see us and go for a walk along the beach. It was bizarre timing.

Regardless, it was good to see Jen. I haven't seen Jen in some time. Apparently, she is running a couple of road races soon. She even wanted me to run one of the races with her, which is quite enticing. The problem of course, is that I haven't done anything remotely active in over two years unless overeating is considered "being active".

In all honesty, I have been thinking about running a lot lately. My latest idea has been to go running at night when my family is asleep, since that is generally the time I have available to myself. I'm not sure if Karen agrees with my idea or not.

I know she's not too fond of my parcour idea. Hardcore parcour! I've been toying with the idea of trying parcour. The subject interests me only because it looks neat and I'm currently addicted to American Ninja Warrior. But we'll see. And for anyone curious, I think Wollaston Beach would be a nice place to start parcour. At least, that was what I was thinking while walking along the beach today.

Anyway, that was pretty much my Father's Day. The day was rather low key, which I actually preferred because it indirectly involved Braden. I still love you and miss you, Little B. Take care.

I Suck At 100 Day Parties

On Sunday, my family celebrated my three month old daughter (Bridget) by having a 100 day party. Now, I suck at 100 day parties. We held a similar party for my two year old (Briana) a couple of years ago, but she had more fanfare since she was the first to reach that milestone. Sadly for Bridget, the youngest child gets the short end of the stick.

My parents wanted to throw her a 100 day party because... well, it was too late for the traditional one month red egg and ginger party. (Remember, the youngest child gets the short end of the stick.) Truth be told, my mother actually went for a visit to Hong Kong for a month shortly after Bridget was born. So the timeline got a little out of whack in terms of "tradition". So a 100 day party it was.

And because the youngest child gets the short end of the stick, the planning of the party has been sort of a headache. Originally, the party was planned for Saturday the week prior. But due to my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and her family's weekend plans, the party date was moved to Sunday. Interestingly enough, only Janine was able to attend on Sunday. It turns out that the rest of her family wanted to attend something else instead.

Regardless, I think my parents had a good time. Besides my mother-in-law and my father-in-law who attended the party, my friends (Jen and Bill) stopped on by. My parents were happy to see them since they had not seen them in quite some time.

Truth be told, I actually did not get a chance to socialize much on Sunday. Aside from helping my parents prepare food for everyone and the cleanup afterwards, I didn't really have an opportunity. And by the time I did, everyone had left. Oh well. At least my parents were happy.

I Suck At Seeing My Friend

Today started off with a pleasant surprise. My friend (Jen) stopped on by for a visit this morning. Now, I suck at seeing my friend. With the seemingly vast time-suck of raising two children, I don't get to see Jen all that often. So it was definitely a nice surprise when she called asking to stop on by.

Jen has been a little stressed of late, having to deal with some family medical issues. Thankfully, the medical issues are resolving themselves, which is nice.

Among the other topics of conversation that came up were Dancing with the Stars, the Hunger Games, and a book from a mutual acquaintance that we know. For anyone curious, we were discussing Urkel's apparent feud with his instructor, Kym. Apparently Jen and I have been reading Yahoo news.

As for the Hunger Games, Jen is currently reading the book. And naturally, since I like all things teeny-bopperish, I too am curious about the book. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the book is at least better written than that god-awful dribble known as Twilight. "I shouldn't love you... but I do." And then repeat the line exponentially throughout the book.

Speaking of Hunger Games, my friends (Marc and Kelley) mentioned the seemingly similar Japanese version, Battle Royale. I am quite curious about that as well, if only because there is supposed to be more blood. I'm easy to please that way.

As for the other book by our mutual acquaintance, I must say that I am mildly interested. Don't get me wrong, I think it's awesome that he got his work published. Sadly, the premise of the story seems awfully corny as it involves vampires and the post office. Hence, the mild interest. So I'm not sold on it just yet. Although if the lead character were a hot blonde, I may reconsider. Just kidding.

Anyway, the rest of the day was rather ho-hum. Karen and I got some flowers for our son (Braden) who passed away in 2008. Incidentally, today was the first time our newborn daughter (Bridget) got to meet her older brother at the cemetery. So that was nice. Other than that, today was pretty uneventful.

I Suck At Munchkins

Yesterday, my friend (Jen) came by for a visit. It was pretty exciting because it was the first time she drove to our place by herself. Jen recently received her driver's license. As with any new driver, she was a little concerned with traffic and the potential for an accident. So she decided to come Sunday morning where traffic would be at a minimum.

Anyway, it was good to see Jen. She has been a little busy of late with some personal matters. Overall though, she seems to be handling things well. My twenty three month old daughter (Briana) was apparently excited to see Jen as well. After all, Sunday was the first time my daughter was exposed to munchkins from Dunkin Donuts thanks to Jen. Yes, I suck at munchkins.

Briana seems to enjoy munchkins almost as much as her mother does. She devoured them like they were nothing. And for quite some time thereafter, Briana has been mentioning Jen's name.

Shortly after, Karen's cousin (Karlene) and Karlene's husband (Tommy) from the city known to some as the All-American city of Lowell stopped on by. For anyone curious, Lowell received the title of All-American city in 1999 (and in 1971) from the National Civic League. Who knew a league of enthusiastic Honda drivers existed. Just kidding.

Anyway, Karlene and Tommy were gracious enough to bring lunch on Sunday. As always, it was a welcomed relief not having to worry about what to make for a meal with very little time these days. So thank you Karlene and Tommy! For anyone curious, they made soup and chicken salad wraps. Yum!

Karen and I naturally thanked them by asking Karlene and Tommy to be the godparents of our latest newborn (Bridget) to which they immediately accepted. I must say though, that will be tough to outdo the next time someone brings us a meal. How do you top being asked to be a godparent? Just kidding. It was definitely nice to know that Karlene and Tommy were willing to be a part of Bridget's life.

Among the topics of discussion that came up during lunch were making homemade soup, Facebook, her eight month nephew who is now walking, and Alcatraz. And shortly after lunch, my favorite sister-in-law (Janine) and my niece (Kaleigh) stopped by following a shopping excursion for a first communion dress. It was quite the busy day at our house, that's for sure.

So as to not leave out my nephew (PJ) and Karen's brother-in-law (PJ) out, Karen and I decided to bring the family to Janine and PJ's after dinner. It was the first time the entire family (consisting of Karen, Briana, Bridget and myself) went somewhere together since Bridget was born almost two weeks ago. And needless to say, it was a great time at Janine and PJ's. It seems like PJ and Karen are trying to get Janine more involved with couponing now. We'll see how that goes.

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 Pulled Pork

On Saturday, my BFF (Kerry) invited my friends and I up to Salem. If seeing my BFF weren't a good enough reason, sweetening the deal was the fact that Kerry was making dinner for everyone. And everyone knows I sure do love to eat.

Anyway, one of Kerry's specialties, aside from grilled cheese and baking, is pulled pork. Now I suck at pulled pork. My friend (Marc) thoroughly enjoys her pulled pork. I'm not exactly sure how the plans got set into motion, but Kerry decided to invite a bunch of us to have a pulled pork dinner.

And it just so happens that my friend (Joanna) was also back in Massachusetts. Hooray! Joanna lives in Oregon. As she could not come back for Christmas, she chose to fly back this past weekend instead. It was actually a nice coincidence because the week before, Karen and I thought about Joanna because we saw her picture hanging at the 99 Restaurant in Quincy.

Anyway, Karen, my twenty two month old daughter (Briana) and I picked up Joanna and my friend (Jen) in Quincy. It made for a nice ride up to Salem because I don't get to see Jen or Joanna that much. And apparently, Briana seems to love Joanna. She kept playing with Joanna in the back seat. (She tried to steal her iPhone the last time too.)

Needless to say, it was good to hang out and see everyone on Saturday. In addition to us, my friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) were also joining the shindig. Sadly, Kerry's friend (Sam) could not join the festivities. Sam "I love [insert food here]" was a little under the weather. I poke fun at Sam only because when I first met her, she said that she loved every single food that was being served, even the obscure ones like quinoa. I thought that was pretty funny.

The pulled pork dinner was good. Interestingly enough, Karen and I discovered that Trader Joe's makes a deliciously sweet corn bread. It was awesome as far as corn bread goes. Well, Karen and I enjoyed it. Of course, I enjoyed everything: the pork, the green beans, the mashed potatoes, etc. As a tidbit of information, I found out that Jen loves green beans. She was hoping that green beans would be served... and what do you know? They were!

Before we dove into the ice cream for dessert, we had fun just hanging out amid the free MMA fight that night. Among the topics of discussion that I remember: the SodaStream soda maker and strokes. For anyone curious, Jen's brother (Bill) got a fully operational popcorn maker. I think it was either the popcorn maker or the SodaStream... and popcorn won. As for strokes, that topic came about because it was a concern for Andrea. Andrea was afraid that she may be exhibiting warning signs for strokes. Of course, I think it's the booze that's causing her slurred speech, but that's just me. Just kidding.

All in all, it was a great night. Surprisingly enough, Briana was actually good for the entire night. I had my doubts, but she was good. Briana crashed on the ride home, but she didn't miss much... just a discussion about the Amazing Race and Jen's warm behind. The former was about how Joanna was my original choice as a partner for the show. One of the reasons was that Joanna knew how to drive standard. Sadly, I don't know how to drive standard. As for the latter, that had to do with the seat warming option in our car. Fun stuff.

I Suck At Chinese New Year

Saturday started off with a very nice treat. The day prior, my friend (Aimee) sent me a link about how Friendly's was offering free Fribbles as a sign of customer appreciation. The offer was too good to pass up. (Thanks Aimee!) Naturally, Karen and I decided to treat our twenty two month old daughter (Briana) as well.

So off we went to Friendly's for our Fribbles. Might I add, the Fribbles were very delicious. Briana even enjoyed hers. She looked happy as a clam sucking down her strawberry Fribble. I don't think I've ever seen her so content.

Anyway, later that night all of us went over to my parents for dinner. My parents hosted their annual Chinese New Year celebration dinner. Too bad I suck at Chinese New Year. For anyone curious, the Chinese new year is today. It's early this year. And it so happens to be the year of the Dragon, which is supposed to bring good fortune. I actually think this year is a water dragon, which means water will be powerful this year. So beware of floods.

My friends (Marc and Kelley) came to my parents' dinner this year. All this time, I never realized that Marc actually wanted to partake in the dinner. Consequently, I had never invited him and Kelley during the celebration of Chinese New Year. Oops! So this year was the first time they attended the dinner.

Also in attendance were my mother-in-law and father-in-law, my cousin (Betty) and her son (Marvin), and my friends (Andrea, Jen and Bill). Normally, as with most family gatherings, I get a little stressed particularly because I'm running around between helping my parents with the food and entertaining their guests. This year, however, was a much different story.

I was definitely more relaxed than in past dinners. I think probably the reason was Briana and her ability to entertain everyone while I helped my parents. Needless to say, I thought dinner was great. I enjoyed the food that my parents made. It was delicious and definitely better tasting than the food from Chinese restaurants. But of course, I could be biased.

I must say, however, that I feel like I did not get to socialize as much as I would have liked. Poor Bill spent a good chunk of time watching some awful Chinese soap opera with my cousin. I did, however, find out that Jen has already made an appointment for her driving test. She's taking the test some time in February, which is pretty exciting.

Anyway, like I said, it was a great night celebrating Chinese New Year with family and friends.

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 Stars (Again)

On Christmas Eve, Karen, my twenty one month old daughter (Briana) and I continued an annual tradition and went out for breakfast. The location of that breakfast: Stars, located in Hingham. Now, I suck at Stars (again). After all, I had just eaten at Stars the night before because my friends (Marc and Kelley) organized a little outing. And it was not just any meal. It was dinner. So now I could return for breakfast!

Luckily for me, I was not the only one who had just been at Stars the night before. My BFF (Kerry) was also in attendance. The two of us just couldn't get enough of Stars. Also joining in on the annual tradition was my friend (Jen).

I'm not sure how the tradition started. I think the tradition began with just Karen, Kerry, Jen and my friend (Joanna) a long way back. I was fortunate to be invited the next year, and the rest is history. Sadly, Joanna could not come this year as airline tickets from Oregon, where she currently resides, to Boston are at an astronomical price right now. It's too bad because I definitely enjoy seeing Joanna. She just cracks me up with her stories. Perhaps that is also why I get a kick out of her brother's stories as well.

Anyway, Stars was delicious as usual. I ordered the chef's special pancakes, which were a surprise unless you really wanted to know what the surprise was before ordering. Needless to say, the pancakes were delicious. The surprise consisted of white and dark chocolate morsels with jimmies. Yum! Briana enjoyed them as well.

Speaking of my little minion, Briana, she got her first taste of video games at Stars. She did not actually play a video game. There is an old arcade game at Stars that has all of the old classics. The arcade game is complete with a joystick and a trackball. Essentially, you cycle through the classic games with the joystick and then play whichever game you choose.

Briana, in her infinitely curious nature, wanted to see what the arcade game was all about. So, I sat her on the chair in front of the game and let her cycle through the classic games using the joystick. I'll admit, there were some that I never even heard of. Needless to say, she enjoyed it. Daddy's girl!

Video game aside, that was the only thing I gave into with Briana much to the surprise of both Kerry and Jen. I get the feeling that everyone expects me to be wrapped around my little darling's finger. But nope.

Regardless, I had a fun time at Stars (again). Some of the topics of discussion included smokers and the propensity for the smell of smoke to get into clothes. Kerry, in particular, leaves her clothes outside when visiting her mother to avoid getting the smell of smoke in her clothes. Naturally, that got me thinking that I should play a practical joke on Kerry by asking my friend (Gretchen) to steal her clothes the next time she visits her mother. For anyone curious, Gretchen lives near Kerry's mother.

Anyway, Stars was a great time. The food was delicious and it was good to hang out with just Jen and Kerry.

I Suck At Getting New Glasses

A few weeks ago, my eighteen month old ninja daughter (Briana) snatched the glasses off of my face. Within a matter of seconds, she managed to snap the part that goes over your ear off. Unfortunately, I do not have a spare set of eyeglasses. So since that time, I have been wearing those broken glasses, complete with a thick layer of duct tape holding the pieces together. (It's true. Duct tape solves everything.)

I guess you could say that I suck at getting new glasses. After all, the high-flying-ninja-eyeglass-breaking-event was over three weeks ago. All of that changed on Saturday when my new glasses finally arrived. And boy was I excited.

I was particularly excited, not because I wouldn't have to wear duct-taped glasses anymore (although there was some excitement for that), but because I was curious as to how the particular eyeglass would be like since I was ordering them online.

When Briana broke my eyeglasses, I started to think about the ROI involved with purchasing new glasses. For anyone curious, ROI stands for return on investment. ROI is a general financial term that describes the ratio of money gained/lossed to the money invested. And by no means am I a financial person.

Based on my memory (which is spotty at best), the cost of eyeglasses and frames could cost well over $300 at a retail store. So I started to think about what if, after buying a $300 pair of new glasses, my ninja daughter did the same thing again and broke those new glasses. (This is where I add the infamous quote: "There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.")

Needless to say, it did not make sense to me to spend that much on eyeglasses especially with my curious daughter around. So I did some research into online stores for glasses. I ended up ordering glasses from Goggles4U, which was a reputable place.

And as luck would have it, I still had a copy of my prescription for the glasses that Briana broke. So after browsing through their website, I ordered a pair of glasses on sale for $13.98 ($8.99 plus $4.99 shipping). Sounds sketchy, right? After all, how could glasses be that cheap in comparison to retail stores?

Well, let me tell you... I was pleasantly surprised with the new glasses. I'd definitely order from them again. The new glasses came in a case, complete with a cleaning cloth and a screwdriver key chain. And to boot, the glasses actually looked nice. I was impressed.

Anyway, to celebrate the new glasses, Karen, Briana and I headed over to my favorite sister-in-law's (Janine) to celebrate. Okay, the reason was not to celebrate my glasses. Janine actually invited us over because she was having her BFF (Gretchen) over, as well as my friends (Jen and Bill). It was good seeing everyone. We even joked about fat pictures. It was funny.

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 Zucchini Pie

Karen and I have a vegetable garden. For the second straight year, we decided to grow zucchini since my parents gave us a couple of zucchini plants. Well, this year the zucchini seems like it is on steroids. The plants are huge and the zucchini bountiful.

Needless to say, we have been giving away zucchini to friends and family. And yesterday, we were invited to my in-laws for dinner. The main course: zucchini pie. Yes, our parents have been recipients of this years steroid-infused zucchini plant. Now, I suck at zucchini pie. Luckily for me, my in-laws make a great tasting pie.

Besides Karen, our sixteen month old daughter (Briana), and my in-laws, my friend (Jen) joined us for dinner. Jen happens to live near my in-laws. And it so happens that while Karen, Briana, and my mother-in-law were going for a walk, they stopped by Jen's place. The four of them then walked along the beach together.

I actually was not part of the walk. At that time, I was busy helping my own parents move furniture. My parents are having their floors redone and had asked for my assistance in moving things off the floor. And nothing says stress like trying to tell a 71 year old, known as my dad, to stop lifting heavy objects.

Needless to say, dinner at my in-laws was a welcomed break. And it was definitely good to see Jen. I haven't seen Jen in some time. All in all, dinner was good.

And as a side note, I forgot to mention that I finished reading my second book in three days. That is probably a reading record for me. The book I read was "If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won't)" by Betty White. Karen is a big Betty White fan, thanks in part to Golden Girls of course. So naturally Karen wanted to read the book.

The book was actually pretty interesting. It was definitely a quick read. To me, it seemed like it was just a collection of her thoughts on various topics. In a way, it was like reading her blog, if Betty White had a blog. (For anyone curious, Betty is old school. She prefers to hand write things.)

I think the part that I will remember most is her outlook on loss. Apparently, when she was growing up, her parents explained death to her in such a way that I thought was quite interesting. Her parents told her that once someone passes away, that person now knows the "secret" to what actually happens when they leave this world. I thought it was a neat perspective, particularly having lost my son (Braden) over two years ago. Thanks Betty!

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 Cupcake Wars

Last night, Karen and I hung out with my friends (Andrea and Jen) and my BFF (Kerry). Truth be told, the night was supposed to be a girls night out. I just happened to benefit from the change in plans.

During the week, Karen organized a little get together with Kerry, Jen, and Andrea. I think the original idea from Karen was to celebrate our friend's (Hot Amy) birthday. Hot Amy, by the way celebrated her birthday on Friday. (Happy belated birthday, Hot Amy!) But since Hot Amy has been a little preoccupied the past few weekends with marriage plans and other events, Karen changed the plan.

In an effort to save costs and still have a great time hanging out with everyone, Karen's plans for Saturday turned into an ice cream sundae party. And if there's something I do enjoy... it's ice cream!

The party was actually held at our place, which was just fine with me. (After all, I do enjoy ice cream!) In addition to being able to partake in the ice cream fun, I was actually somewhat relieved to know that Karen would be home. It's not that I mind watching our baby daughter (Briana) on my own or anything like that while Karen is out. Not at all. I love spending quality time with Briana. It's just that lately Briana has been refusing to take her bottle from me. Briana seems to have a preference for her mommy's natural gifts. So just knowing that in the event Briana did get hungry, I didn't have to worry about making her take her bottle, which was a nice comfort to have. (Plus, there's the ice cream!)

Needless to say, I had a great time on Saturday. I haven't seen Jen in quite some time, so it was good catching up with her again. And as always, it's just a fun time being with Andrea and Kerry. Andrea was gracious enough to bring a little present to Briana. It was thoughtful and nice... and unexpected, so thank you Andrea.

Kerry brought up an interesting point about how when Briana is much older, all of them would be referred to as her mom's friends. I got a kick out of that. I also got a kick out of Kerry's hand strength (or apparent lack thereof). To help Kerry in her quest to have strong hands, I gave her a stress ball that I received from my company. So hopefully the next time I see my BFF, she'll crush my hand.

I got a stress ball for Karen too because she also apparently has very little hand strength (and also stresses a lot). I think it would be interesting if Karen and Kerry had a hand strength battle. The battle could be like whoever crushes the other person's hand in a handshake wins or something silly like that.

Needless to say, it was amusing. After the ice cream was consumed, everyone decided to hang out and possibly watch a couple of movies. We started off by catching the tail-end of Jeopardy, to which Kerry made the point that the show's questions have gotten easier. I actually agree with her thoughts on the dumbing down of Jeopardy because I also remember the questions being much harder when I was growing up. And that's saying a lot because I don't know anything.

Anyway, no one had a particular movie they wanted to watch. So we ended up flipping channels to see what was on. We ended up on the Food Network, which is one of my favorite networks. In particular, we ended up watching Cupcake Wars. Now, I suck at Cupcake Wars... but we ended up watching back-to-back-to-back episodes of the show. The hour-long show was just so darn catchy. The premise is essentially a group of different cupcake makers square off each episode to win the prize, which is usually the opportunity to feature their cupcakes at a grand event of some sort.

Needless to say, we were literally glued to the show. It was funny. I still think Kerry should get one of those cool ovens that they had on the show. (For anyone curious, Kerry likes to bake. That's why I think she should get the cool oven.)

All in all, I had a lot of fun crashing girls night out. Even though we didn't do anything, it was fun just to hang out and have fun. It almost reminded me of the good ol' days.