The city of Quincy, is to me, like what Weymouth is to my favorite sister-in-law (Janine): a place of dread. The main reason for my dislike of Quincy is that Quincy is chock full of traffic lights. Every intersection has a traffic light. What normally should take 5 minutes from point A to point B in Quincy takes half an hour. It can be ridiculous at times. Thus, I lovingly refer to Quincy as the City of Lights. And it is also why I like to plug my friend (Cass) as future mayor of Quincy so that he could be my puppet in removing all of the useless traffic lights.
On Saturday, Karen, our sixteen month old daughter (Briana) and I were lucky enough to be invited to a cookout in Quincy. Now, I suck at cookouts, especially in Quincy. Regardless of the location, I had a great time.
I consider myself blessed to have such great friends. Most of my friends I have known since childhood. I don't think that is exactly the norm. Most of my non-childhoood friends don't exactly still hang out with their childhood friends. I think my graduating class was different that way. After all, I know other people in my graduating class who also still hang out with their childhood friends. So perhaps my graduating class was odd that way.
Anyway, the cookout on Saturday was the brainchild of my friends (Cara and Jeannette). Apparently, they were talking one day about how there have been new additions and whatnot to families and thus wanted to do something to meet these new additions and catch up on old times.
Cara hosted the cookout and she did an amazing job, especially when you consider that there were 11 children at this cookout (12 if you include me). Needless to say, it was good to see everyone again. Joining in on the shindig were the future mayor of Quincy (Cass), and my friends (Ellen, Meredith, Nicole, John, John's wife Gilda, Hugh, Jenny, Liz and Cara's husband Eric).
All in all, I had a fun time. And Briana seemed to enjoy it too, albeit she spent most of the day interacting with the adults and not the other children.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
I Suck At Friday Night Lights
I originally was going to title this post "I Suck At Being Single" because Friday was supposed to be my last day of being single again. Every six months or so, Karen and I bring our wedding rings to the jewelry store for a cleaning/inspection as part of the warranty. In all the years I have been married, I never had an issue with my ring. But never say never because during the last inspection, the jewelry store discovered that one of my diamonds was chipped.
As a result, the jewelry store had to take my ring to replace the diamond. So I have been "single" ever since. I was supposed to receive my ring back on Friday. And might I add, the ring looked brand spanking new. It was quite shiny... and for those who know me, they know that I am attracted to shiny objects. Unfortunately, in fixing the loose stone in my ring, the jewelry store had to re-dip my ring back into metal. And in doing so, the original engraving on my ring was lost. They were supposed to re-engrave the ring, but unfortunately they had forgotten to. Consequently, my ring had to be sent off for engraving. So I'm still single.
Naturally, what does a "single" guy do on a Friday night? What else but watch Friday Night Lights. Too bad I suck at Friday Night Lights. I have no idea if the show is still on. I happened to borrow the first season on DVD from my friend (Andrea).
When the season first aired on television, I happened to catch the very first episode. I remember watching the first episode because it was shown on the plane when Karen and I were going to Hawaii a long long time ago. To be honest, I was not really impressed with the first episode. Of course, it may have been the fact that I was watching the episode on a tiny weeny screen.
It was not until recently that I decided to give the show another try. The show came up in conversation at my BFF's (Kerry) house because my friend (Garv) loves the show. Garv also talks glowingly about Taylor Swift, which is a little bizarre since he's almost twice her age. While Garv was talking about the show, however, it turned out that my friend (Andrea) and Kerry also enjoy the show. So I guess it couldn't have been that bad, right? For me, the selling point was that the show had high school cheerleaders.
High school cheerleading is like my kryptonite. I have no idea why, other than the fact that most of the time high school cheerleaders are generally gorgeous blondes in movies and television. Sadly, in reality (at least at my high school when I was in high school) the cheerleaders were not gorgeous, blonde, or cheerful for that matter.
Needless to say, I started watching season one of Friday Night Lights. And I must say, so far the show is pretty good. I'm enjoying it so far. (And in case anyone is curious, the cheerleader in the show... is not blonde.) Hopefully the rest of the season will be just as good.
As a result, the jewelry store had to take my ring to replace the diamond. So I have been "single" ever since. I was supposed to receive my ring back on Friday. And might I add, the ring looked brand spanking new. It was quite shiny... and for those who know me, they know that I am attracted to shiny objects. Unfortunately, in fixing the loose stone in my ring, the jewelry store had to re-dip my ring back into metal. And in doing so, the original engraving on my ring was lost. They were supposed to re-engrave the ring, but unfortunately they had forgotten to. Consequently, my ring had to be sent off for engraving. So I'm still single.
Naturally, what does a "single" guy do on a Friday night? What else but watch Friday Night Lights. Too bad I suck at Friday Night Lights. I have no idea if the show is still on. I happened to borrow the first season on DVD from my friend (Andrea).
When the season first aired on television, I happened to catch the very first episode. I remember watching the first episode because it was shown on the plane when Karen and I were going to Hawaii a long long time ago. To be honest, I was not really impressed with the first episode. Of course, it may have been the fact that I was watching the episode on a tiny weeny screen.
It was not until recently that I decided to give the show another try. The show came up in conversation at my BFF's (Kerry) house because my friend (Garv) loves the show. Garv also talks glowingly about Taylor Swift, which is a little bizarre since he's almost twice her age. While Garv was talking about the show, however, it turned out that my friend (Andrea) and Kerry also enjoy the show. So I guess it couldn't have been that bad, right? For me, the selling point was that the show had high school cheerleaders.
High school cheerleading is like my kryptonite. I have no idea why, other than the fact that most of the time high school cheerleaders are generally gorgeous blondes in movies and television. Sadly, in reality (at least at my high school when I was in high school) the cheerleaders were not gorgeous, blonde, or cheerful for that matter.
Needless to say, I started watching season one of Friday Night Lights. And I must say, so far the show is pretty good. I'm enjoying it so far. (And in case anyone is curious, the cheerleader in the show... is not blonde.) Hopefully the rest of the season will be just as good.
Monday, July 25, 2011
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!
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!
Saturday, July 23, 2011
I Suck At The Tosh Tour On Ice
Tonight was a fun night, and not because I received free feminine products courtesy of Rite Aid. U by Kotex liners were on sale for $1 this week at Rite Aid and it just so happened that I had a dollar coupon on them. Yay, free!
My friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) and I had tickets for the Tosh Tour On Ice. Now, I suck at the Tosh Tour On Ice. Nevertheless, the event made for some good laughs. For anyone curious, the Tosh Tour On Ice is not on ice. It's a comedy show featuring comedian Daniel Tosh at the Wang.
Opening for Tosh was comedian Tommy Johnagin of the Last Comic Standing fame. All in all, the jokes were pretty hilarious and definitely not suitable for the 11 year old sitting in the front row with his mother. The 11 year old kid was singled out in the crowd because he was 11. It's a good thing parents know what their kids are in to.
Anyway, it was a fun time. Incidentally, the last time I was at the Wang Theatre, Kevin Costner also happened to be there. This was back when Kevin Costner was still pretty famous. So it definitely has been a while.
Regardless, I had fun. Following the show, we capped off the night by having dinner at The Fours in Quincy. Surprisingly, it was fairly empty there for a Friday night, which was fine by me because they had 80s music playing in the background. All in all, it was a good way to end the night.
My friends (Marc, Kelley, and Andrea) and I had tickets for the Tosh Tour On Ice. Now, I suck at the Tosh Tour On Ice. Nevertheless, the event made for some good laughs. For anyone curious, the Tosh Tour On Ice is not on ice. It's a comedy show featuring comedian Daniel Tosh at the Wang.
Opening for Tosh was comedian Tommy Johnagin of the Last Comic Standing fame. All in all, the jokes were pretty hilarious and definitely not suitable for the 11 year old sitting in the front row with his mother. The 11 year old kid was singled out in the crowd because he was 11. It's a good thing parents know what their kids are in to.
Anyway, it was a fun time. Incidentally, the last time I was at the Wang Theatre, Kevin Costner also happened to be there. This was back when Kevin Costner was still pretty famous. So it definitely has been a while.
Regardless, I had fun. Following the show, we capped off the night by having dinner at The Fours in Quincy. Surprisingly, it was fairly empty there for a Friday night, which was fine by me because they had 80s music playing in the background. All in all, it was a good way to end the night.
Friday, July 22, 2011
I Suck At Moonwalking With Einstein
Last night I actually finished reading a book. The book I read was Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer. I have been wanting to read this book for some time.
I don't remember how I even came to hear about the book, which is only fitting. For those who know me, they would say that I have a terrible memory. My forgetting where I heard about the book in the first place only reinforces the notion that my memory is lacking. I guess you could say I suck at Moonwalking with Einstein.
Consequently, I was actually quite excited to learn some pointers about improving my memory from the author. Foer, for anyone curious, was a journalist who decided to participate in his own year long experiment to improve his memory. With the tutelage of the British Grand Master of Memory, Ed Cooke, Foer became the 2006 U.S. memory champion. Not too shabby.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. In fact, I would recommend the book to anyone wanting to improve their own memory. Heck, if my sixteen month daughter (Briana) were older, I'd have her learn the memory techniques. That's how impressed I was with the book. I'd become a "mental athlete" myself if I could dedicate enough time to it.
And for anyone curious, the technique used to improve memory was the PAO (person action object) system. I figured I'd write it down before I forgot.
I don't remember how I even came to hear about the book, which is only fitting. For those who know me, they would say that I have a terrible memory. My forgetting where I heard about the book in the first place only reinforces the notion that my memory is lacking. I guess you could say I suck at Moonwalking with Einstein.
Consequently, I was actually quite excited to learn some pointers about improving my memory from the author. Foer, for anyone curious, was a journalist who decided to participate in his own year long experiment to improve his memory. With the tutelage of the British Grand Master of Memory, Ed Cooke, Foer became the 2006 U.S. memory champion. Not too shabby.
Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. In fact, I would recommend the book to anyone wanting to improve their own memory. Heck, if my sixteen month daughter (Briana) were older, I'd have her learn the memory techniques. That's how impressed I was with the book. I'd become a "mental athlete" myself if I could dedicate enough time to it.
And for anyone curious, the technique used to improve memory was the PAO (person action object) system. I figured I'd write it down before I forgot.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
I Suck At Installing A Towel Ring
Among the many items on my "to-do" list is to install a towel ring in our first floor bathroom. Now, I suck at installing a towel ring. It's not that I can't physically install one. Like many of my other home improvement projects, the project remains on my list and remains there... for months if not years.
But not tonight. After a quick visit to Rite Aid, in which I only paid a whopping $0.32 for a chocolate covered cherry and a jumbo pack of Pamper diapers, I installed the towel ring. I guess I was riding the high of my shopping endeavor.
Interestingly enough, the associates at Rite Aid seem to know me now. I don't know if that is a good thing or not yet. When I walked in tonight, they immediately greeted me and asked if I were getting a good deal.
Anyway, the installation of the towel ring took no time at all. I think more time was spent cleaning up and bringing my tools back and forth from the garage. (I find that is generally the case.) But now, I can cross one item off of that home improvement "to-do" list. Too bad there are so many other items on it.
But not tonight. After a quick visit to Rite Aid, in which I only paid a whopping $0.32 for a chocolate covered cherry and a jumbo pack of Pamper diapers, I installed the towel ring. I guess I was riding the high of my shopping endeavor.
Interestingly enough, the associates at Rite Aid seem to know me now. I don't know if that is a good thing or not yet. When I walked in tonight, they immediately greeted me and asked if I were getting a good deal.
Anyway, the installation of the towel ring took no time at all. I think more time was spent cleaning up and bringing my tools back and forth from the garage. (I find that is generally the case.) But now, I can cross one item off of that home improvement "to-do" list. Too bad there are so many other items on it.
I Suck At Family Day
Sunday turned out to be quite the family day. Too bad I suck at family day. By no means was the day planned to be a family day. It just sort of turned out that way.
The day started off with a call from Karen's mother asking if we would be interested in visiting Karen's grandmother at the nursing home. Naturally, we thought it was a great idea because we have not seen Nana in some time.
Since my son (Braden) passed away over two years ago, one of the things I have learned is that time is precious. To be more precise, I would say that time with loved ones is precious. And even though Nana is not like how she was before her accident, which led to her subsequent stay at the nursing home, I think it's important that we spend time with her.
Granted, Nana probably could care less about Karen or I. It seems like every time we go for the visit, all she wants to do is see her sixteen month old great granddaughter (Briana). Of course, that seems to be the going trend among my parents and my in-laws too.
Nevertheless, it was a good visit at the nursing home. Nana was actually quite alert. And she seemed to enjoy watching Briana walk around and getting into things. So following the visit, my in-laws decided to take us out for dinner.
We ended up at the 99 Restaurant in Quincy. I was hopeful to be seated near the picture of Karen at the 99, but it was not meant to be. For anyone curious, Karen appears (or at least she did at one time) in one of the group pictures hanging on the wall. If memory serves me right, I think the picture was actually signed by manother person in the group photo.
Dinner was good. By the time the food came around, I was actually starving. So I'm sure anything would have tasted good at that point. I devoured the All-Star Steakburger with reckless abandon. Yummy yummy, as my daughter says.
Anyway, while still in Quincy, Karen suggested that we make it a total family day and make the rounds to see my parents. So off to my parents we went. And like I mentioned earlier, my parents were positively thrilled by our visit because they got to see Briana. Truth to told, it was nice to know that we probably did just make their day by visiting them.
And of course, my parents had to give us something. They seem to always give us something or want to give us something whether it is food, plants or whatever whenever they see us. In general, it's food. This time was no different as we ended up with some celery plants from their garden.
All in all, it was a good spontaneous day with the family which is something I probably don't utter too often. But I think my in-laws and my parents totally enjoyed the time spent together and that makes me happy.
The day started off with a call from Karen's mother asking if we would be interested in visiting Karen's grandmother at the nursing home. Naturally, we thought it was a great idea because we have not seen Nana in some time.
Since my son (Braden) passed away over two years ago, one of the things I have learned is that time is precious. To be more precise, I would say that time with loved ones is precious. And even though Nana is not like how she was before her accident, which led to her subsequent stay at the nursing home, I think it's important that we spend time with her.
Granted, Nana probably could care less about Karen or I. It seems like every time we go for the visit, all she wants to do is see her sixteen month old great granddaughter (Briana). Of course, that seems to be the going trend among my parents and my in-laws too.
Nevertheless, it was a good visit at the nursing home. Nana was actually quite alert. And she seemed to enjoy watching Briana walk around and getting into things. So following the visit, my in-laws decided to take us out for dinner.
We ended up at the 99 Restaurant in Quincy. I was hopeful to be seated near the picture of Karen at the 99, but it was not meant to be. For anyone curious, Karen appears (or at least she did at one time) in one of the group pictures hanging on the wall. If memory serves me right, I think the picture was actually signed by manother person in the group photo.
Dinner was good. By the time the food came around, I was actually starving. So I'm sure anything would have tasted good at that point. I devoured the All-Star Steakburger with reckless abandon. Yummy yummy, as my daughter says.
Anyway, while still in Quincy, Karen suggested that we make it a total family day and make the rounds to see my parents. So off to my parents we went. And like I mentioned earlier, my parents were positively thrilled by our visit because they got to see Briana. Truth to told, it was nice to know that we probably did just make their day by visiting them.
And of course, my parents had to give us something. They seem to always give us something or want to give us something whether it is food, plants or whatever whenever they see us. In general, it's food. This time was no different as we ended up with some celery plants from their garden.
All in all, it was a good spontaneous day with the family which is something I probably don't utter too often. But I think my in-laws and my parents totally enjoyed the time spent together and that makes me happy.
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