2009 has been great for my baseball spectating, as I've been able to basically watch nearly every Phillies game throughout the season. This is pure daily magic and much better than living in a state that can't carry the Phillies on a daily basis. If you follow baseball then you know the Phillies won the National League East title on Wednesday night for the third straight year. Excellent. This means I get to watch them play for hopefully a few more weeks as they try to make their way deep into the playoffs and defend their World Series Championship.
October is generally an amazing month for various reasons; this is just the icing on the cake.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
What I've Been Up To: Closet Transformation
It's about the time of the year when a lot of people in the northeast embrace the coming of fall and the impending doom of winter. Football season to northerners means hooded sweatshits and sweater season, and people get pretty excited about it. I'm not one of those people.
Having lived in the south for 3.5 years, I basically abandoned my former love of fall and grew to love extended summer, with 80 degree days in October and flip flops into December. (It's true. I definitely did the previous year's Christmas shopping in flip flops in December.) I would much rather be hot (and bothered) than cold. Seriously. Especially now, since this past summer wasn't much more than spring. I think we may have had two days in the 90s and a helluva lot of rain. It didn't much feel to me like summer just ended; I was still waiting for it to fully arrive.
Regardless, the weather has changed. Today, I had to bust out a hooded sweatshirt to venture off for the day's errands. Tomorrow, the high is supposed to be 55 degrees. Depressing.
Knowing this seasonal change was due to hit this week, I used some time last week to tackle my closet. While I don't always like the change of seasons, I do like the two times a year where I dedicate a whole day to closet transformation. This process involves packing away the items that are no longer needed for the upcoming season, determining what clothes won't make it to next year for a variety of reasons but usually because they have lost the ability to fit properly, and pulling out the packed-away items necessary for the upcoming season. I do love this process.
I love organizing, and I love throwing things out. There's something therapeutic about both things for me. I like finding a way to put things in order, and I like the letting go of items that no longer serve their purpose. I love donating unwanted items to charity. And, I love having the time to do unnecessary but enjoyable organizing like color-coordinating the clothes in my closet. I know, I know. I have way too much time on my hands, and you probably think I'm a huge loser with borderline OCD issues because this is fun for me. But it's true. I love it. I'm now on a mission to find other things to organize.
Having lived in the south for 3.5 years, I basically abandoned my former love of fall and grew to love extended summer, with 80 degree days in October and flip flops into December. (It's true. I definitely did the previous year's Christmas shopping in flip flops in December.) I would much rather be hot (and bothered) than cold. Seriously. Especially now, since this past summer wasn't much more than spring. I think we may have had two days in the 90s and a helluva lot of rain. It didn't much feel to me like summer just ended; I was still waiting for it to fully arrive.
Regardless, the weather has changed. Today, I had to bust out a hooded sweatshirt to venture off for the day's errands. Tomorrow, the high is supposed to be 55 degrees. Depressing.
Knowing this seasonal change was due to hit this week, I used some time last week to tackle my closet. While I don't always like the change of seasons, I do like the two times a year where I dedicate a whole day to closet transformation. This process involves packing away the items that are no longer needed for the upcoming season, determining what clothes won't make it to next year for a variety of reasons but usually because they have lost the ability to fit properly, and pulling out the packed-away items necessary for the upcoming season. I do love this process.
I love organizing, and I love throwing things out. There's something therapeutic about both things for me. I like finding a way to put things in order, and I like the letting go of items that no longer serve their purpose. I love donating unwanted items to charity. And, I love having the time to do unnecessary but enjoyable organizing like color-coordinating the clothes in my closet. I know, I know. I have way too much time on my hands, and you probably think I'm a huge loser with borderline OCD issues because this is fun for me. But it's true. I love it. I'm now on a mission to find other things to organize.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
What I've Been Up To: Errands
I run a lot of errands. Some of these errands are obviously for myself; often, though, the errands are run for others or with others.
For example, last Monday I took my grandmother and my great aunt to their doctor's appointment. I dropped them off at 10:30am and parked the car. When I joined them in the waiting room, I discovered that my grandmother had the wrong date for her appointment and my aunt didn't actually have an appointment scheduled. Apparently, my aunt just wanted to speak with the doctor. Oh brother. Thankfully, the doctor was able to see them both. We had a nice lunch afterward at a local diner. That was a pretty good errand because I was rewarded with food, and I do love food.
On Friday, I accompanied my aunt to the Harrisburg area to run some errands. I had a few things to get for myself, so this was convenient. We even ended up with a free lunch because the restaurant screwed up our salad portion of our meal. The only thing better than a reward of food is a reward of free food.
Running errands with my aunt, though, has its compromises. See, the day usually ends with a stop at a casino. This was the case last Friday as well as today. Unlike the majority of women in my family, I am not a big gambler. I'm especially not a big gambler now as I don't have the funds to support gambling. My aunt did buy me a milkshake on our way out of the casino, so that was a nice way to end the experience. Free milkshakes are just as enjoyable as free food.
I think I'm a pretty good errand-runner. I mean, it's not really difficult. My brother says I remind him of Elaine Benes when she worked for Mr. Pitt in that one season of Seinfeld. That could be a good life. I'd love to work for some rich dude and buy his tube socks. Anyone know of someone looking for a personal assistant?
For example, last Monday I took my grandmother and my great aunt to their doctor's appointment. I dropped them off at 10:30am and parked the car. When I joined them in the waiting room, I discovered that my grandmother had the wrong date for her appointment and my aunt didn't actually have an appointment scheduled. Apparently, my aunt just wanted to speak with the doctor. Oh brother. Thankfully, the doctor was able to see them both. We had a nice lunch afterward at a local diner. That was a pretty good errand because I was rewarded with food, and I do love food.
On Friday, I accompanied my aunt to the Harrisburg area to run some errands. I had a few things to get for myself, so this was convenient. We even ended up with a free lunch because the restaurant screwed up our salad portion of our meal. The only thing better than a reward of food is a reward of free food.
Running errands with my aunt, though, has its compromises. See, the day usually ends with a stop at a casino. This was the case last Friday as well as today. Unlike the majority of women in my family, I am not a big gambler. I'm especially not a big gambler now as I don't have the funds to support gambling. My aunt did buy me a milkshake on our way out of the casino, so that was a nice way to end the experience. Free milkshakes are just as enjoyable as free food.
I think I'm a pretty good errand-runner. I mean, it's not really difficult. My brother says I remind him of Elaine Benes when she worked for Mr. Pitt in that one season of Seinfeld. That could be a good life. I'd love to work for some rich dude and buy his tube socks. Anyone know of someone looking for a personal assistant?
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
What I've Been Up To: Netflix
I haven't blogged lately, mostly because I'm still "trying to figure out what to do with my life"/job searching and there's nothing exciting about this process. So I figure it's more exciting to write about some of the random things I've been up to, while I try to sort out that "real world" stuff. I decided to do some installments that cover some of the things I do to stay busy (read: get out of bed every morning).
I joined Netflix back in February, when I was committed to watching the entire series of Lost as quickly as possible. I wrote about this back in the day. Since then, I've used Netflix as a way to see the plethora of films I've missed over the past few years.
Specifically, in recent weeks, I decided to watch each of the 2009 Oscar nominees for Best Picture of the Year. This list includes: Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Usually, when the Oscars are awarded, I've only seen one of the films in this category. This was true this past year as well, as I only saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in the theater back in December. So I had the remaining four films to watch.
Each of these films is a must-see for any avid movie-goer. Honestly. Each was extremely different in content and context, and each made for a pleasurable viewing experience. I would highly recommend each of them if you are looking for something to watch. I was really glad I took on this endeavor because these were some of the best films I've ever seen. Seriously. Ever.
In this spirit, I've also started to back-track and I've started to watch the 2008 Oscar nominees in this category as well. I'm really pleased with this idea of mine, as the films have all been great.
The only thing missing is a good neighbor/friend who would want to watch these with me, and then discuss incessantly over a burrito or coffee or ice cream.
I joined Netflix back in February, when I was committed to watching the entire series of Lost as quickly as possible. I wrote about this back in the day. Since then, I've used Netflix as a way to see the plethora of films I've missed over the past few years.
Specifically, in recent weeks, I decided to watch each of the 2009 Oscar nominees for Best Picture of the Year. This list includes: Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, Milk, Frost/Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Usually, when the Oscars are awarded, I've only seen one of the films in this category. This was true this past year as well, as I only saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in the theater back in December. So I had the remaining four films to watch.
Each of these films is a must-see for any avid movie-goer. Honestly. Each was extremely different in content and context, and each made for a pleasurable viewing experience. I would highly recommend each of them if you are looking for something to watch. I was really glad I took on this endeavor because these were some of the best films I've ever seen. Seriously. Ever.
In this spirit, I've also started to back-track and I've started to watch the 2008 Oscar nominees in this category as well. I'm really pleased with this idea of mine, as the films have all been great.
The only thing missing is a good neighbor/friend who would want to watch these with me, and then discuss incessantly over a burrito or coffee or ice cream.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Dear Employers:
An employer is someone who meets these characteristics:
A. deemed responsible enough to hire a new staff member
B. capable of screening job applications
C. interview selected candidates via the telephone
D. interview selected candidates in person
E. decide to select someone for a position
F. decide to reject other people for the position
So, if you are an employer who does the above, you should have the decency to PICK UP THE TELEPHONE AND CALL the person you have rejected from said employment. I posted about this in July. For the love of anything, it's human decency. MAN UP. Make the phone call. It only takes two minutes:
"Hi Carol. This is Such-and-Such from Where-and-Where. It was a pleasure meeting you on your interview, however, we've selected a more qualified applicant and he/she has accepted our offer. Thank you for your time. Good luck to you."
How hard is that? Honestly. It's easier than making dinner. It's easier than putting gas in your car. It's a two-minute phone call.
I deserve better.
Everyone deserves better. It's called being a functioning member of society.
Get it together, employers.
A. deemed responsible enough to hire a new staff member
B. capable of screening job applications
C. interview selected candidates via the telephone
D. interview selected candidates in person
E. decide to select someone for a position
F. decide to reject other people for the position
So, if you are an employer who does the above, you should have the decency to PICK UP THE TELEPHONE AND CALL the person you have rejected from said employment. I posted about this in July. For the love of anything, it's human decency. MAN UP. Make the phone call. It only takes two minutes:
"Hi Carol. This is Such-and-Such from Where-and-Where. It was a pleasure meeting you on your interview, however, we've selected a more qualified applicant and he/she has accepted our offer. Thank you for your time. Good luck to you."
How hard is that? Honestly. It's easier than making dinner. It's easier than putting gas in your car. It's a two-minute phone call.
I deserve better.
Everyone deserves better. It's called being a functioning member of society.
Get it together, employers.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Possible Problem
I'm fairly certain the only three members of the male race to find me attractive in the past 12 months have been individuals under the age of 21.
According to my dad, "Carol, you probably need to get out more."
No kidding.
According to my dad, "Carol, you probably need to get out more."
No kidding.
Monday, August 03, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Happy Birthday, Bro-seph!
Happy 30th Birthday to my brother Joe!
He is freaked out a bit by this milestone birthday. I decided it would be a nice gesture to give him a shout-out. So here's a little dedication to my bro: the top 30 things I love about him.
30. He has a great laugh.
29. He has an amazing sense of humor.
28. He can make sitting down to a meal an extraordinary experience.
27. He finds ways to take ordinary jokes and incorporate his friends and family into them, making them much more enjoyable.
26. He finds pleasure in simple things, like the nicknames of our grandparents' friends.
25. He is loyal.
24. He still has a strong sense of wonder and awe about things happening throughout the world.
23. He enjoys the "small stuff."
22. He can find ways to incorporate Seinfeld into daily conversations.
21. He is one smart cookie. Ask him about history and geography and be prepared to be impressed by his great wisdom.
20. He recognizes the ridiculousness of his own circumstances, and finds ways to enjoy them no matter what.
19. He is an amazing role model for young students and athletes.
18. He is a great friend to the knuckleheads he surrounds himself with.
17. He still gets excited about things he's done a million times, like playing golf.
16. He'll encourage you to try out things he likes, so he can share his joys with you, like his current infatuation with South Park.
15. He gets excited for things he loved in his youth, like Star Wars.
14. He supports his teams to the bitter end - even when they break his heart.
13. He'll do anything at least once.
12. He sends really funny text messages.
11. He can use the word "neat" and not sound like a complete doofus.
10. He can dish it out as well as take it.
9. He'll go the extra mile to help someone in need.
8. He knows how to appreciates pure, comedic genius.
7. He has an amazing ability to tell great stories.
6. He has strong-rooted convictions, particularly in his politics and his faith.
5. He is a passionate coach who dedicates copious hours to the youth.
4. He is even more passionate about education and teaching his students to open their minds to new and wonderful learning experiences.
3. He "understands" those things only he and I can truly understand.
2. He is always there for me, especially when I need him most.
1. He's the best brother anyone could ask for.
Happy birthday, Joe! Here's wishing you another amazing thirty years!
He is freaked out a bit by this milestone birthday. I decided it would be a nice gesture to give him a shout-out. So here's a little dedication to my bro: the top 30 things I love about him.
30. He has a great laugh.
29. He has an amazing sense of humor.
28. He can make sitting down to a meal an extraordinary experience.
27. He finds ways to take ordinary jokes and incorporate his friends and family into them, making them much more enjoyable.
26. He finds pleasure in simple things, like the nicknames of our grandparents' friends.
25. He is loyal.
24. He still has a strong sense of wonder and awe about things happening throughout the world.
23. He enjoys the "small stuff."
22. He can find ways to incorporate Seinfeld into daily conversations.
21. He is one smart cookie. Ask him about history and geography and be prepared to be impressed by his great wisdom.
20. He recognizes the ridiculousness of his own circumstances, and finds ways to enjoy them no matter what.
19. He is an amazing role model for young students and athletes.
18. He is a great friend to the knuckleheads he surrounds himself with.
17. He still gets excited about things he's done a million times, like playing golf.
16. He'll encourage you to try out things he likes, so he can share his joys with you, like his current infatuation with South Park.
15. He gets excited for things he loved in his youth, like Star Wars.
14. He supports his teams to the bitter end - even when they break his heart.
13. He'll do anything at least once.
12. He sends really funny text messages.
11. He can use the word "neat" and not sound like a complete doofus.
10. He can dish it out as well as take it.
9. He'll go the extra mile to help someone in need.
8. He knows how to appreciates pure, comedic genius.
7. He has an amazing ability to tell great stories.
6. He has strong-rooted convictions, particularly in his politics and his faith.
5. He is a passionate coach who dedicates copious hours to the youth.
4. He is even more passionate about education and teaching his students to open their minds to new and wonderful learning experiences.
3. He "understands" those things only he and I can truly understand.
2. He is always there for me, especially when I need him most.
1. He's the best brother anyone could ask for.
Happy birthday, Joe! Here's wishing you another amazing thirty years!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
What is happening to society?
As a society of human beings, we have lost some basic interpersonal skills. This becomes much more evident as I become more deeply invested in my job search and trying to piece together some sort of future.
In today's techno-savvy world, so much communication occurs electronically. I apply for jobs via the internet. "Click here to upload document." "Click here to submit application." "Application will not be reviewed unless all information is entered correctly." I have applied for more than 20 jobs since March and only two of the applications were not submitted either through one of these online systems or via email.
Job searching has become so impersonal in today's world that you sometimes don't even ever hear one word from the organization. Some places don't even send the automated email that says "We received your application." Some places don't even send the automated email that says "While you have an impressive set of skills, you were not selected." Honestly, it's on the searcher nowadays to go back into these systems and find the words "Selection Made." Translation: GAME OVER.
Lately, I have been fortunate to get some phone calls, do some phone interviews, and even head on campus for actual interviews. It's a nice feeling to actually get to meet people and share with them some small slice of who I am.
I had a phone interview with a particular organization, at the convenience of the employer. I also had an on campus interview with a particular organization, again at the convenience of the employer. In both cases, I made myself available to meet their timelines to give myself the opportunity to be evaluated. I find it quite disappointing that after this one phone interview and after this one in-person interview, I was informed that I was not their top choice through an email. What is happening here? How hard is it to actually pick up the telephone and call the candidate you've actually already spoken to? I get that if you haven't had any prior encounter, an email rejection will do. But honestly, if the candidate adjusted to the employer schedule and the candidate came to campus to interview, I would think the employer could have the decency to make a phone call and say, "Carol, it was nice talking with you" or "Carol, it was nice meeting you but we've selected another candidate." Fine. Just make the call. It's the least one could do.
I mean, honestly, what's next? Am I going to start getting text messages that say:
"Thnx but no thnx."
"U R S.O.L." (You are shit outta luck.)
"Thanks for playing."
I hope to high heaven that this isn't what society is really coming to. It's amazing how we've become a society where it means a GREAT deal that someone actually picks up the telephone and makes a call. I wanna work for these people - the people who get the importance of a few minutes to dial a few digits and say a few words. Even if you reject me, I'll still respect you as a human being, capable of interpersonal communication.
In today's techno-savvy world, so much communication occurs electronically. I apply for jobs via the internet. "Click here to upload document." "Click here to submit application." "Application will not be reviewed unless all information is entered correctly." I have applied for more than 20 jobs since March and only two of the applications were not submitted either through one of these online systems or via email.
Job searching has become so impersonal in today's world that you sometimes don't even ever hear one word from the organization. Some places don't even send the automated email that says "We received your application." Some places don't even send the automated email that says "While you have an impressive set of skills, you were not selected." Honestly, it's on the searcher nowadays to go back into these systems and find the words "Selection Made." Translation: GAME OVER.
Lately, I have been fortunate to get some phone calls, do some phone interviews, and even head on campus for actual interviews. It's a nice feeling to actually get to meet people and share with them some small slice of who I am.
I had a phone interview with a particular organization, at the convenience of the employer. I also had an on campus interview with a particular organization, again at the convenience of the employer. In both cases, I made myself available to meet their timelines to give myself the opportunity to be evaluated. I find it quite disappointing that after this one phone interview and after this one in-person interview, I was informed that I was not their top choice through an email. What is happening here? How hard is it to actually pick up the telephone and call the candidate you've actually already spoken to? I get that if you haven't had any prior encounter, an email rejection will do. But honestly, if the candidate adjusted to the employer schedule and the candidate came to campus to interview, I would think the employer could have the decency to make a phone call and say, "Carol, it was nice talking with you" or "Carol, it was nice meeting you but we've selected another candidate." Fine. Just make the call. It's the least one could do.
I mean, honestly, what's next? Am I going to start getting text messages that say:
"Thnx but no thnx."
"U R S.O.L." (You are shit outta luck.)
"Thanks for playing."
I hope to high heaven that this isn't what society is really coming to. It's amazing how we've become a society where it means a GREAT deal that someone actually picks up the telephone and makes a call. I wanna work for these people - the people who get the importance of a few minutes to dial a few digits and say a few words. Even if you reject me, I'll still respect you as a human being, capable of interpersonal communication.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
Fireworks
I don't like fireworks. I repeat: I don't like fireworks. Call me insane. Call me anti-American. Call me whatever you want. Name your millions of reasons why fireworks are fantastic. You won't change my mind.
As a child growing up, my family went to the neighboring town, Shamokin, for the yearly 4th of July fireworks show. We sat in a cemetery on a hill. Creepy. Regardless, every year we went. And every year my mother, aunt, and grandmother would "oooh" and "awww" obnoxiously for the entire fireworks show. This experience scarred me for life and is the reason to this day that I dislike fireworks.
My brother shares my feelings.
I like everything else about the 4th of July. Food. Baseball. Family. Relaxation. Gratitude for being born in this great country and the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Thankfulness for the many soldiers who have fought for my freedom. I'm pretty pleased to say I can truly enjoy this holiday every year. And I can do so without fireworks.
As a child growing up, my family went to the neighboring town, Shamokin, for the yearly 4th of July fireworks show. We sat in a cemetery on a hill. Creepy. Regardless, every year we went. And every year my mother, aunt, and grandmother would "oooh" and "awww" obnoxiously for the entire fireworks show. This experience scarred me for life and is the reason to this day that I dislike fireworks.
My brother shares my feelings.
I like everything else about the 4th of July. Food. Baseball. Family. Relaxation. Gratitude for being born in this great country and the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Thankfulness for the many soldiers who have fought for my freedom. I'm pretty pleased to say I can truly enjoy this holiday every year. And I can do so without fireworks.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
A few words on MJ
Aunt Stella was surprised that I went a whole week without offering my commentary on the death of Michael Jackson. I really don't have anything to say, to be honest. I was never a huge Michael Jackson fan. Don't get me wrong. I can certainly appreciate his place in music history and his influence on the music industry over the years, but I'm just generally not a person who was really into him and his music. Sue me.
Now, I am a big fan of Thriller. I'll give you that. That's classic music and possibly one of the best music videos of all time. I'd say this is the era of Michael Jackson I enjoy the most, and I think many people would agree.
I don't own anything of the Michael Jackson collection. I never bought a cassette single. I never bought a cassette. I never bought a CD or DVD or downloaded any of his songs. He is not currently on my ipod and I'm fairly certain this will never change.
Yes, I know this makes me a rarity in the world. Again, sue me.
I can tell you that my earliest memory of Michael Jackson occurred when I was like five or six years old. (Seriously, I was pretty young.) My family was in Florida for a vacation, specifically in the Orlando area. On our visit to Epcot Center, I vividly remember standing outside the Journey into Imagination theater while my Aunt Donna nearly wet herself in excitement about viewing Captain EO in 3D. It was probably one of the greatest moments in her life - she loved Michael.
I do think it's sad that he died. Moreover, I think it's extremely sad that he fell so far from his place once atop the music world. It's really unfortunate that celebrities have to live such public lives. His legacy is certainly tainted. But again, I can respect his place in the music world.
Rest in peace.
Now, I am a big fan of Thriller. I'll give you that. That's classic music and possibly one of the best music videos of all time. I'd say this is the era of Michael Jackson I enjoy the most, and I think many people would agree.
I don't own anything of the Michael Jackson collection. I never bought a cassette single. I never bought a cassette. I never bought a CD or DVD or downloaded any of his songs. He is not currently on my ipod and I'm fairly certain this will never change.
Yes, I know this makes me a rarity in the world. Again, sue me.
I can tell you that my earliest memory of Michael Jackson occurred when I was like five or six years old. (Seriously, I was pretty young.) My family was in Florida for a vacation, specifically in the Orlando area. On our visit to Epcot Center, I vividly remember standing outside the Journey into Imagination theater while my Aunt Donna nearly wet herself in excitement about viewing Captain EO in 3D. It was probably one of the greatest moments in her life - she loved Michael.
I do think it's sad that he died. Moreover, I think it's extremely sad that he fell so far from his place once atop the music world. It's really unfortunate that celebrities have to live such public lives. His legacy is certainly tainted. But again, I can respect his place in the music world.
Rest in peace.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Hairy Tale
Lately, I've been showering before bed, which is normally something I don't do. I tend to like to shower in the morning to get up and ensure my hair doesn't look like a mop. But since I work out in the early evenings, it's really better to shower after my workout before bed. I don't like the two-shower day, particularly when I'm not going anywhere interesting.
So I went into work today for a few hours and didn't shower before work since I showered last night. Since my hair is curly, I can usually get away with this by throwing on a headband and pulling my hair into some sort of pony tail at the base of my head. The messy yet not too messy look, which takes me a whopping 24 seconds to pull off. It's delightful really.
This afternoon, I had to ask my supervisor a question, and she complimented my hair, saying how nice it looked in this style. Ha. Seriously? I actually laughed out loud for a second. If she only knew how much effort didn't go into my preparation for work. Ha. Still amused.
So I went into work today for a few hours and didn't shower before work since I showered last night. Since my hair is curly, I can usually get away with this by throwing on a headband and pulling my hair into some sort of pony tail at the base of my head. The messy yet not too messy look, which takes me a whopping 24 seconds to pull off. It's delightful really.
This afternoon, I had to ask my supervisor a question, and she complimented my hair, saying how nice it looked in this style. Ha. Seriously? I actually laughed out loud for a second. If she only knew how much effort didn't go into my preparation for work. Ha. Still amused.
Hoop It Up
I played basketball growing up for ten years. It was my favorite sport to play. I really loved it until my senior year of high school, which was a total let-down as a player. Since high school, I haven't played much. Sure, in college, my friends and I occasionally played in intramural leagues, but they often only lasted a month or so because there wasn't enough interest from other females to play. Co-ed intramurals is perhaps the most unenjoyable basketball I've ever played because all guys want to do is dunk and there isn't much actual playing involved.
The basketball I liked to play growing up was the basketball that required running set offenses and defensive schemes. Offensively was usually a battle because my team always had at least one ball hog and we never actually ran offenses they way they were intended to be run. I loved playing defense, though, because I usually was able to defend the other team's best player and I enjoyed this challenge.
This summer, a few friends convinced me to join them in a women's league held at a local high school. There are six teams in the league, two teams of high school students and four teams of older alums like myself. Some of these women are just plain crazy - they are obsessed with this league and it's basically the biggest thing they look forward to once a week. On the other hand, I'm really not that overly interested in it. I agreed to play because it's good exercise and mostly to see my friends. I didn't sign up to play because I thought it would be fun because basketball stopped being fun for me a long time ago.
I was on my road trip and missed the first game. The second game, my first appearance, confirmed my initial expectation - that this experience wouldn't be much fun and that I don't actually like basketball. Needless to say, I wasn't excited to show up for our third game this past Sunday.
My team has a lot of busy people with outside commitments so we haven't had a week where everyone could play. On Sunday, we played with only 5 total players, so we had no one to sub for us to give us a breather. Back in the day, I didn't need a sub, but since it's clearly not 1999, forty minutes of basketball is pretty rigorous, despite the fact that I did get myself into pretty decent shape the past few months.
We battled on Sunday. The best part about the game was that we actually played well offensively and actually did make great passes which lead to open shots. Defensively was much tougher because we played a team of 16-year-old high school girls who are in their athletic prime. They strategized to play us full court in the second half, which really winded us and took some energy away. Sadly, we lost our third game in a row. But surprisingly for me, I actually really enjoyed this game. I honestly had fun. I really didn't think that was possible.
The basketball I liked to play growing up was the basketball that required running set offenses and defensive schemes. Offensively was usually a battle because my team always had at least one ball hog and we never actually ran offenses they way they were intended to be run. I loved playing defense, though, because I usually was able to defend the other team's best player and I enjoyed this challenge.
This summer, a few friends convinced me to join them in a women's league held at a local high school. There are six teams in the league, two teams of high school students and four teams of older alums like myself. Some of these women are just plain crazy - they are obsessed with this league and it's basically the biggest thing they look forward to once a week. On the other hand, I'm really not that overly interested in it. I agreed to play because it's good exercise and mostly to see my friends. I didn't sign up to play because I thought it would be fun because basketball stopped being fun for me a long time ago.
I was on my road trip and missed the first game. The second game, my first appearance, confirmed my initial expectation - that this experience wouldn't be much fun and that I don't actually like basketball. Needless to say, I wasn't excited to show up for our third game this past Sunday.
My team has a lot of busy people with outside commitments so we haven't had a week where everyone could play. On Sunday, we played with only 5 total players, so we had no one to sub for us to give us a breather. Back in the day, I didn't need a sub, but since it's clearly not 1999, forty minutes of basketball is pretty rigorous, despite the fact that I did get myself into pretty decent shape the past few months.
We battled on Sunday. The best part about the game was that we actually played well offensively and actually did make great passes which lead to open shots. Defensively was much tougher because we played a team of 16-year-old high school girls who are in their athletic prime. They strategized to play us full court in the second half, which really winded us and took some energy away. Sadly, we lost our third game in a row. But surprisingly for me, I actually really enjoyed this game. I honestly had fun. I really didn't think that was possible.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Unofficial Minors
I've always said that when you get a master's degree to work in higher education, you earn "unofficial minors" in icebreakers, teambuilders, and bulletin boards - basically, all those "little" things you learn to do as staff members to work with students/student groups and plan/advertise events.
While I posted earlier that my part time job is pretty boring lately because no students are around, this week I have actually enjoyed work. I've had the opportunity to really use my minor in bulletin boards, which in a larger extent means I've been making a lot of flyers, signs, spreadsheets, nametags and the like in order to help out with some events that are happening next week sponsored by my office. In essence, this isn't challenging work in a critical thinking sort of way, but it does keep the creative juices flowing which does usually pass the time pretty quickly. I've actually enjoyed working the past two days because I've been able to be involved in these sorts of things and it's somewhat therapeutic. Today, I even dominated the copy machine and found some ways to fancy-up some of my work.
It's the little things, really, and in these times, I'll take whatever I can get to enjoy work.
While I posted earlier that my part time job is pretty boring lately because no students are around, this week I have actually enjoyed work. I've had the opportunity to really use my minor in bulletin boards, which in a larger extent means I've been making a lot of flyers, signs, spreadsheets, nametags and the like in order to help out with some events that are happening next week sponsored by my office. In essence, this isn't challenging work in a critical thinking sort of way, but it does keep the creative juices flowing which does usually pass the time pretty quickly. I've actually enjoyed working the past two days because I've been able to be involved in these sorts of things and it's somewhat therapeutic. Today, I even dominated the copy machine and found some ways to fancy-up some of my work.
It's the little things, really, and in these times, I'll take whatever I can get to enjoy work.
Fossils
I'm still currently working part time at Bucknell and most days it's something I consider to be pretty boring. There aren't many students around so doing summer project work tends to be fairly independent and uninspiring. However, it is a paycheck and clearly, I need some money and something to do during the week.
I never have voicemail messages. There's really no reason for anyone to call me. But yesterday, I did have a voicemail. I was somewhat excited because I thought maybe it would lead to something interesting to do.
The man who left the message said, "I'm calling to find out who in the geology department I can speak to about a fossil I found." He went on to say that he had called once before about a similar situation.
Um, so he called me. Why?
I don't work in the geology department, and I definitely don't know anything about fossils.
This didn't lead to anything interesting to do, but it was pretty funny for about three minutes of my Monday.
I never have voicemail messages. There's really no reason for anyone to call me. But yesterday, I did have a voicemail. I was somewhat excited because I thought maybe it would lead to something interesting to do.
The man who left the message said, "I'm calling to find out who in the geology department I can speak to about a fossil I found." He went on to say that he had called once before about a similar situation.
Um, so he called me. Why?
I don't work in the geology department, and I definitely don't know anything about fossils.
This didn't lead to anything interesting to do, but it was pretty funny for about three minutes of my Monday.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
New Look
If you're reading this, you should obviously be aware that my blog has a new fancy look. This was my first attempt at trying to personalize my blog, and thanks to the tips from my friend Heather, I think it was a pretty successful first attempt!
I think after posting so often about the road trip, I got bored with the old look; I mean, it's been the same since the start which was way back in 2006. So I spent some time experimenting and I kinda like what I came up with. (It helps when other blogs offer fancy things like this for free!)
Please, if you're an avid reader of my verbose ramblings, let me know what you think. Also, I'd love for you to become a "follower" of my blog which you can easily do by creating an account and signing up - this way, you get updates on when I've actually posted something new. Tell your friends. I'm trying to gauge if people other than those who know me first-hand would be interested in anything I have to say - just a side social experiment if you will.
And please feel free to comment on anything whenever you want. It makes blogging much more fun for me! Much love to you!
I think after posting so often about the road trip, I got bored with the old look; I mean, it's been the same since the start which was way back in 2006. So I spent some time experimenting and I kinda like what I came up with. (It helps when other blogs offer fancy things like this for free!)
Please, if you're an avid reader of my verbose ramblings, let me know what you think. Also, I'd love for you to become a "follower" of my blog which you can easily do by creating an account and signing up - this way, you get updates on when I've actually posted something new. Tell your friends. I'm trying to gauge if people other than those who know me first-hand would be interested in anything I have to say - just a side social experiment if you will.
And please feel free to comment on anything whenever you want. It makes blogging much more fun for me! Much love to you!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Road Trip Summary
I like numbers so here's some random stats on our trip:
Miles: 1694
Days: 10
States: 7
Cannolis: 6
Ballparks: 3
Breweries: 2
Moose: 1
Generally speaking, one helluva road trip.
Honestly, I had such an amazing time. We saw so many fantastic sites, ate so many delicious meals, and in essence just had a ton of fun. It was an absolute blast to spend this trip with my cousin Jen and I hope we can do something similar in the future. While my wallet is glad to be home, I'm certainly already missing the adventure, the open road, the unknown, and the pure pleasure of travel. I cannot wait for the next voyage.
I hope you've enjoyed reading about our experiences!
Miles: 1694
Days: 10
States: 7
Cannolis: 6
Ballparks: 3
Breweries: 2
Moose: 1
Generally speaking, one helluva road trip.
Honestly, I had such an amazing time. We saw so many fantastic sites, ate so many delicious meals, and in essence just had a ton of fun. It was an absolute blast to spend this trip with my cousin Jen and I hope we can do something similar in the future. While my wallet is glad to be home, I'm certainly already missing the adventure, the open road, the unknown, and the pure pleasure of travel. I cannot wait for the next voyage.
I hope you've enjoyed reading about our experiences!
Road Trip Day 10: Yankee Stadium
Our final stop was Yankee Stadium for Monday night's Yankees vs. Rays game. Wow. New Yankee Stadium is pretty spectacular. We were immediately impressed at how early they allowed us to enter the stadium. We were able to watch Yankee batting practice which isn't always allowed at some ball parks. We were impressed by the customer service of the majority of the stadium's staff. They allowed us to get pretty close to the field, down to the first section, to watch batting practice; they offered to take photos and basically offered to let us do whatever we wanted except for actually getting on the field. Definitely awesome.
We spent some time in center field to see Monument Park, which is also pretty spectacular. We perused the plaques of former players who are in the Hall of Fame and who have their jersey numbers retired. This is very well done indeed.
Our seats were in the bleachers in the first row behind the visiting team's bullpen, so we spent some time there to watch batting practice. Alex Rodriguez teased us during batting practice when two consecutive balls came within a foot of our section; unfortunately they bounced off the wall and back into the field.
Before the game, we grabbed a bite to eat. At New Yankee Stadium, you may have heard that they have an insane variety of food offerings, from the usual ballpark hot dogs and hot sausages to things like sushi and noodle bowls. Jen opted for a cheesesteak and I opted for loaded nachos, all 1410 calories. I know this because the signs in the stadium inform you of your calorie intake, you know, in case you're a freak who has to watch what you eat at a ballpark.
The game was nuts. There were five homeruns hit and these balls just flew out of the park like rockets. Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Nick Swisher hit homeruns for the Yankees while Gabe Kaplar hit one for the Rays. The Yankees won 5-3. Another great ballpark experience, and a great final stop on our voyage.
We spent some time in center field to see Monument Park, which is also pretty spectacular. We perused the plaques of former players who are in the Hall of Fame and who have their jersey numbers retired. This is very well done indeed.
Our seats were in the bleachers in the first row behind the visiting team's bullpen, so we spent some time there to watch batting practice. Alex Rodriguez teased us during batting practice when two consecutive balls came within a foot of our section; unfortunately they bounced off the wall and back into the field.
Before the game, we grabbed a bite to eat. At New Yankee Stadium, you may have heard that they have an insane variety of food offerings, from the usual ballpark hot dogs and hot sausages to things like sushi and noodle bowls. Jen opted for a cheesesteak and I opted for loaded nachos, all 1410 calories. I know this because the signs in the stadium inform you of your calorie intake, you know, in case you're a freak who has to watch what you eat at a ballpark.
The game was nuts. There were five homeruns hit and these balls just flew out of the park like rockets. Mark Teixeira, Derek Jeter, Johnny Damon and Nick Swisher hit homeruns for the Yankees while Gabe Kaplar hit one for the Rays. The Yankees won 5-3. Another great ballpark experience, and a great final stop on our voyage.
Road Trip Day 10: Mystic Part 2 & New Haven, CT
On Monday morning, we arose early to escape the confines of the worst hotel ever. We decided to spend the morning at Mystic Aquarium and hang out with 4th and 5th graders on field trips. No, seriously, we were the oldest two individuals at the aquarium who weren't teachers, parents, or chaperons. The aquarium was a good time, since we hadn't been to one in ages. We really enjoyed the sea lions, both the average sized ones as well as giant Cody who weighed 1915 lbs and the three tiny baby sea lions that were only about a year old. We saw beluga whales and penguins and stingrays and a multitude of fish and sharks. We were somewhat grossed out by the bullfrogs and sadly, we didn't get to see any giant turtles. The sea lion show was a hit so the experience was overall pretty fun.
After the aquarium, we walked around the Mystic Seaport area and checked out some shops, per our usual exploration. For lunch, we actually drove a few miles to Noank to feast at Costello's Clam Shack! (Jen is a Costello, so, pretty cool, right?) Jen read up on Costello's and reported that down the road is a restaurant called Abbott's where they serve lobsters and other seafood dishes; they don't, however, serve anything fried so the idea was born to open Costello's down the road and focus on fried seafood. Abbott and Costello. Nice marketing. Good stuff. We shared some clam fritters then I had popcorn shrimp while Jen had a tuna melt. Another great lunch and another very neat experience on our travels. Who would have thought we'd eat at a Varano's and a Costello's in the same trip? We dominate the food selection.
After lunch, we drove to New Haven, CT, to check out Yale University. Very, very nice campus. Of all the campuses we saw on the trip, we found Yale to be the most impressive, mostly due to the architecture of some of its oldest buildings. Another excellent stop on the voyage.
After the aquarium, we walked around the Mystic Seaport area and checked out some shops, per our usual exploration. For lunch, we actually drove a few miles to Noank to feast at Costello's Clam Shack! (Jen is a Costello, so, pretty cool, right?) Jen read up on Costello's and reported that down the road is a restaurant called Abbott's where they serve lobsters and other seafood dishes; they don't, however, serve anything fried so the idea was born to open Costello's down the road and focus on fried seafood. Abbott and Costello. Nice marketing. Good stuff. We shared some clam fritters then I had popcorn shrimp while Jen had a tuna melt. Another great lunch and another very neat experience on our travels. Who would have thought we'd eat at a Varano's and a Costello's in the same trip? We dominate the food selection.
After lunch, we drove to New Haven, CT, to check out Yale University. Very, very nice campus. Of all the campuses we saw on the trip, we found Yale to be the most impressive, mostly due to the architecture of some of its oldest buildings. Another excellent stop on the voyage.
Road Trip Day 9: Mystic, CT, Part 1
After arriving in Mystic, CT, and making arrangements at what would later be known as the worst hotel stay of our trip, we headed into town to find Mystic Pizza. It wasn't hard to find, actually, because it's a pretty small town and the restaurant is on Main Street. You may know Mystic Pizza because it is the name of the movie that starred Julia Roberts in the late '80s. When we arrived, Jen read the sign: "Mystic Pizza: A Slice of Heaven" and then said, "I'll be the judge of that."
On the recommendation of our server, who had top-notch customer service skills, we decided to share a Caesar Salad and a House Pizza, which had sausage, meatball, green peppers and onions. Needless to say, the meal aimed to pleased. The pizza crust reminded us a little of Pizza Hut's style, but generally speaking for a thicker slice, this was one of the best pizzas I ever had. It wasn't overloaded with sauce, which is how I like it, and the cheese was melted to the perfect point. We felt the choice of meats and veggies was good too - overall, in fact, a little slice of heaven. Jen concurred.
After dinner, we headed back to the worst hotel ever and settled in to watch the Phillies game on ESPN. In about the 5th inning, we busted out one of Mike's cannolis we purchased in Boston. Another great night.
On the recommendation of our server, who had top-notch customer service skills, we decided to share a Caesar Salad and a House Pizza, which had sausage, meatball, green peppers and onions. Needless to say, the meal aimed to pleased. The pizza crust reminded us a little of Pizza Hut's style, but generally speaking for a thicker slice, this was one of the best pizzas I ever had. It wasn't overloaded with sauce, which is how I like it, and the cheese was melted to the perfect point. We felt the choice of meats and veggies was good too - overall, in fact, a little slice of heaven. Jen concurred.
After dinner, we headed back to the worst hotel ever and settled in to watch the Phillies game on ESPN. In about the 5th inning, we busted out one of Mike's cannolis we purchased in Boston. Another great night.
Road Trip Day 9: Providence & Newport, RI
On Sunday morning, we said our goodbyes to Kait (and her family and her super-fun dog, Bailey) and headed further south down the coast, this time to Rhode Island. We stopped in Providence and decided we would eat brunch, since we had not yet actually sat down for a proper breakfast (just the hotel continental breakfasts up to this point). So we bounded down to Thayer Street which is near Brown University to sample some local fare.
We happened upon Andreas, which is actually a Greek restaurant. Immediately, the menu spoke to me and my eyes zeroed in on the raisin bread french toast. Jen ordered an omelette. Both meals came with a side of tasty potatoes and a wee-cup of fruit. Absolutely delish. One of the best french toast dishes I've ever had. The use of raisin bread was a special sweet treat to my meal.
We spent a little bit of time poking around Providence, but honestly, there wasn't a great deal to see. We checked out some of Brown (where Jen's cousin went to school many years ago) and some of the downtown before we decided to move on. If we had been in Providence at night, we would have checked out their FireWater show on the water, but obviously we missed this.
From Providence, we drove to Newport. We missed the opportunity to do a trolley tour, which was unfortunate because we really didn't know too much about Newport. From what we gathered, though, the highlights seem to be the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the multitude of mansions tucked throughout the town. Apparently, people travel from all over the place to tour these gigantic mansions and learn about their styles, architecture, artwork, etc. Since this really isn't our scene, we just mucked about for a bit. We did take the trolley to the part of the town that overlooks the water and we walked along a cliff for a bit down to a beach. This was pretty neat in terms of the views of the water and the cliff's rocks.
After a few hours in Rhode Island, we determined we had seen enough and were ready to keep traveling. We headed into Connecticut for the night.
We happened upon Andreas, which is actually a Greek restaurant. Immediately, the menu spoke to me and my eyes zeroed in on the raisin bread french toast. Jen ordered an omelette. Both meals came with a side of tasty potatoes and a wee-cup of fruit. Absolutely delish. One of the best french toast dishes I've ever had. The use of raisin bread was a special sweet treat to my meal.
We spent a little bit of time poking around Providence, but honestly, there wasn't a great deal to see. We checked out some of Brown (where Jen's cousin went to school many years ago) and some of the downtown before we decided to move on. If we had been in Providence at night, we would have checked out their FireWater show on the water, but obviously we missed this.
From Providence, we drove to Newport. We missed the opportunity to do a trolley tour, which was unfortunate because we really didn't know too much about Newport. From what we gathered, though, the highlights seem to be the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the multitude of mansions tucked throughout the town. Apparently, people travel from all over the place to tour these gigantic mansions and learn about their styles, architecture, artwork, etc. Since this really isn't our scene, we just mucked about for a bit. We did take the trolley to the part of the town that overlooks the water and we walked along a cliff for a bit down to a beach. This was pretty neat in terms of the views of the water and the cliff's rocks.
After a few hours in Rhode Island, we determined we had seen enough and were ready to keep traveling. We headed into Connecticut for the night.
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Road Trip Day 8: Boston, MA
A bright, sunny Saturday in Boston is one essential element to one helluva day.
We set off into the city early, accompanied by Kait and her sister Jillian. What better way to start a Boston tour day than at Sam Adams Brewery at the ripe hour of 10:30am. After a quick summary of how Boston's finest ale is produced (mostly in other facilities, not the actual facility we were standing in), we were in a sample room with tester glasses in hand while Nick the humorous tour guide walked us through the beer sampling process. We tasted the original Sam Adams Lager, Summer Ale, and Boston Brick Red (which is only sold at select bars in the Boston area). We laughed a lot. Even for someone who doesn't actually drink a lot of beer, it was one great tourist experience.
After our breakfast of beer, we headed into Boston to begin a day of walking, talking, and sight-seeing. From Faneuil Hall and Quincey Market to the Old State House and the Boston Massacre Site, from Boston Public Garden and Cheers to Newbury Square and the Prudential Building, from Harvard Square to Mike's Pastry in the North end -- yep, as Jen said, we schlepped everywhere and saw it all!
We had lunch at the original Cheers which was a great deal of fun. I always liked the show even though I was somewhat young when it was popular. What I honestly remember the most about Cheers is how loudly my mom used to laugh while watching the show. She was literally in stitches every Thursday night when it aired. I think I appreciate Cheers for what is represents - that neighborhood "place" where you can go and no matter what you're feeling about whatever is happening in your life, you feel like you belong there sharing your day with others who feel the same. It was definitely a great stop for lunch.
After lunch, we trampsed along Newbury Street and headed toward the Prudential Building, where we headed up to the 50th floor for a spectacular view of the city. Unfortunately, part of the floor was closed off due to a private event and we still had to pay full price, but the views we did see were worth the elevator ride. If you're new to Boston or have only visited once or twice like myself, this is a fantastic way to view the different parts of the city and "see" firsthand how Boston comes together. The people's stories on the guided headset are a little over the top but this is definitely a great way to experience the city.
We stopped at Harvard because I like to see different colleges and universities, so it seemed fitting to see the oldest university in the country. In Harvard Square we had the opportunity to listen to two dudes playing their buckets like drums while little children danced to their good tunes - definitely cute and enjoyable.
After a quick ride on the T, we ended in my favorite part of the city, the North End. Specifically, I enjoy Hanover Street in this Italian district for its restaurants, shops and overall Italian flare. We decided to eat at Lucia for dinner, which is across from Paul Revere's statue. We chose Italian for dinner in order for Kait and I to reminisce about our travel in Italy together back in 2004 - I actually met Kait during this summer abroad trip when she was my travel buddy through Italia. We felt Italian food and wine was an appropriate dinner out for our time together. My friend Emily was able to join us for dinner, so this made the evening even more enjoyable.
Thanks to our attractive server, Massimo, we wined and dined, literally, on delicious sangria, wine, pasta and veal. Delish. Delectable. Delightful overall. We had such a good time that Jen signed her tab, "Life Is Good." No joke, she really did that. It was absolutely appropriate.
Finally, after our enjoyable dining experience, Jen and I hopped in line in the ultra-busy Mike's Pastry on Hanover Street. After pouring over a variety of cookies and pastries, we ordered our cannoli and pizzelles and headed out the door. It's a mad house in this place, and it's absolutely worth it. Oh, cannoli, how I love thee. Again, absolutely delish.
What a fantastic eleven-hour day of pure tourism and enjoyment. I can't think of a better way to spend a day traveling, honestly, than with such great experiences and great company.
We set off into the city early, accompanied by Kait and her sister Jillian. What better way to start a Boston tour day than at Sam Adams Brewery at the ripe hour of 10:30am. After a quick summary of how Boston's finest ale is produced (mostly in other facilities, not the actual facility we were standing in), we were in a sample room with tester glasses in hand while Nick the humorous tour guide walked us through the beer sampling process. We tasted the original Sam Adams Lager, Summer Ale, and Boston Brick Red (which is only sold at select bars in the Boston area). We laughed a lot. Even for someone who doesn't actually drink a lot of beer, it was one great tourist experience.
After our breakfast of beer, we headed into Boston to begin a day of walking, talking, and sight-seeing. From Faneuil Hall and Quincey Market to the Old State House and the Boston Massacre Site, from Boston Public Garden and Cheers to Newbury Square and the Prudential Building, from Harvard Square to Mike's Pastry in the North end -- yep, as Jen said, we schlepped everywhere and saw it all!
We had lunch at the original Cheers which was a great deal of fun. I always liked the show even though I was somewhat young when it was popular. What I honestly remember the most about Cheers is how loudly my mom used to laugh while watching the show. She was literally in stitches every Thursday night when it aired. I think I appreciate Cheers for what is represents - that neighborhood "place" where you can go and no matter what you're feeling about whatever is happening in your life, you feel like you belong there sharing your day with others who feel the same. It was definitely a great stop for lunch.
After lunch, we trampsed along Newbury Street and headed toward the Prudential Building, where we headed up to the 50th floor for a spectacular view of the city. Unfortunately, part of the floor was closed off due to a private event and we still had to pay full price, but the views we did see were worth the elevator ride. If you're new to Boston or have only visited once or twice like myself, this is a fantastic way to view the different parts of the city and "see" firsthand how Boston comes together. The people's stories on the guided headset are a little over the top but this is definitely a great way to experience the city.
We stopped at Harvard because I like to see different colleges and universities, so it seemed fitting to see the oldest university in the country. In Harvard Square we had the opportunity to listen to two dudes playing their buckets like drums while little children danced to their good tunes - definitely cute and enjoyable.
After a quick ride on the T, we ended in my favorite part of the city, the North End. Specifically, I enjoy Hanover Street in this Italian district for its restaurants, shops and overall Italian flare. We decided to eat at Lucia for dinner, which is across from Paul Revere's statue. We chose Italian for dinner in order for Kait and I to reminisce about our travel in Italy together back in 2004 - I actually met Kait during this summer abroad trip when she was my travel buddy through Italia. We felt Italian food and wine was an appropriate dinner out for our time together. My friend Emily was able to join us for dinner, so this made the evening even more enjoyable.
Thanks to our attractive server, Massimo, we wined and dined, literally, on delicious sangria, wine, pasta and veal. Delish. Delectable. Delightful overall. We had such a good time that Jen signed her tab, "Life Is Good." No joke, she really did that. It was absolutely appropriate.
Finally, after our enjoyable dining experience, Jen and I hopped in line in the ultra-busy Mike's Pastry on Hanover Street. After pouring over a variety of cookies and pastries, we ordered our cannoli and pizzelles and headed out the door. It's a mad house in this place, and it's absolutely worth it. Oh, cannoli, how I love thee. Again, absolutely delish.
What a fantastic eleven-hour day of pure tourism and enjoyment. I can't think of a better way to spend a day traveling, honestly, than with such great experiences and great company.
Road Trip Day 7: Fenway
After our witchy afternoon, we headed into Boston and more specifically Fenway Park! My friend Kait's dad hooked us up with some stellar seats to the evening's Red Sox vs. Rangers game, so after using Kait's helpful tips on parking, we headed to Fenway for exploration and the ball game.
Before the game, we spent some time outside of the ballpark exploring the shops along Yawkey Way and drinking in a sports bar called Game On. We then ventured into the ballpark to explore the Green Monster, the old-fashioned wooden seats, and the general views from around the stadium. We were even able to get a photo and an autograph from Gary Waslewski, who apparently pitched in the 1967 World Series when the Sox lost to the Cardinals. "Want an autograph?" Sure, why not.
We had seats along 1st base, in the second section underneath the upper decks, about 45 rows deep. Fantastic seats. We could see the whole infield and the Green Monster in the background without moving; we could see most of the outfield also, except for the part where a pole blocked our line of sight.
We found the atmosphere in Fenway Park to be unlike any other sporting event we've attended to date. It's hard to describe, but there's just something about being in this old-fashioned, down-to-earth ballpark with significantly supportive fans that was unique. We noticed that the vendors threw everything to patrons, from a bottle of soda to a bag of peanuts or Cracker Jack. We were glad they weren't throwing the cups of clam chowder, however, though we wouldn't have been too surprised if they did. We were impressed by one female vendor who balanced an entire case of water bottles on her head without using her hands - we believe she was tipped well for her work.
Unforunately, the Red Sox lost the game. We did get to see a homerun over the Green Monster, but it was a three-run blast by Ian Kinsler of the Rangers in the 5th inning. Millwood pitched well for the Rangers whereas Penny struggled for the Sox. Penny was congratulated with a major applause for his efforts from his supportive fans however; this is the stuff that does not happen in Philly.
We had a great time at Fenway. We enjoyed the food, the seats, the game, the atmosphere - basically the whole experience. It's easy now to see why Fenway is deemed America's Favorite Ballpark.
Before the game, we spent some time outside of the ballpark exploring the shops along Yawkey Way and drinking in a sports bar called Game On. We then ventured into the ballpark to explore the Green Monster, the old-fashioned wooden seats, and the general views from around the stadium. We were even able to get a photo and an autograph from Gary Waslewski, who apparently pitched in the 1967 World Series when the Sox lost to the Cardinals. "Want an autograph?" Sure, why not.
We had seats along 1st base, in the second section underneath the upper decks, about 45 rows deep. Fantastic seats. We could see the whole infield and the Green Monster in the background without moving; we could see most of the outfield also, except for the part where a pole blocked our line of sight.
We found the atmosphere in Fenway Park to be unlike any other sporting event we've attended to date. It's hard to describe, but there's just something about being in this old-fashioned, down-to-earth ballpark with significantly supportive fans that was unique. We noticed that the vendors threw everything to patrons, from a bottle of soda to a bag of peanuts or Cracker Jack. We were glad they weren't throwing the cups of clam chowder, however, though we wouldn't have been too surprised if they did. We were impressed by one female vendor who balanced an entire case of water bottles on her head without using her hands - we believe she was tipped well for her work.
Unforunately, the Red Sox lost the game. We did get to see a homerun over the Green Monster, but it was a three-run blast by Ian Kinsler of the Rangers in the 5th inning. Millwood pitched well for the Rangers whereas Penny struggled for the Sox. Penny was congratulated with a major applause for his efforts from his supportive fans however; this is the stuff that does not happen in Philly.
We had a great time at Fenway. We enjoyed the food, the seats, the game, the atmosphere - basically the whole experience. It's easy now to see why Fenway is deemed America's Favorite Ballpark.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Road Trip Day 7: Salem, MA
Exchange of text messages between friend Kait and I, around 1:35pm on Friday:
Kait: How you guys doing?
Carol: Double double toil and trouble.
Kait: You're a black magic woman.
Carol: Hocus pocus. This shit is wacko.
Kait: Can you cast me a spell for some fortune?
Carol: Not sure what herb that requires (that was all Jen).
Kait: Oh, I have an idea. You should do a rain dance so it holds off tonight!
Clearly, we spent part of the day exploring the Salem Witch Trial history in Salem, MA. We started our touring at the Salem Witch Museum. Here, we heard a twenty-minute account of the overall history surrounding the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 followed by some information regarding the definitions of a "witch" and the progression of a "witch" over time including present-day Wiccans. I found this to be insightful.
Our second stop was the Witch History Museum. Again, there was a general telling of the overall history surrounding the trials, but this time, the second part of the tour told 15 different stories of the major players in these events, including the black slave woman, the girls, the reverend and the sherriff.
The third stop was the Salem Witch Dungeon. This stop had a live reenactment of a trial followed by a tour of a replica of what the dungeons looked like where "witches" were held.
This whole experience was wacko. Honestly, I don't even know of a better word to describe it. Learning the details of this crazy event really was informative. Before these tours, I really didn't know too much about the Salem Witch Trials. It was interesting to ponder the happenings at each of these stops.
On a side note, the woman who gave the tour of the dungeon said that prisoners had to pay for their stay in jail. Basically, the wealthier prisoners could purchase larger cells, with pillows and blankets and other amenities. Poor prisoners were sometimes held in tiny cells and shackled to walls so they couldn't even sit down. It was absolutely morbid to think about this. I'm sharing this because I kept thinking to myself, "Interesting. Today, my tax-paying dollars support prisoners. Some prisoners get social security checks while in prison. They don't pay for a thing and sometimes get out of jail with more money to live on than many of us who actually work full time, pay taxes, and contribute positively to society. I wonder what would happen today if prisoners had to pay for their stay in actual dollars." Random thoughts, I know.
On a more pleasant note, we had another delicious lunch at a place in downtown Salem called Rockafellas. Fried Brie Salad - wonderful choice - wish it existed on more menus.
Kait: How you guys doing?
Carol: Double double toil and trouble.
Kait: You're a black magic woman.
Carol: Hocus pocus. This shit is wacko.
Kait: Can you cast me a spell for some fortune?
Carol: Not sure what herb that requires (that was all Jen).
Kait: Oh, I have an idea. You should do a rain dance so it holds off tonight!
Clearly, we spent part of the day exploring the Salem Witch Trial history in Salem, MA. We started our touring at the Salem Witch Museum. Here, we heard a twenty-minute account of the overall history surrounding the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 followed by some information regarding the definitions of a "witch" and the progression of a "witch" over time including present-day Wiccans. I found this to be insightful.
Our second stop was the Witch History Museum. Again, there was a general telling of the overall history surrounding the trials, but this time, the second part of the tour told 15 different stories of the major players in these events, including the black slave woman, the girls, the reverend and the sherriff.
The third stop was the Salem Witch Dungeon. This stop had a live reenactment of a trial followed by a tour of a replica of what the dungeons looked like where "witches" were held.
This whole experience was wacko. Honestly, I don't even know of a better word to describe it. Learning the details of this crazy event really was informative. Before these tours, I really didn't know too much about the Salem Witch Trials. It was interesting to ponder the happenings at each of these stops.
On a side note, the woman who gave the tour of the dungeon said that prisoners had to pay for their stay in jail. Basically, the wealthier prisoners could purchase larger cells, with pillows and blankets and other amenities. Poor prisoners were sometimes held in tiny cells and shackled to walls so they couldn't even sit down. It was absolutely morbid to think about this. I'm sharing this because I kept thinking to myself, "Interesting. Today, my tax-paying dollars support prisoners. Some prisoners get social security checks while in prison. They don't pay for a thing and sometimes get out of jail with more money to live on than many of us who actually work full time, pay taxes, and contribute positively to society. I wonder what would happen today if prisoners had to pay for their stay in actual dollars." Random thoughts, I know.
On a more pleasant note, we had another delicious lunch at a place in downtown Salem called Rockafellas. Fried Brie Salad - wonderful choice - wish it existed on more menus.
Road Trip Day 6: Kennebunkport & Portsmouth, ME
On Thursday, we awoke to a beautiful day in the 70s, sun shining - what some might consider "a great day." We spent the morning exploring Kennebunkport. I love saying Kennebunkport. It's such a fun name for a place. Kennebunkport. Say it aloud. See, isn't it fun?
You may have heard of Kennebunkport for the fact that the Bush family vacation there. We didn't see George or Laura or Barbara or Jeb. We didn't really look, to be honest, but did occassionally yell for George, which was humorous for us.
Kennebunkport is quaint. We spent some time wandering its eclectic, independently owned shops. I was on a mission for a t-shirt that said Kennebunkport. I am pleased to report that I did in fact find a pretty cute t-shirt. I can't wait to show it off so people can ask me about Kennebunkport.
After perusing the stores, we set up shop on the beach for a bit. It was a bit chilly with the ocean breeze but still nice to relax on a beach, enjoy the sounds of the waves, and smell the wonderful salt water smell. I could do this daily. I may just have to pick up and move to the coast. What a life I could lead.
Post-relaxation, we headed further south down the coast and made a stop in Portsmouth. This small coastal city has a great downtown, again laced with independently owned stores and hip restaurants. We settled into a restaurant called Popovers and enjoyed a soup and sandwich lunch combo. From there, we wandered around some stores and checked out some of the area along the waterfront.
In the earlier part of the evening, we headed to Salem, NH, to see if we could happen upon America's Stonehenge. Sadly, it was closed. Nothing random to report here. I assume this whole experience would have been random anyway, but you never know I guess. No one I know has ever been there so maybe someone will soon take the plunge and tell us about it.
From here, we drove to my friend Kait's for the night, a little north of Boston. She showed us Newburyport, MA, and we walked along the beach for a bit before settling in for the night.
You may have heard of Kennebunkport for the fact that the Bush family vacation there. We didn't see George or Laura or Barbara or Jeb. We didn't really look, to be honest, but did occassionally yell for George, which was humorous for us.
Kennebunkport is quaint. We spent some time wandering its eclectic, independently owned shops. I was on a mission for a t-shirt that said Kennebunkport. I am pleased to report that I did in fact find a pretty cute t-shirt. I can't wait to show it off so people can ask me about Kennebunkport.
After perusing the stores, we set up shop on the beach for a bit. It was a bit chilly with the ocean breeze but still nice to relax on a beach, enjoy the sounds of the waves, and smell the wonderful salt water smell. I could do this daily. I may just have to pick up and move to the coast. What a life I could lead.
Post-relaxation, we headed further south down the coast and made a stop in Portsmouth. This small coastal city has a great downtown, again laced with independently owned stores and hip restaurants. We settled into a restaurant called Popovers and enjoyed a soup and sandwich lunch combo. From there, we wandered around some stores and checked out some of the area along the waterfront.
In the earlier part of the evening, we headed to Salem, NH, to see if we could happen upon America's Stonehenge. Sadly, it was closed. Nothing random to report here. I assume this whole experience would have been random anyway, but you never know I guess. No one I know has ever been there so maybe someone will soon take the plunge and tell us about it.
From here, we drove to my friend Kait's for the night, a little north of Boston. She showed us Newburyport, MA, and we walked along the beach for a bit before settling in for the night.
Road Trip Day 5: Wells, ME
From Portland, we hopped on Route 1 and headed south down the coast. We found a hotel in Kennebunk, ME, for its acccess to Wells and Kennebunkport. For dinner, we headed into Wells in order to dine at Varano's Italian Restaurant. Cool, right? I had known about this restaurant for a few years because my friend Anne's grandmother lives in Wells and Anne's mother once sent me a photograph of the restaurant. Obviously, this just had to be a stop on our voyage.
Varano's was an amazing dining experience. We had a fantastic server, Shane, who met all expectations for "great customer service." Shane and I also had a nice chat about my family name being Varano; sadly, the owner was not in the restaurant so we couldn't swap accounts of family lineage or else I would have tried to decipher if this Varano family was traced to Calabria, Italy, also.
Jen and I both had some wine and we opted for salads with a home-made blue cheese dressing. Absolutely delish and possibly the best blue cheese dressing we've ever had. The bread to accompany our dinner was fresh-baked and delicious as well. For our entrees, Jen opted for Veal Bracciolettine while I opted for Veal Marsala. Since we sample each other's foods, I can confidently say that both dishes were absolutely delectable - the sauce and mushrooms were great accompaniments to the dish. We also enjoyed the side of penne in house marinara. After such a wonderful meal, we were easily convinced to also have dessert. We shared a helping of tiramisu and almond creme cake. Scrumptious.
Quite possibly one of the ten best meals I've ever had. Hands-down worth every penny (and there were many a penny for this meal).
After dinner we did what any two people could do in a tiny coastal town with not much going on - we played a speedy round of mini golf. I won. Winner winner chicken dinner.
Varano's was an amazing dining experience. We had a fantastic server, Shane, who met all expectations for "great customer service." Shane and I also had a nice chat about my family name being Varano; sadly, the owner was not in the restaurant so we couldn't swap accounts of family lineage or else I would have tried to decipher if this Varano family was traced to Calabria, Italy, also.
Jen and I both had some wine and we opted for salads with a home-made blue cheese dressing. Absolutely delish and possibly the best blue cheese dressing we've ever had. The bread to accompany our dinner was fresh-baked and delicious as well. For our entrees, Jen opted for Veal Bracciolettine while I opted for Veal Marsala. Since we sample each other's foods, I can confidently say that both dishes were absolutely delectable - the sauce and mushrooms were great accompaniments to the dish. We also enjoyed the side of penne in house marinara. After such a wonderful meal, we were easily convinced to also have dessert. We shared a helping of tiramisu and almond creme cake. Scrumptious.
Quite possibly one of the ten best meals I've ever had. Hands-down worth every penny (and there were many a penny for this meal).
After dinner we did what any two people could do in a tiny coastal town with not much going on - we played a speedy round of mini golf. I won. Winner winner chicken dinner.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Road Trip Day 5: Portland, ME, Part 2
We spent the majority of the day in Portland. Since we really didn't know anything about Portland, we decided to take a Land & Sea Tour through Portland Discovery. We hopped on a trolley in the morning and our driver, Marie, gave us an overview of the sights of Portland. Needless to say, there aren't a ton of sights so I think I can recall most of the knowledge she provided. Portland really doesn't have any major historical happenings, though the city did basically burn to the ground at one point in its early history. Portland has an observation tower that sits at the city's highest point, 175 feet above sea level. We also saw Longfellow's house and his statue near the arts district. Marie pointed out the different areas of Portland, the east and west sides of the penninsula. We saw a spectacular cathedral on the east side; in terms of sights, this was probably the most interesting to look at downtown. She pointed out three boats in Casco Bay that serve as taxis between downtown Portland and the nearby islands - people use these taxis as travel between different places, including school children who take them instead of the "bus" to school.
Throughout the city, on both the east and west sides, we were extremely impressed by some of the homes scattered throughout the different neighborhoods. Portland has some extremely old, beautiful Victorian homes of all colors and varieties, and some of these homes were just drop-dead gorgeous.
The sight in Portland I liked the most was the Portland Head Light, which is the oldest lighthouse in the country. It is located in Fort Williams Park on Cape Elizabeth and was commissioned by George Washington to be built in 1791. It still works today. There are actually a total of 65 lighthouses in the state of Maine. We saw a few others.
Throughout the city, on both the east and west sides, we were extremely impressed by some of the homes scattered throughout the different neighborhoods. Portland has some extremely old, beautiful Victorian homes of all colors and varieties, and some of these homes were just drop-dead gorgeous.
The sight in Portland I liked the most was the Portland Head Light, which is the oldest lighthouse in the country. It is located in Fort Williams Park on Cape Elizabeth and was commissioned by George Washington to be built in 1791. It still works today. There are actually a total of 65 lighthouses in the state of Maine. We saw a few others.
After a lunch of shrimp, lobster and crab sandwiches, we got to spend some time in Old Port actually visiting the shops we walked by the night before. My favorite store was Cool As A Moose while Jen's favorite was Life is Good. We bought some souvenirs in these fun shops.
We spent the afternoon on a boat for the "sea" part of our tour. It was so chilly on the boat that Jen had to make use of a wool blanket. The boat traveled around Casco Bay pointing out some lighthouses, former military buildings, oil freighters and rigs, and surrounding islands. We saw a few seals, ducks, and sea gulls. The boat was fun but still very early in the season to be completely enjoyable.
Our land and sea tour was a fun way to see Portland. It's definitely a nice small city.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Road Trip, Day 4: Portland, ME, Part 1
After checking into a crappy hotel in Portland, we decided to head to the Old Port District for dinner. We decided on DiMillio's Floating Restaurant on Long Wharf. We settled in for dinner on the lower deck so we could enjoy the great weather. We started off with a crab dip and later, Jen decided on a surf and turf while I opted for the twin-lobster special. This would be my first experience eating an entire lobster. Normally I've only eaten lobster tails so I needed a crash course on the whole lobster experience. The terrible server wasn't much help but she gave me a bib and a cheesy how-to guide. It couldn't be that hard, right?
In reality, eating the full lobster wasn't that hard just extremely messy. I was able to successfully crack the claws and clear out the tail in one giant piece. I was entirely grossed out by the cavity/body of the lobster and the green scum of the liver found inside. Needless to say, I decided to avoid this area at all costs.
While I'm glad I'm able to say I had the whole-lobster experience, I'm pretty confident I don't need a follow-up in my future. I think I'll stick to tails from here on out.
After dinner, we hung out in Old Port, which is a funky area of eclectic shops and restaurants. We spent some time wandering the streets looking in the windows of the shops and enjoying the auroa of the independently-owned stores. Unfortunately, the shops weren't open late so we couldn't actually do much exploration, but we did enjoy wandering aimlessly. We also had some ice cream, so that was a nice bonus.
In reality, eating the full lobster wasn't that hard just extremely messy. I was able to successfully crack the claws and clear out the tail in one giant piece. I was entirely grossed out by the cavity/body of the lobster and the green scum of the liver found inside. Needless to say, I decided to avoid this area at all costs.
While I'm glad I'm able to say I had the whole-lobster experience, I'm pretty confident I don't need a follow-up in my future. I think I'll stick to tails from here on out.
After dinner, we hung out in Old Port, which is a funky area of eclectic shops and restaurants. We spent some time wandering the streets looking in the windows of the shops and enjoying the auroa of the independently-owned stores. Unfortunately, the shops weren't open late so we couldn't actually do much exploration, but we did enjoy wandering aimlessly. We also had some ice cream, so that was a nice bonus.
Road Trip Day 4: Franconia Notch State Park, NH
Bright and early Tuesday morning, we put on some comfy sweats and sneakers so we could spend the day in Franconia Notch State Park in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Franconia Notch is a fairly large mountain range between the Flume Gorge and Echo Lake.
We decided to first experience the Flume Gorge which is a natural gorge that extends for something like 800 feet. So we signed up for the two-mile round trip hike to Avalanche Waterfalls and got a good bit of exercise on this excursion. The waterfalls and the gorge in general were absolutely spectacular. We enjoyed the running waters more than we enjoyed the actual hiking.
The funniest part of this excursion was when Jen tried to set her camera to automatically take a photo of both of us, and after getting the camera set, she ran over to me and slipped on a rock, and found her right foot submerged in the frigid cold water. It was definitely comical.
After our hike, we headed to another part of Franconia Park called Cannon Mountain. It has its name for an actual cannon that sits atop the mountain. The best part of this experience was that we were able to ride an aerial tramway to the peak of the mountain, which took us up to a total of 4180 feet. I call this a "gondola in the sky." From the mountain's peak, we could see Vermont, Maine and Canada way out in the distance. It was a little cloudy so Canada wasn't all that clear, but I will still tell everyone I saw Canada.
In general, the views from Cannon Mountain were absolutely amazing. Honestly, these mountains are spectacular. We kept wondering, "I bet this looks amazing in the fall." Perhaps we need another trip in the future.
After spending most of the days in the outdoors and feeling relieved we didn't acquire any ticks, we hopped back in the car to find out next destination, Portland, Maine.
The drive to Portland was pretty standard, so nothing interesting to report for this leg of the journey.
We decided to first experience the Flume Gorge which is a natural gorge that extends for something like 800 feet. So we signed up for the two-mile round trip hike to Avalanche Waterfalls and got a good bit of exercise on this excursion. The waterfalls and the gorge in general were absolutely spectacular. We enjoyed the running waters more than we enjoyed the actual hiking.
The funniest part of this excursion was when Jen tried to set her camera to automatically take a photo of both of us, and after getting the camera set, she ran over to me and slipped on a rock, and found her right foot submerged in the frigid cold water. It was definitely comical.
After our hike, we headed to another part of Franconia Park called Cannon Mountain. It has its name for an actual cannon that sits atop the mountain. The best part of this experience was that we were able to ride an aerial tramway to the peak of the mountain, which took us up to a total of 4180 feet. I call this a "gondola in the sky." From the mountain's peak, we could see Vermont, Maine and Canada way out in the distance. It was a little cloudy so Canada wasn't all that clear, but I will still tell everyone I saw Canada.
In general, the views from Cannon Mountain were absolutely amazing. Honestly, these mountains are spectacular. We kept wondering, "I bet this looks amazing in the fall." Perhaps we need another trip in the future.
After spending most of the days in the outdoors and feeling relieved we didn't acquire any ticks, we hopped back in the car to find out next destination, Portland, Maine.
The drive to Portland was pretty standard, so nothing interesting to report for this leg of the journey.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Road Trip Day 3: Drive to New Hampshire
Our drive from Ben and Jerry's into New Hampshire was actually more entertaining than one might think. We mostly drove on the interstate which normally isn't at all exciting, just the usual counting down of exits and mile markers. Driving through rural Vermont and New Hampshire, however, has one majorly exciting factor: Moose. Every few miles, we spotted one of the following signs: MOOSE CROSSING, MOOSE, MOOSE X-ING, or some other cautionary warning how moose are in fact present and can seriously damage you or your vehicle.
I'd say after a good hour and a half on this drive and after seeing a multitude of these signs, we began to question how present these moose actually are. As if the moose could hear us and our wondering about their roadside travels, we just happened to see one along the side of the road, drinking from a stream. We slowed down to take a photo and get a good look at this marvelous creature. Needless to say, we were then believers of the frequency of moose roaming near interstates.
My friend Kait was so kind to hook us up with a place to stay in New Hampshire. Her parents rent a condo at The Mountain Club on Loon Mountain so we had the privilege to stay here for the night. It was unbelievably fantastic and we (and our wallets) were extremely grateful for this hospitality!
I'd say after a good hour and a half on this drive and after seeing a multitude of these signs, we began to question how present these moose actually are. As if the moose could hear us and our wondering about their roadside travels, we just happened to see one along the side of the road, drinking from a stream. We slowed down to take a photo and get a good look at this marvelous creature. Needless to say, we were then believers of the frequency of moose roaming near interstates.
My friend Kait was so kind to hook us up with a place to stay in New Hampshire. Her parents rent a condo at The Mountain Club on Loon Mountain so we had the privilege to stay here for the night. It was unbelievably fantastic and we (and our wallets) were extremely grateful for this hospitality!
Road Trip Day 3: Burlington, VT
I was too tired last night to elaborate on my day in Burlington, VT, but I would like to reiterate: ILOVERMONT. Honest to God, I fell in love with Burlington to the extent that Jen and I had an actual conversation that contained comments such as "I could absolutely work at UVM" to "That hospital could be my future home" to "We could totally live in those condos." No joke, we found Burlington to be a little slice of heaven.
I owe my great friend, Jess, a good deal of credit for helping to make our stop in Burlington so wonderful. As a UVM alum, she had fantastic recommendations for us on how to take advantage of some gems in this great place.
On Sunday night, after the hotel desk attendant fell in love with me at first sight, we headed downtown for dinner. Taking Jess's recommendation, we decided on Trattoria Delia, and had a fabulous Italian dinner. We had some wine, some cheese, some meats, and some pasta, and all of it was absolutely delish. We then stopped at What Ales You, a local bar, where I had a Magic Hat #9 and Jen had some other local beer. (If we recall this at a later date, I'll let you know.) We weren't impressed by the bar tender at What Ales You, but we did enjoy the local brews.
After a good night's rest, we headed out early on Monday to explore Burlington. First, we headed to UVM and checked out the campus as well as the nearby hospital (which has a connection to UVM). We were impressed by the campus, particularly the architecture of some of the older buildings. It's evident that UVM is the 5th oldest university in the country when you see some of these buildings as they reminded me of architecture I've seen in Europe. We swung by John Dewey's house because the educator in me felt this was appropriate.
Next we headed to Lake Champlain Chocolates where we were given an overview of how chocolate is grown, harvested and produced, and in particular, how this little company produces amazing chocolates that are sold locally as well as shipped nationally. We got to sample different types of chocolates (white, milk, dark, and darker) as well as a truffle, a covered roasted almond, a caramel, and a peanut butter five star bar. As Jen noted, "The peanut butter sample was like an orgasm in your mouth." Needless to say, we enjoyed the chocolates.
After our chocolate tasting, we headed lakeside to check out the views of Lake Champlain. It was a fairly nice day, a little cold, but we had a delightful time walking out on the docks, seeing the North and South Lighthouses, and taking in the view of the mountains in the distance. Next, we headed to Church Street Marketplace and wandered this pedestrian area with a variety of eclectic shops and restaurants.
After our strolling downtown, we decided to have lunch at another of Jess's recommendations, New World Tortilla. I haven't had a good burrito in ages and Jen loves Mexican food so we decided to try this out. It was worth it. Jen had the Thai Chicken Burrito and I had the regular Beef Burrito. We both agreed that the tortillas were the best we've ever had. Glorious lunch.
From lunch, we headed out to Magic Hat Brewery which is probably the most unique brewery I've ever been in. Such a fun atmosphere. Unfortunately, we could only do the self-guided tour, but we did get to see beer being bottled at mass production. We also were able to sample a few beers. I enjoyed the Circus Boy while Jen enjoyed the Single Chair. We also really liked the young woman who served us; she had great personality and actually understood the hospitality necessary for a job in the hospitality industry.
You would think that by this point, we were probably stuffed full of chocolates, burritos, and beer and we couldn't possibly eat anymore, but we had one more necessary stop to make - Ben & Jerry's. We headed south to Waterbury to take the factory tour and see how this magical ice cream is made. The factory was a fun and colorful place, but it had two small downsides. One, they do not allow you to take photos of their production proccess, and two, they decide what sample of ice cream you get. We had a sample of orange creamsicle, which was good, but I would have preferred something with chocolate. I know, like I didn't have enough earlier? Ha.
I think it's safe to say we ate our way through Vermont. And like I said, I loved every minute of it. I just may have to explore it as a possibility for my future.
I owe my great friend, Jess, a good deal of credit for helping to make our stop in Burlington so wonderful. As a UVM alum, she had fantastic recommendations for us on how to take advantage of some gems in this great place.
On Sunday night, after the hotel desk attendant fell in love with me at first sight, we headed downtown for dinner. Taking Jess's recommendation, we decided on Trattoria Delia, and had a fabulous Italian dinner. We had some wine, some cheese, some meats, and some pasta, and all of it was absolutely delish. We then stopped at What Ales You, a local bar, where I had a Magic Hat #9 and Jen had some other local beer. (If we recall this at a later date, I'll let you know.) We weren't impressed by the bar tender at What Ales You, but we did enjoy the local brews.
After a good night's rest, we headed out early on Monday to explore Burlington. First, we headed to UVM and checked out the campus as well as the nearby hospital (which has a connection to UVM). We were impressed by the campus, particularly the architecture of some of the older buildings. It's evident that UVM is the 5th oldest university in the country when you see some of these buildings as they reminded me of architecture I've seen in Europe. We swung by John Dewey's house because the educator in me felt this was appropriate.
Next we headed to Lake Champlain Chocolates where we were given an overview of how chocolate is grown, harvested and produced, and in particular, how this little company produces amazing chocolates that are sold locally as well as shipped nationally. We got to sample different types of chocolates (white, milk, dark, and darker) as well as a truffle, a covered roasted almond, a caramel, and a peanut butter five star bar. As Jen noted, "The peanut butter sample was like an orgasm in your mouth." Needless to say, we enjoyed the chocolates.
After our chocolate tasting, we headed lakeside to check out the views of Lake Champlain. It was a fairly nice day, a little cold, but we had a delightful time walking out on the docks, seeing the North and South Lighthouses, and taking in the view of the mountains in the distance. Next, we headed to Church Street Marketplace and wandered this pedestrian area with a variety of eclectic shops and restaurants.
After our strolling downtown, we decided to have lunch at another of Jess's recommendations, New World Tortilla. I haven't had a good burrito in ages and Jen loves Mexican food so we decided to try this out. It was worth it. Jen had the Thai Chicken Burrito and I had the regular Beef Burrito. We both agreed that the tortillas were the best we've ever had. Glorious lunch.
From lunch, we headed out to Magic Hat Brewery which is probably the most unique brewery I've ever been in. Such a fun atmosphere. Unfortunately, we could only do the self-guided tour, but we did get to see beer being bottled at mass production. We also were able to sample a few beers. I enjoyed the Circus Boy while Jen enjoyed the Single Chair. We also really liked the young woman who served us; she had great personality and actually understood the hospitality necessary for a job in the hospitality industry.
You would think that by this point, we were probably stuffed full of chocolates, burritos, and beer and we couldn't possibly eat anymore, but we had one more necessary stop to make - Ben & Jerry's. We headed south to Waterbury to take the factory tour and see how this magical ice cream is made. The factory was a fun and colorful place, but it had two small downsides. One, they do not allow you to take photos of their production proccess, and two, they decide what sample of ice cream you get. We had a sample of orange creamsicle, which was good, but I would have preferred something with chocolate. I know, like I didn't have enough earlier? Ha.
I think it's safe to say we ate our way through Vermont. And like I said, I loved every minute of it. I just may have to explore it as a possibility for my future.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Road Trip Day 2: Drive to Vermont
For driving purposes, we have been using the GPS in Jen's car, which she calls Lola, due to the lovely female voice that tells us where to go. We decided to avoid the interstate for our drive from Cooperstown into Vermont and instead explore country and states roads. What an adventure! I'm glad Jen drove this leg of the trip because for roughly four hours, the roads were winding and curving as we climbed higher and higher into the Adirondacks.
Outside of Cooperstown, the little (and I mean tiny) towns we passed were occassionally dotted with either Amish or Mennonite families. We sometimes had to pass the horse and buggy in order to continue along our drive in decent time. As we got further into the drive, the towns were more spread out and basically set alongside the multiple lakes we passed. Honestly, it seemed like every ten miles we were passing another tiny town set up alongside another lake. Beautiful scenery amid the extremely green mountains. "Hey, look, another lake" was probably uttered twenty times during this voyage.
We basically drove near the NY/VT border as we traveled north to Vermont. We crossed into Vermont as a storm was brewing and came in to Burlington via Route 7, passing through Shelbourne. We were immediately impressed by the state of Vermont's dedication to signage; seriously, just about everything in Vermont is marked with a road sign telling you how many miles until you reach a particular site. We appreciated this informative approach and actually found the signs useful while in the state.
We settled into a hotel outside Burlington. I'm pretty sure the desk manager, who was definitely attractive, was in love with me immediately. Jen thinks I'm crazy, but I'm fairly certain in another life, this guy could be my friend or more. Ha.
Outside of Cooperstown, the little (and I mean tiny) towns we passed were occassionally dotted with either Amish or Mennonite families. We sometimes had to pass the horse and buggy in order to continue along our drive in decent time. As we got further into the drive, the towns were more spread out and basically set alongside the multiple lakes we passed. Honestly, it seemed like every ten miles we were passing another tiny town set up alongside another lake. Beautiful scenery amid the extremely green mountains. "Hey, look, another lake" was probably uttered twenty times during this voyage.
We basically drove near the NY/VT border as we traveled north to Vermont. We crossed into Vermont as a storm was brewing and came in to Burlington via Route 7, passing through Shelbourne. We were immediately impressed by the state of Vermont's dedication to signage; seriously, just about everything in Vermont is marked with a road sign telling you how many miles until you reach a particular site. We appreciated this informative approach and actually found the signs useful while in the state.
We settled into a hotel outside Burlington. I'm pretty sure the desk manager, who was definitely attractive, was in love with me immediately. Jen thinks I'm crazy, but I'm fairly certain in another life, this guy could be my friend or more. Ha.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Road Trip Day 2: Cooperstown, NY
Cooperstown, NY, is a great small town. Granted, it probably wouldn't exist without the sports tourism that makes it famous, but it's definitely a must-see for any sports fan. We started our day at the National Baseball Hall of Fame, which exists here because it is believed that the game of baseball was founded in Cooperstown by Abner Doubleday. The Hall of Fame is a beautiful building that contains a well-informed history of baseball and the influence of the game's greatest players.
We spent a decent three hours wandering through the museum, reading facts, taking pictures, and appreciating those former baseball players who have made the game as great as it remains today. Since I grew up in a baseball-loving family, it was nice for me to finally have the chance to "see" first-hand some of the game's history. I enjoyed learning more about Babe Ruth, Joe Dimaggio, Lou Gehrig, Roger Hornsby, Sandy Coufax, Yogi Berra, Roberto Clemente, Nolan Ryan, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton... the list goes on and on and on.
I think one of my favorite parts of the museum was the small section that compared the all-time leaders in certain statistical categories to current players. For example, Ricky Henderson has the record for 1406 stolen bases. No one in the past or present even comes close to him in this category. In this area also, it became evident how good Pete Rose was in certain categories, but due to his admitted cheating on baseball, he'll probably never fully find his place inducted into the Hall of Fame. In addition, the area of the Hall of Fame that shows every inducted member is pretty special. It was really amazing to see the different players who have been inducted to the Hall of Fame since 1936.
Overall, I found the museum to be quite informative and interesting. Anyone who loves baseball would appreciate a day or two in this environment.
After our visit to the Hall of Fame, we had a bite to eat in a local restaurant. We spent the next few hours walking around the main street in Cooperstown, which contains a variety of baseball memoribilia shops. It's amazing to me how many of these stores exist in this small town and how many fascinating items they have for sale - baseball cards, t-shirts, souvenirs - anything you could possibly want related to baseball or baseball history can be found here. Definitely a pleasure for any true fan.
We also stopped by Double Day Park, which is a ballpark that is still used today. I first learned of Double Day when I watched A League of Their Own. This is the ballpart that is featured at the beginning and end of the film. The Hall of Fame does indeed have a section on the All American Girls Baseball League which the film highlights. I enjoyed seeing this piece of history as well. We also spent some time in a wax museum that depicts some famous baseball players in wax. I'll contend that it wasn't necessarily worth the money, but still interesting to see. The Abbott and Costello film of the famous act "Who's on first?" made the wax museum experience a little more worth the fee.
All in all, our stop in Cooperstown was absolutely enjoyable. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates the sport of baseball in any capacity. You won't be disappointed.
We spent a decent three hours wandering through the museum, reading facts, taking pictures, and appreciating those former baseball players who have made the game as great as it remains today. Since I grew up in a baseball-loving family, it was nice for me to finally have the chance to "see" first-hand some of the game's history. I enjoyed learning more about Babe Ruth, Joe Dimaggio, Lou Gehrig, Roger Hornsby, Sandy Coufax, Yogi Berra, Roberto Clemente, Nolan Ryan, Mike Schmidt, Steve Carlton... the list goes on and on and on.
I think one of my favorite parts of the museum was the small section that compared the all-time leaders in certain statistical categories to current players. For example, Ricky Henderson has the record for 1406 stolen bases. No one in the past or present even comes close to him in this category. In this area also, it became evident how good Pete Rose was in certain categories, but due to his admitted cheating on baseball, he'll probably never fully find his place inducted into the Hall of Fame. In addition, the area of the Hall of Fame that shows every inducted member is pretty special. It was really amazing to see the different players who have been inducted to the Hall of Fame since 1936.
Overall, I found the museum to be quite informative and interesting. Anyone who loves baseball would appreciate a day or two in this environment.
After our visit to the Hall of Fame, we had a bite to eat in a local restaurant. We spent the next few hours walking around the main street in Cooperstown, which contains a variety of baseball memoribilia shops. It's amazing to me how many of these stores exist in this small town and how many fascinating items they have for sale - baseball cards, t-shirts, souvenirs - anything you could possibly want related to baseball or baseball history can be found here. Definitely a pleasure for any true fan.
We also stopped by Double Day Park, which is a ballpark that is still used today. I first learned of Double Day when I watched A League of Their Own. This is the ballpart that is featured at the beginning and end of the film. The Hall of Fame does indeed have a section on the All American Girls Baseball League which the film highlights. I enjoyed seeing this piece of history as well. We also spent some time in a wax museum that depicts some famous baseball players in wax. I'll contend that it wasn't necessarily worth the money, but still interesting to see. The Abbott and Costello film of the famous act "Who's on first?" made the wax museum experience a little more worth the fee.
All in all, our stop in Cooperstown was absolutely enjoyable. Highly recommended for anyone who appreciates the sport of baseball in any capacity. You won't be disappointed.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Road Trip, Day 1: New York
Jen arrived around 7:30am to pick me up. She's a trooper, by the way, because she had to work a 12-hour nursing shift before picking me up. Talk about dedication. We threw my stuff into the car, took a photo, and headed out for our big adventure right before 8am. This was the plan, so we could hit the road early and avoid traffic.
I drove this leg of the trip so Jen could rest. She helps people, you know, so she deserved a good solid nap. The morning was a bit cloudy, but about halfway into our first drive, the skies cleared and the sun was shining. It was beautiful weather for hitting the open roads. We cruised through northeastern PA, northern New Jersey, and into New York in good time. In reality, we crossed the George Washington Bridge into Queens - this was my first time driving in any part of NYC and I must say, it wasn't that bad. I wouldn't want to do that every day however.
(By the way, tolls to cross bridges in NYC are ludicrous.)
Our first stop was CitiField or the "New Mets Stadium" for a Mets game versus the Marlins. Being that Jen and I are true Phillies fans, we headed out for this adventure wearing Phillies shirts. If you follow baseball you know the Phillies and Mets are NL East Rivals and Mets fans HATE Phillies fans. I was well prepared to have a beer dumped on me, but thankfully that didn't happen.
CitiField is an extremely nice ballpark. I think we were both most impressed by the food offerings. Pulled pork sandwiches and spare ribs, brick-oven pizza, tacos, nachos, Nathans hot dogs (of course), among others... whatever the food, it was kicked up a notch and quite well cooked. Lots of fancy condiment options as well. Jen enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich and I sampled some french fries from Box Frites with chipotle sauce. Very delicious. (It's not Chickey's and Pete's crab fries, but not bad at all for ballpark food.)
We were also impressed with Jackie Robinson rotunda, which is a main entrance to the stadium and a tribute to his legacy of breaking the color barrier in baseball and basically being a phenomenal addition to the sport. We ruffled some Mets fans' feathers, though, when we hopped in front of the blue 42 to get a picture taken. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do for the tourist photo memories.
We didn't have the greatest seats for the game. We sat in the upper deck along 3rd base. Apparently, the Mets fans who sit in this section are required to have an IQ below 60. Honestly, these people were quite ridiculous. Many of them didn't actually have seats where they were seated and would then get upset when the rightful seat holder would ask them to move. It ain't rocket science, you know? Seats have numbers for this very reason.
We had the pleasure of sitting by a family of four - man, woman, boy age 5, girl age 3 - who thought it was appropriate to purchase only two seats and then plop themselves into a total of 4 seats. While the girl was cute in her little Mets cheerleader uniform, the boy whined obnoxiously. Sometimes I like children at the ballpark; this was not one of those times.
We also had the pleasure to sit three seats away from a Mets fan who reminded us that the Phillies weren't actually playing the Mets. Funny that he thought we wouldn't have known this when we purchased tickets that read "Marlins vs Mets." I didn't know I could ONLY wear a Phillies shirt when I was, in fact, AT a Phillies game.
We did see three other Phillies fans. They were nice. Like us, they too could be considered slightly insane for wearing Phillies gear in this hostile environment, but we all seemed to survive the random comments of "Phillies suck" or "Utley sucks" or "You know the Phillies aren't playing today?" Strange. Who won the 2008 World Series? Right.
A fun factor to the game was that my friend Scott happened to also be in attendance. He's a Mets fan, but I try not to hold that against him. We had the pleasure of hanging out with him for a few innings and explore some of the ballpark which was also quite fun.
The best part of the game was that the Mets lost to the Marlins! It's fun to watch the Mets lose!
After the game, we hopped back into the car and hit the road to our second stop - Cooperstown, NY. I also drove this leg of the trip while Jen dropped in and out of consciousness. Cooperstown is quite a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, one could get lost here and fall off the face of the earth. It's a cute place, though, from what we've seen so far. A very small, quaint town dotted with Bed & Breakfasts and baseball memoriabilia. We had a nice dinner before we settled in for the night.
Tomorrow, as you can guess, we'll be acquiring new baseball knowledge as we explore Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame. I am sure day two will be just as fun as today!
I drove this leg of the trip so Jen could rest. She helps people, you know, so she deserved a good solid nap. The morning was a bit cloudy, but about halfway into our first drive, the skies cleared and the sun was shining. It was beautiful weather for hitting the open roads. We cruised through northeastern PA, northern New Jersey, and into New York in good time. In reality, we crossed the George Washington Bridge into Queens - this was my first time driving in any part of NYC and I must say, it wasn't that bad. I wouldn't want to do that every day however.
(By the way, tolls to cross bridges in NYC are ludicrous.)
Our first stop was CitiField or the "New Mets Stadium" for a Mets game versus the Marlins. Being that Jen and I are true Phillies fans, we headed out for this adventure wearing Phillies shirts. If you follow baseball you know the Phillies and Mets are NL East Rivals and Mets fans HATE Phillies fans. I was well prepared to have a beer dumped on me, but thankfully that didn't happen.
CitiField is an extremely nice ballpark. I think we were both most impressed by the food offerings. Pulled pork sandwiches and spare ribs, brick-oven pizza, tacos, nachos, Nathans hot dogs (of course), among others... whatever the food, it was kicked up a notch and quite well cooked. Lots of fancy condiment options as well. Jen enjoyed a pulled pork sandwich and I sampled some french fries from Box Frites with chipotle sauce. Very delicious. (It's not Chickey's and Pete's crab fries, but not bad at all for ballpark food.)
We were also impressed with Jackie Robinson rotunda, which is a main entrance to the stadium and a tribute to his legacy of breaking the color barrier in baseball and basically being a phenomenal addition to the sport. We ruffled some Mets fans' feathers, though, when we hopped in front of the blue 42 to get a picture taken. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do for the tourist photo memories.
We didn't have the greatest seats for the game. We sat in the upper deck along 3rd base. Apparently, the Mets fans who sit in this section are required to have an IQ below 60. Honestly, these people were quite ridiculous. Many of them didn't actually have seats where they were seated and would then get upset when the rightful seat holder would ask them to move. It ain't rocket science, you know? Seats have numbers for this very reason.
We had the pleasure of sitting by a family of four - man, woman, boy age 5, girl age 3 - who thought it was appropriate to purchase only two seats and then plop themselves into a total of 4 seats. While the girl was cute in her little Mets cheerleader uniform, the boy whined obnoxiously. Sometimes I like children at the ballpark; this was not one of those times.
We also had the pleasure to sit three seats away from a Mets fan who reminded us that the Phillies weren't actually playing the Mets. Funny that he thought we wouldn't have known this when we purchased tickets that read "Marlins vs Mets." I didn't know I could ONLY wear a Phillies shirt when I was, in fact, AT a Phillies game.
We did see three other Phillies fans. They were nice. Like us, they too could be considered slightly insane for wearing Phillies gear in this hostile environment, but we all seemed to survive the random comments of "Phillies suck" or "Utley sucks" or "You know the Phillies aren't playing today?" Strange. Who won the 2008 World Series? Right.
A fun factor to the game was that my friend Scott happened to also be in attendance. He's a Mets fan, but I try not to hold that against him. We had the pleasure of hanging out with him for a few innings and explore some of the ballpark which was also quite fun.
The best part of the game was that the Mets lost to the Marlins! It's fun to watch the Mets lose!
After the game, we hopped back into the car and hit the road to our second stop - Cooperstown, NY. I also drove this leg of the trip while Jen dropped in and out of consciousness. Cooperstown is quite a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. Seriously, one could get lost here and fall off the face of the earth. It's a cute place, though, from what we've seen so far. A very small, quaint town dotted with Bed & Breakfasts and baseball memoriabilia. We had a nice dinner before we settled in for the night.
Tomorrow, as you can guess, we'll be acquiring new baseball knowledge as we explore Cooperstown's Baseball Hall of Fame. I am sure day two will be just as fun as today!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Anxious Anticipation
On Saturday, cousin Jen and I will embark on a 11-day road trip, what I am calling "Carol and Jen's Northeast Adventure." I have wanted to take this road trip for years and now that the trip is planned, I am definitely ready to go! We have an exciting assortment of sites and attractions planned in seven states and we plan to explore and eat our way through this part of the country. If you're interested in the itinerary, it follows:
Sat, May 30: Mets vs. Marlins - Flushing, NY
Sun, May 31: Cooperstown, NY
Mon, June 1: Burlington, VT
Tues, June 2: Franconia State Park, NH
Wed, June 3: Portland, ME
Thurs, June 4: Wells, ME/Kennebunkport, ME
Fri, June 5: Salem, MA/Red Sox vs. Rangers - Boston, MA
Sat, June 6: Boston, MA
Sun, June 7: Providence, RI
Mon, June 8: Mystic, CT/New Haven, CT/Yankees vs. Rays - Bronx, NY
It's going to be a blast!
Sat, May 30: Mets vs. Marlins - Flushing, NY
Sun, May 31: Cooperstown, NY
Mon, June 1: Burlington, VT
Tues, June 2: Franconia State Park, NH
Wed, June 3: Portland, ME
Thurs, June 4: Wells, ME/Kennebunkport, ME
Fri, June 5: Salem, MA/Red Sox vs. Rangers - Boston, MA
Sat, June 6: Boston, MA
Sun, June 7: Providence, RI
Mon, June 8: Mystic, CT/New Haven, CT/Yankees vs. Rays - Bronx, NY
It's going to be a blast!
Monday, May 25, 2009
Pete Yorn & Coldplay
After a torrential downpour of some thunderstorms with lightning included, the skies actually cleared enough for this concert event to go on. Due to the rain, the opening acts were adjusted to accommodate the schedule. Howling Belles, who I never heard of, didn't get to perform; Pete Yorn, who I absolutely love, performed for only about 30 minutes but he was as great as expected. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good photo to share but I can tell you that I'm certain his new album will be great. He featured one new song and I did like it. He also played some all-time favorites including Strange Condition and For Nancy which are obviously two of his best songs. I hope to see him again for a much longer show.
Coldplay was, hands-down, amazing. Seriously, they put on such a great show - a fantastic mix of their new album with some old classics. From the new album, I really enjoyed Strawberry Swing, Lost, and of course Viva La Vida. Old favorites that I enjoyed were Fix You, Politik, The Scientist, and Clocks. It was a great mix of energy and enthusiasm.
Chris Martin is fantastic. He's an unbelievable performer. I especially enjoyed when he initiated the "first ever Mexican cell phone wave throughout Hershey Stadium". He did this from a microphone that was set up about 30 feet from our seats. The whole band came up into the stands and sang a few songs. It was great. I think Chris Martin exemplifies someone who just loves what he does on a daily basis - I find him inspirational.
One of the biggest reasons I like Coldplay is because they really seem to want to connect with their fans as much as possible. It was especially great when they handed out a free CD with about 9 songs on it at the end of the show. Granted, these are probably accessible for free from their website, but it's a nice gesture.
What a fanstastic event. I hope to see them again.
Coldplay was, hands-down, amazing. Seriously, they put on such a great show - a fantastic mix of their new album with some old classics. From the new album, I really enjoyed Strawberry Swing, Lost, and of course Viva La Vida. Old favorites that I enjoyed were Fix You, Politik, The Scientist, and Clocks. It was a great mix of energy and enthusiasm.
Chris Martin is fantastic. He's an unbelievable performer. I especially enjoyed when he initiated the "first ever Mexican cell phone wave throughout Hershey Stadium". He did this from a microphone that was set up about 30 feet from our seats. The whole band came up into the stands and sang a few songs. It was great. I think Chris Martin exemplifies someone who just loves what he does on a daily basis - I find him inspirational.
One of the biggest reasons I like Coldplay is because they really seem to want to connect with their fans as much as possible. It was especially great when they handed out a free CD with about 9 songs on it at the end of the show. Granted, these are probably accessible for free from their website, but it's a nice gesture.What a fanstastic event. I hope to see them again.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
A Month Since...
It's been a solid month since my trip to Memphis. I haven't posted about anything in my life since then. I'm not really sure why, as I spend the majority of every day talking to myself about all sorts of random things. Because I only work part time a few hours a day, only a few days a week, I do have a lot of time to play around with, and I spend a lot of this time immersed in my own thoughts. Since my trip to Memphis, it's become fairly obvious to me that there are a few things I miss.
For starters, I generally miss my independence. It's not to say that I don't do what I want every day, because for the most part, I do. But it is to say that I miss having my own world, my own independent world. I miss having my own space in my own apartment. I miss using my own things, like my own pots and pans and my own television. In essence, I miss having control over my living arrangements. I know that's somewhat of a petty thing, and I don't mean to sound unappreciative of the roof over my head and the food on the table, but there's just something about having my own space that I really relish and really miss.
I also miss what I feel is my daily sense of adventure. That's not to say that I had this crazy independent adventurous life at all times because that certainly was never the case. But there's just the sense that when I was out on my own, each day could hold some very different mini-adventures. Living in a city meant I could run into very different random faces at basically every corner. Again, I'm appreciative to be home and spend time with people I normally don't see, but after these few months, it's all become quite routine. Same restaurant. Same bar. Same people. Same gym routines. Repeat.
I guess that lately I've been feeling a little bit bored on a daily basis. Not that job searching is boring by any means, because it's not, but when paired with my general sense of boredom, I find myself quite antsy lately. Physically, I'm ready to move on to my next life phase, but the cosmos have not yet aligned, and I'm stuck - waiting and pondering, waiting and pondering - while going through the daily motions. I haven't freaked out yet or had a breakdown, and I've been quite pleased with my sense of patience, but I'm ready...
ready for what exactly, well, that's still working itself out. I'm pretty certain, though, that I'll know it when I see it.
For starters, I generally miss my independence. It's not to say that I don't do what I want every day, because for the most part, I do. But it is to say that I miss having my own world, my own independent world. I miss having my own space in my own apartment. I miss using my own things, like my own pots and pans and my own television. In essence, I miss having control over my living arrangements. I know that's somewhat of a petty thing, and I don't mean to sound unappreciative of the roof over my head and the food on the table, but there's just something about having my own space that I really relish and really miss.
I also miss what I feel is my daily sense of adventure. That's not to say that I had this crazy independent adventurous life at all times because that certainly was never the case. But there's just the sense that when I was out on my own, each day could hold some very different mini-adventures. Living in a city meant I could run into very different random faces at basically every corner. Again, I'm appreciative to be home and spend time with people I normally don't see, but after these few months, it's all become quite routine. Same restaurant. Same bar. Same people. Same gym routines. Repeat.
I guess that lately I've been feeling a little bit bored on a daily basis. Not that job searching is boring by any means, because it's not, but when paired with my general sense of boredom, I find myself quite antsy lately. Physically, I'm ready to move on to my next life phase, but the cosmos have not yet aligned, and I'm stuck - waiting and pondering, waiting and pondering - while going through the daily motions. I haven't freaked out yet or had a breakdown, and I've been quite pleased with my sense of patience, but I'm ready...
ready for what exactly, well, that's still working itself out. I'm pretty certain, though, that I'll know it when I see it.
Monday, May 04, 2009
Memphis Trip, Recap 5
OK, so I dropped the ball on recapping my trip. It seems like it was ages ago, even though it was only a few weeks. I have a weird perspective on time right now, probably because I have so much time to do whatever I want with. Anyway, here's the summary on the rest of my trip.
On Saturday night, Sebastian and I went out again. The bottom line is it wasn't the most fun I've ever had. I'm not saying it wasn't enjoyable, because it was, it just wouldn't have been my first choice of where to be and who to spend time with on such a short visit. Thank God for Rachel - she always comes through in the clutch and was definitely the highlight of the evening. We had a good time continuing to catch up while not getting too crazy. I ran into some random former students which was kind of fun, but overall it was just your pretty average night out...
until 2am, that is.
Around 2am, some of my former soccer students showed up and were, you could say, a little out of control. But these guys always make me laugh, and laugh I did. I don't even really know what prompted such random chanting of Irish soccer songs and other craziness, but it was definitely a good time to laugh loud and laugh hard. I guess I was still pretty wired because I had Sebastian drop me off to hang out with some other former soccer students late in the evening/early morning. The events that transpired past 3am are not for all to hear about, so I'll just keep those memories to myself.
I will say that Rachel gets the award for "Best in Show" as she had the best showing of the former students for hanging out with me and making me laugh so darn much. She's pretty much a legend and I am so glad I got to spend so much time with her.
The remainder of the trip was pretty casual. I had a nice lunch with the golfers and a nice relaxing afternoon hanging out with Sebastian before I headed to the airport. I'd say, overall, it was a very enjoyable and rewarding trip, and apparently exactly what I needed.
On Saturday night, Sebastian and I went out again. The bottom line is it wasn't the most fun I've ever had. I'm not saying it wasn't enjoyable, because it was, it just wouldn't have been my first choice of where to be and who to spend time with on such a short visit. Thank God for Rachel - she always comes through in the clutch and was definitely the highlight of the evening. We had a good time continuing to catch up while not getting too crazy. I ran into some random former students which was kind of fun, but overall it was just your pretty average night out...
until 2am, that is.
Around 2am, some of my former soccer students showed up and were, you could say, a little out of control. But these guys always make me laugh, and laugh I did. I don't even really know what prompted such random chanting of Irish soccer songs and other craziness, but it was definitely a good time to laugh loud and laugh hard. I guess I was still pretty wired because I had Sebastian drop me off to hang out with some other former soccer students late in the evening/early morning. The events that transpired past 3am are not for all to hear about, so I'll just keep those memories to myself.
I will say that Rachel gets the award for "Best in Show" as she had the best showing of the former students for hanging out with me and making me laugh so darn much. She's pretty much a legend and I am so glad I got to spend so much time with her.
The remainder of the trip was pretty casual. I had a nice lunch with the golfers and a nice relaxing afternoon hanging out with Sebastian before I headed to the airport. I'd say, overall, it was a very enjoyable and rewarding trip, and apparently exactly what I needed.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Memphis Trip, Recap 4
After the meet, Bridget, Sebastian and I ventured downtown to Gus's Fried Chicken, where the daily special is always chicken. Hands down, this is the most amazing fried chicken one could ever eat. I am usually appalled by people who live in Memphis or who have lived there for over a year's time who have not visited this amazing establishment. For starters, it's a hole in the wall, old fashioned, one-room restaurant. It's not fancy by any means. The cups, silverware and plates are plastic. But I swear to you, it's the most amazing chicken.
As we were waiting in line, the waitress asked two adolescents to kindly stop propping open the door because it was allowing cold air to enter the restaurant. We were standing by the jukebox next to the door. After the waitress made her request, these two moved out of the way and allowed the door to shut. A new patron, a twenty-something female stepped in and propped the door open; she wasn't able to hear the waitress's request. You would think in this social scenario, that these two youngsters would kindly say something like, "Excuse me, Miss, but the waitress just requested for the door to remain shut." I mean, to me, this seems like the logical step in this situation, right? Apparently not, as the two blockheads said nothing, but instead just stood there. I stepped in and relayed this message to the woman, because clearly I felt this was the appropriate thing to do. Has civilization really lost its ability to function? What the hell is wrong with people?
Anyway, a few minutes later we were seated. I ordered an appetizer of fried pickles, which are a southern delicacy of sorts. Gus's fried pickles are my favorite - the breading is most delicious, however, you have to be careful as to not burn the roof of your mouth when you bite into one of these things as the result could be painful.
I ordered my usual feast - 2 pieces of white meat with a side of fries and a side of beans. The chicken comes on a piece of white bread, which I am convinced exists solely to mop up the grease from the chicken. (Friend Coleman eats this bread, it's his favorite part of the meal. He's clearly insane but most of us already knew this.) Anyway, the chicken did not disappoint. Just the right amount of flavor in the breading paired with the juiciest chicken which created a mouth-watering delight with every bite. Oh my goodness.
In all seriousness, I dream about this chicken. It's soooo good. I used to eat it at least once a month. I'm not sure how I can go another four months without it. No chicken will ever taste better to me. If you're in Memphis and you're reading this, please go to Gus's tomorrow and eat the chicken. It will be worth it. I promise. And send me a picture. Please.
As we were waiting in line, the waitress asked two adolescents to kindly stop propping open the door because it was allowing cold air to enter the restaurant. We were standing by the jukebox next to the door. After the waitress made her request, these two moved out of the way and allowed the door to shut. A new patron, a twenty-something female stepped in and propped the door open; she wasn't able to hear the waitress's request. You would think in this social scenario, that these two youngsters would kindly say something like, "Excuse me, Miss, but the waitress just requested for the door to remain shut." I mean, to me, this seems like the logical step in this situation, right? Apparently not, as the two blockheads said nothing, but instead just stood there. I stepped in and relayed this message to the woman, because clearly I felt this was the appropriate thing to do. Has civilization really lost its ability to function? What the hell is wrong with people?
Anyway, a few minutes later we were seated. I ordered an appetizer of fried pickles, which are a southern delicacy of sorts. Gus's fried pickles are my favorite - the breading is most delicious, however, you have to be careful as to not burn the roof of your mouth when you bite into one of these things as the result could be painful.
I ordered my usual feast - 2 pieces of white meat with a side of fries and a side of beans. The chicken comes on a piece of white bread, which I am convinced exists solely to mop up the grease from the chicken. (Friend Coleman eats this bread, it's his favorite part of the meal. He's clearly insane but most of us already knew this.) Anyway, the chicken did not disappoint. Just the right amount of flavor in the breading paired with the juiciest chicken which created a mouth-watering delight with every bite. Oh my goodness.
In all seriousness, I dream about this chicken. It's soooo good. I used to eat it at least once a month. I'm not sure how I can go another four months without it. No chicken will ever taste better to me. If you're in Memphis and you're reading this, please go to Gus's tomorrow and eat the chicken. It will be worth it. I promise. And send me a picture. Please.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Memphis Trip, Recap 3
I was up decently early Saturday despite the lateness of the previous night. I had lunch with my friend Betty Kay. She said she felt like time went by pretty quickly since I was last in Memphis so I guess that's a good thing. We had a fun time catching up and pondering what the future might hold in our uncertain lives.
After lunch, I headed over to the University because the track team was hosting a meet throughout the day. You may recall that I worked with the track student-athletes while at Memphis so this happened to be a nice way to see many students in one setting.
Just about every student was shocked to see me. I was continuously greeted throughout the day by phrases like "Oh my God, Carol!" or "Carol, I can't believe you're here!" or "Carol, what the hell are you doing here?" It was pretty funny. In all honesty, I sort of felt like a small town celebrity. People wanted to hug me and talk to me and inquire about my life. Maybe this was my proverbial fifteen minutes of fame? Who knows, but it was a delight to see everyone.
My favorite comment of the weekend came at the meet. I ran into a former student, Brian, who I worked with for 3.5 years. He and I used to have some great chats in my office and I got the sense he missed those conversations. He greeted me with a hug and then said, "Oh, so you're not pregnant."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
You may refer to a previous post where I did, in fact, know this would happen. I knew someone out there would think I up and left my job because of some unwanted, unplanned pregnancy. As I noted earlier on the blog and as I know for certainty, I am not carrying a child. I may have put on a few pounds, but I am definitely not expecting. I found this whole conversation with Brian absolutely hysterial. He definitely gets the award for comment of the weekend.
There was another moment at the meet that was particularly striking to me. You see, because we live in the real world, it's expected that we're not going to like everyone and everyone isn't always going to like us. I am a realist so I always knew this to be true. There was a student on the track team who I worked with for a few semesters and you could say that he and I didn't "click" all the time. It was okay, though, because we found a way to make things work. I ran into him, and it was actually a pleasant moment. Without saying so, he basically implied he had a fond appreciation for what I did and he actually missed me being around to help him. He's one of those I had a sense would "miss me when I was gone." It's not that I want to hold this power over someone, but it is the case that he really didn't know how good he had it until I left. I got the sense a lot of my students felt that way, some because they told me so directly but others just by how they said certain things or talked about their current situations.
This is the closest I have to experiencing satisfaction, knowing that I did make an impact and knowing that it is finally being appreciated. I guess I needed some of this affirmation. It helped give me some more closure that in some way I needed.
The track meet was rewarding, as was catching up with all sorts of students throughout the weekend. I'm so glad I had the chance to do so. I always said I would miss the students and the people in general, and that's certainly true. I miss their stories and I miss seeing them grow. I'm just thankful for the small moments I had to reconnect. It was really a rewarding afternoon.
After lunch, I headed over to the University because the track team was hosting a meet throughout the day. You may recall that I worked with the track student-athletes while at Memphis so this happened to be a nice way to see many students in one setting.
Just about every student was shocked to see me. I was continuously greeted throughout the day by phrases like "Oh my God, Carol!" or "Carol, I can't believe you're here!" or "Carol, what the hell are you doing here?" It was pretty funny. In all honesty, I sort of felt like a small town celebrity. People wanted to hug me and talk to me and inquire about my life. Maybe this was my proverbial fifteen minutes of fame? Who knows, but it was a delight to see everyone.
My favorite comment of the weekend came at the meet. I ran into a former student, Brian, who I worked with for 3.5 years. He and I used to have some great chats in my office and I got the sense he missed those conversations. He greeted me with a hug and then said, "Oh, so you're not pregnant."
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
You may refer to a previous post where I did, in fact, know this would happen. I knew someone out there would think I up and left my job because of some unwanted, unplanned pregnancy. As I noted earlier on the blog and as I know for certainty, I am not carrying a child. I may have put on a few pounds, but I am definitely not expecting. I found this whole conversation with Brian absolutely hysterial. He definitely gets the award for comment of the weekend.
There was another moment at the meet that was particularly striking to me. You see, because we live in the real world, it's expected that we're not going to like everyone and everyone isn't always going to like us. I am a realist so I always knew this to be true. There was a student on the track team who I worked with for a few semesters and you could say that he and I didn't "click" all the time. It was okay, though, because we found a way to make things work. I ran into him, and it was actually a pleasant moment. Without saying so, he basically implied he had a fond appreciation for what I did and he actually missed me being around to help him. He's one of those I had a sense would "miss me when I was gone." It's not that I want to hold this power over someone, but it is the case that he really didn't know how good he had it until I left. I got the sense a lot of my students felt that way, some because they told me so directly but others just by how they said certain things or talked about their current situations.
This is the closest I have to experiencing satisfaction, knowing that I did make an impact and knowing that it is finally being appreciated. I guess I needed some of this affirmation. It helped give me some more closure that in some way I needed.
The track meet was rewarding, as was catching up with all sorts of students throughout the weekend. I'm so glad I had the chance to do so. I always said I would miss the students and the people in general, and that's certainly true. I miss their stories and I miss seeing them grow. I'm just thankful for the small moments I had to reconnect. It was really a rewarding afternoon.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Memphis Trip, Recap 2
Amazingly, I woke up pretty energized Friday morning. I anticipated it would be a fantastic day, and I was certainly correct. Around noon, I headed off to my old office building to meet up with some folks for lunch. These are some great ladies, let me say. For starters, they appreciate me for the total goofball that I am so that always helps. We had a pretty calm, casual lunch at one of my favorite places near campus. Always a pleasure.
Around 2pm, Bridget and I headed off to Bosco's, a bar in midtown that brews its own beer. Bosco's is great when the weather is nice because they have a fabulous outdoor patio. Since the weather was beautiful - sunny skies, crisp air, about 75 degrees - we had a lovely early happy hour. We drank there until 7pm, enjoying the weather and dishing on the latest gossip. I admit it, I'm not ashamed. We gossiped and swapped stories and shared some laughter for a great part of the afternoon. A little later our friends Kristen and Tia joined us before we headed off to Corky's for dinner.
Corky's is a Memphis staple food, known most for its bar-b-que. I am a big fan of their pulled pork so that's what I had. In all honesty, Memphis does have the best bar-b-que I've ever had, and I enjoy this pork no matter what. Not to mention, it's actually cheap as hell for the helping you get. When you can add some hush puppies on the side, what can be better than that?
After dinner, we headed to Celtic Crossing for the remainder of the evening. As I noted, I love this bar. There's always an eclectic crowd of people and usually good music. I will note, though, that the service is sometimes really bad. It's good that we all have working limbs because it was definitely easier to get our own drinks at the bar.
A few friends and the golfers joined us for what turned into one heck of an evening. Again, we shared a great deal of laughs, dishing on people, remembering some old memories of ridiculousness and, of course, making new memories.
Sometime after 1am, the DJ started playing music like Regulate by Warren G and No Diggity/No Doubt by I don't even remember who and other early 90s hip hop/rap music. I think Phil was impressed by my knowledge of these songs, as I was singing each lyric in some giddy drunken state. Appropriately, I made Phil request Baby Got Back and the DJ so inclined to humor us with this madness.
It is a rare occassion when Celtic Crossing becomes a dance party, but this so happened to be one of those evenings. For starters, Rachel was hammered and loving every minute of her dancing. Bridget loves when these things happen so obviously she had a good time. Phil is a pretty impressive dancer, by the way, and certainly entertained me with his skills. I think at this point Mark was off somewhere hitting on someone - it wouldn't be a complete evening if he wasn't. I'm not sure what Sebastian was thinking at this point, but we had one heck of a time. Mark was located for the 80s music by Journey and such, and we definitely had a good time belting out some tunes.
Bridget and I calculated that we put in a pretty solid 12-hour work day of drinking. At 3:30am, it dawned on me that the last time I was out this late was also with Mark and Phil. It's probably a good thing I don't see them every weekend because I'm not sure my liver can handle it. I miss days like this. Pure absolute enjoyment. I couldn't have asked for a better day. I think my abs still hurt from laughing so hard.
Around 2pm, Bridget and I headed off to Bosco's, a bar in midtown that brews its own beer. Bosco's is great when the weather is nice because they have a fabulous outdoor patio. Since the weather was beautiful - sunny skies, crisp air, about 75 degrees - we had a lovely early happy hour. We drank there until 7pm, enjoying the weather and dishing on the latest gossip. I admit it, I'm not ashamed. We gossiped and swapped stories and shared some laughter for a great part of the afternoon. A little later our friends Kristen and Tia joined us before we headed off to Corky's for dinner.
Corky's is a Memphis staple food, known most for its bar-b-que. I am a big fan of their pulled pork so that's what I had. In all honesty, Memphis does have the best bar-b-que I've ever had, and I enjoy this pork no matter what. Not to mention, it's actually cheap as hell for the helping you get. When you can add some hush puppies on the side, what can be better than that?
After dinner, we headed to Celtic Crossing for the remainder of the evening. As I noted, I love this bar. There's always an eclectic crowd of people and usually good music. I will note, though, that the service is sometimes really bad. It's good that we all have working limbs because it was definitely easier to get our own drinks at the bar.
A few friends and the golfers joined us for what turned into one heck of an evening. Again, we shared a great deal of laughs, dishing on people, remembering some old memories of ridiculousness and, of course, making new memories.
Sometime after 1am, the DJ started playing music like Regulate by Warren G and No Diggity/No Doubt by I don't even remember who and other early 90s hip hop/rap music. I think Phil was impressed by my knowledge of these songs, as I was singing each lyric in some giddy drunken state. Appropriately, I made Phil request Baby Got Back and the DJ so inclined to humor us with this madness.
It is a rare occassion when Celtic Crossing becomes a dance party, but this so happened to be one of those evenings. For starters, Rachel was hammered and loving every minute of her dancing. Bridget loves when these things happen so obviously she had a good time. Phil is a pretty impressive dancer, by the way, and certainly entertained me with his skills. I think at this point Mark was off somewhere hitting on someone - it wouldn't be a complete evening if he wasn't. I'm not sure what Sebastian was thinking at this point, but we had one heck of a time. Mark was located for the 80s music by Journey and such, and we definitely had a good time belting out some tunes.
Bridget and I calculated that we put in a pretty solid 12-hour work day of drinking. At 3:30am, it dawned on me that the last time I was out this late was also with Mark and Phil. It's probably a good thing I don't see them every weekend because I'm not sure my liver can handle it. I miss days like this. Pure absolute enjoyment. I couldn't have asked for a better day. I think my abs still hurt from laughing so hard.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Memphis Trip, Recap 1
As I noted, my trip to Memphis was pretty great. I still think I'm reeling in how good it felt to reconnect with so many great people. My first day, Thursday, was an extremely relaxing day. I woke up pretty darn early to leave for the airport at 6:30am. I arrived in Memphis around noon, and was greeted by a shining sun, a cool breeze and my friend Sebastian. The southern air was crisp and I enjoyed the feeling of flip flops on my feet.
Sebastian and I had lunch at one of my favorite Mexican joints. Central PA just doesn't have these types of options, and I was craving some spicy salsa and lunch fajitas - the meal did not disappoint. After lunch, I dropped by the old office to say hello to my former coworkers. I gotta say, it was nice to see the people, but I sure as heck haven't missed that place one bit. I didn't have any sense of nostalgia, and that reaffirmed that I know I made the right deciscion to leave when I did.
I headed off a little later to the practice fields to hang out at soccer practice. I used to work with these guys so I wanted to see as many of them as I could. Practice seemed to be a good option. It was a beautiful day to be outside. When I arrived at practice, they were already in the midst of a drill. Their faces were funny because most of them were shocked to see me but they had to stay focused on the drill at hand, so there was no crazy reactions. After the drill, though, I was greeted by a round of hugs and high fives. Just being around these guys again gave me a great feeling. I really do love a lot of them like family. It's nice to see them working hard and enjoying their sport.
Later in the day, I had dinner with three of the seniors on the team. These three absolutely crack me up. They were three of the first students I worked with at Memphis so we've been through a lot together. I absolutely adore each of them for their own individualized crazy lives and I love spending time with them. I'm excited for each of them and what their futures hold.
After dinner, I met some friends out at my favorite Memphis bar, Celtic Crossing. God, I missed that place. And it was so nice to be able to sit outside at night and drink a few without freezing. I'm over the fact that the golfers promised to go out with me and then bailed at the last minute, I think because Rachel came through in the clutch - she's a champ. More on that later.
Anyway, it was a pretty great relaxing stress-free day in Memphis. Who knew such a thing existed?
Sebastian and I had lunch at one of my favorite Mexican joints. Central PA just doesn't have these types of options, and I was craving some spicy salsa and lunch fajitas - the meal did not disappoint. After lunch, I dropped by the old office to say hello to my former coworkers. I gotta say, it was nice to see the people, but I sure as heck haven't missed that place one bit. I didn't have any sense of nostalgia, and that reaffirmed that I know I made the right deciscion to leave when I did.
I headed off a little later to the practice fields to hang out at soccer practice. I used to work with these guys so I wanted to see as many of them as I could. Practice seemed to be a good option. It was a beautiful day to be outside. When I arrived at practice, they were already in the midst of a drill. Their faces were funny because most of them were shocked to see me but they had to stay focused on the drill at hand, so there was no crazy reactions. After the drill, though, I was greeted by a round of hugs and high fives. Just being around these guys again gave me a great feeling. I really do love a lot of them like family. It's nice to see them working hard and enjoying their sport.
Later in the day, I had dinner with three of the seniors on the team. These three absolutely crack me up. They were three of the first students I worked with at Memphis so we've been through a lot together. I absolutely adore each of them for their own individualized crazy lives and I love spending time with them. I'm excited for each of them and what their futures hold.
After dinner, I met some friends out at my favorite Memphis bar, Celtic Crossing. God, I missed that place. And it was so nice to be able to sit outside at night and drink a few without freezing. I'm over the fact that the golfers promised to go out with me and then bailed at the last minute, I think because Rachel came through in the clutch - she's a champ. More on that later.
Anyway, it was a pretty great relaxing stress-free day in Memphis. Who knew such a thing existed?
Monday, April 20, 2009
Drink, Laugh, Love
I think these three words can best sum up my weekend visit to Memphis: Drink, Laugh, Love.
I chose these words because they share a commonality: abundance.
I definitely drank in abundance, best indicated by my 12-hour workday of drinking with friend Bridget on Friday. It's hard not to put in a workday of drinking when you can sit on an outdoor patio at 2pm and enjoy 75 degree weather. It's also hard not to put in a workday of drinking when you meet up with other friends later in the evening and the bar you're in proceeds to play early 90s hip hop and rap music such as Baby Got Back and Regulate. That obviously makes for a ridiculous time.
I spent four days in complete laughter. Honestly, I haven't laughed so much and so hard in such a long time. So many fun conversations, comments, moments - it was just great to be able to kick back and finally relax with former students and friends. I cherish the laughter and the fun.
I also felt pretty emotional at times, in the sense that I really felt an abundance of love. It's nice to have the feeling that my life has been touched by so many wonderful people; it's also nice that these wonderful people share this feeling toward me. It's hard to put to words really, but I feel extremely blessed to have so many great people be a part of my life.
That's just a small recap of the weekend. I'll be reminiscing more throughout the week.
I chose these words because they share a commonality: abundance.
I definitely drank in abundance, best indicated by my 12-hour workday of drinking with friend Bridget on Friday. It's hard not to put in a workday of drinking when you can sit on an outdoor patio at 2pm and enjoy 75 degree weather. It's also hard not to put in a workday of drinking when you meet up with other friends later in the evening and the bar you're in proceeds to play early 90s hip hop and rap music such as Baby Got Back and Regulate. That obviously makes for a ridiculous time.
I spent four days in complete laughter. Honestly, I haven't laughed so much and so hard in such a long time. So many fun conversations, comments, moments - it was just great to be able to kick back and finally relax with former students and friends. I cherish the laughter and the fun.
I also felt pretty emotional at times, in the sense that I really felt an abundance of love. It's nice to have the feeling that my life has been touched by so many wonderful people; it's also nice that these wonderful people share this feeling toward me. It's hard to put to words really, but I feel extremely blessed to have so many great people be a part of my life.
That's just a small recap of the weekend. I'll be reminiscing more throughout the week.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
No sympathy
I have absolutely no sympathy for people like this: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/04/11/polar.bear.attack/index.html
I mean, what did this woman expect to happen when she jumped into a polar bear's habitat? Did she expect the polar bear to playfully lick her face and allow her to pet him? Maybe she thought the polar bear would even be so kind to allow the woman to jump on his back and give her a ride around his habitat. Seriously. What the hell is wrong with people?
I mean, what did this woman expect to happen when she jumped into a polar bear's habitat? Did she expect the polar bear to playfully lick her face and allow her to pet him? Maybe she thought the polar bear would even be so kind to allow the woman to jump on his back and give her a ride around his habitat. Seriously. What the hell is wrong with people?
Monday, April 06, 2009
Justification of Hatred
It's really a sad moment when you come to finally have the proof of something you've known all along. Maybe you waited a long time to actually find the proof even though you know it was out there in plain black and white for years. You could have easily found the truth and had the proof but for some reason, maybe you didn't actually want to be confirmed in your initial belief.
Well I just had one of those moments, and my hatred for a certain two individuals has been justified. I'm not ashamed to admit this hatred, even though I was raised not to hate. In all honesty, part of me is actually glad I'm justified in my hatred. I'm sick of pretending I don't want to be hateful toward these two individuals, and I am sick of the Catholic guilt I experience when I want to hate them but try not to. The bottom line is, from here on out, it's all hatred.
If you're not good enough to respect me the way I deserve after you've sucked the life out of me and I saved your ass a million and one times, then you deserve the hatred I feel toward you.
I believe in karma. One day, I'll reap my reward for putting up with these two individuals' incessant bullshit. I hope these two pricks get what's coming to them. I hope I can be there the day they are pulled from their mighty high horses. I'd like to kick them when they are down.
There's some real emotion. Judge away. I don't care.
Well I just had one of those moments, and my hatred for a certain two individuals has been justified. I'm not ashamed to admit this hatred, even though I was raised not to hate. In all honesty, part of me is actually glad I'm justified in my hatred. I'm sick of pretending I don't want to be hateful toward these two individuals, and I am sick of the Catholic guilt I experience when I want to hate them but try not to. The bottom line is, from here on out, it's all hatred.
If you're not good enough to respect me the way I deserve after you've sucked the life out of me and I saved your ass a million and one times, then you deserve the hatred I feel toward you.
I believe in karma. One day, I'll reap my reward for putting up with these two individuals' incessant bullshit. I hope these two pricks get what's coming to them. I hope I can be there the day they are pulled from their mighty high horses. I'd like to kick them when they are down.
There's some real emotion. Judge away. I don't care.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Cycling
I've been attending cycling classes at the gym I joined, you know, "spinning" for you sophisticated types. I like cycling. It's a solid hour of serious ass-kicking, especially if you really push yourself as hard as you can at all times.
Today, I almost lost my ankle. No joke. I really didn't think cycling on a stationary bike could be considered dangerous to one's health; today, however, I met my match.
We were about twenty minutes into the workout. This is around the part where I start sweating profusely and people mistake me for a man. What can I say, sweating in large quantities is in my blood. I thank the southern Italians. Anyway, we were in the phase of the workout where we were sprinting; this is where you pedal as fast as you can without any resistance. As we were in our second sprinting interval, the bottom portion of my left pant leg got wrapped around the pedal. My pants were wrapped a good four times around before I felt the remainder of the pants cutting off the circulation just above my ankle! Ouch.
Thankfully, I was able to free myself from this workout debacle without any permanent damage to my ankle, lower leg, or pants. This is obviously a good thing as I'd like to have full function-ability in my lower extremeties for the remainder of my lifetime. I can deal with the slight pain I'm still feeling. It takes my mind off the pain throughout the remainder of my lower half from the actual workout.
(I'm not sure function-ability is a word, by the way.)
Today, I almost lost my ankle. No joke. I really didn't think cycling on a stationary bike could be considered dangerous to one's health; today, however, I met my match.
We were about twenty minutes into the workout. This is around the part where I start sweating profusely and people mistake me for a man. What can I say, sweating in large quantities is in my blood. I thank the southern Italians. Anyway, we were in the phase of the workout where we were sprinting; this is where you pedal as fast as you can without any resistance. As we were in our second sprinting interval, the bottom portion of my left pant leg got wrapped around the pedal. My pants were wrapped a good four times around before I felt the remainder of the pants cutting off the circulation just above my ankle! Ouch.
Thankfully, I was able to free myself from this workout debacle without any permanent damage to my ankle, lower leg, or pants. This is obviously a good thing as I'd like to have full function-ability in my lower extremeties for the remainder of my lifetime. I can deal with the slight pain I'm still feeling. It takes my mind off the pain throughout the remainder of my lower half from the actual workout.
(I'm not sure function-ability is a word, by the way.)
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Television Season
I remember a time when television shows followed a traditional season of new episodes. There was a one or two week span in September when stations would premiere a newly anticipated season of episodes of various shows. I'm sure there were others like me who spent a large chunk of the summer anxiously waiting for the new season to arrive. I remember also that a show ran every week, keeping viewers in suspense only for an appropriate seven days. After a certain number of episodes, the season would end in a cliff-hanger finale and summer would again bring its wait.
In recent years, I've noticed that television only partially follows this formula. Yes, there are premieres. Yes, there are episodes each week. Yes, there are cliff-hanger finales. However, it seems that some shows' seasons have a lot of interruptions.
Take for example, two of my favorite shows on ABC: Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. It seems that I now have to wait four weeks for new episodes to air. Then I imagine, there will be four or five new episodes in consecutive weeks before the big finale and hiatus for the summer. I find myself thinking that this type of set up is more common lately. Sure, there's always been a week off for things like Christmas or the SuperBowl or March Madness or the occassional awards show. But a whole month? That didn't seem common until recently.
Now it seems shows take these mid-season hiatuses, two weeks here or four weeks there. New shows are airing in September, November, January, March... whenever. Really, it makes the whole "season" hard to follow.
I like the frequent and consecutive season. I like the seven-day wait. I don't like the extended hiatus. I mean, there's only so much wasted air space one can take.
In recent years, I've noticed that television only partially follows this formula. Yes, there are premieres. Yes, there are episodes each week. Yes, there are cliff-hanger finales. However, it seems that some shows' seasons have a lot of interruptions.
Take for example, two of my favorite shows on ABC: Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters. It seems that I now have to wait four weeks for new episodes to air. Then I imagine, there will be four or five new episodes in consecutive weeks before the big finale and hiatus for the summer. I find myself thinking that this type of set up is more common lately. Sure, there's always been a week off for things like Christmas or the SuperBowl or March Madness or the occassional awards show. But a whole month? That didn't seem common until recently.
Now it seems shows take these mid-season hiatuses, two weeks here or four weeks there. New shows are airing in September, November, January, March... whenever. Really, it makes the whole "season" hard to follow.
I like the frequent and consecutive season. I like the seven-day wait. I don't like the extended hiatus. I mean, there's only so much wasted air space one can take.
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