It's early Thursday morning. I just went to my osteopath (for my lower back and hip pain - yes, some days I might be 80), which apparently makes my breakfast digest faster, so I'm hungry and lunch is over 2 hours away. All of this is a long explanation for this week's trivia topic: food. We, once again, boycotted trivia, this time in favor of a Sea Dogs baseball game. So, I found my own trivia. Here it is:
*What is the most recognizable smell in the world?
*If the Japanese delicacy fugu pufferfish isn’t prepared by an expert chef, what will happen to the eater?
*How many pounds of cheese does the average American eat per year?
*Spilling salt is considered good luck in which country?
*According to superstition over which shoulder should you sprinkle salt?
*What was E.T.’s favorite candy?
*In which decade was the Slurpee introduced – 1960s, 70s or 80s?
*Who was the first Ronald McDonald?
*How many eggs does Paul Newman’s character eat in the movie Cool Hand Luke?
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Because trivia and house-hunting seem to go hand-in-hand in my mind, I'll provide a brief update. We found a condo - it's great, we want it. In crunching numbers, we have realized that it might mean stretching ourselves to purchase it, which is mind-boggling since my house in Mass cost 2 times as much and we made less money. Perhaps, we're being too conservative, but I just fear the house-poor situation I just left behind. We press on...
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Answers:
Coffee
S/he’ll die (it’s poisonous if not prepared correctly)
28 lbs.
Japan
Left
Reese’s Pieces
1960s – 1965 to be exact, at 7Eleven
In 1962 Willard Scott of the Today Show and Bozo the Clown fame became the first Ronald McDonald
50
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
I Keep Forgettin'
Besides being a great Michael McDonald song from the 80s, this is how I feel about my relationship with my blog sometimes. I actually forget that I have it and that I have to keep the content fresh and new in order to keep it happy (yes, I just admitted that I think my blog has feelings). You'd think it would haunt my sleep or something.
If I had blogged about my weekend, I would have written about the vile black liquer known as Jager. I was about to have a button made for myself: "32.5 years without puking". From drinking, that is. But, thanks to a shot of Jager (with a little help from its lesser offender the Lemon Drop and 6 beers), I have to call the printers and cancel the order. Happy Hour started at 5:00, I was all puked out and in bed by 8:30.
After pickling myself on Friday, did I listen to the sober voice of reason telling me that alcohol was not my friend? Did Britney rush out and buy some new underwear at wal-trash? (that means no) I actually felt pretty darn good on Saturday but by my the 2nd beer on Saturday night, my throat started to close and I realized that I should keep a water in my hand to ensure no more malted beverages made it to my stomach.
And then...
Friends came in to town on Sunday and after a meal that took 2+ hours and 3 bottles of wine, we made our way to a local pub for some after-dinner drinks. I capped my weekend off by getting pulled over by Portland's finest because he thought that our car wasn't inspected (it was but MA puts its sticker on the right side of the windshield where ME puts it on the left or center). He also mentioned that I had "rolled" through a few of the blinking red lights but for some reason he spared me with a verbal warning and my weekend of self-pickling and drunken debauchery came to an end.
If I had blogged about my weekend, I would have written about the vile black liquer known as Jager. I was about to have a button made for myself: "32.5 years without puking". From drinking, that is. But, thanks to a shot of Jager (with a little help from its lesser offender the Lemon Drop and 6 beers), I have to call the printers and cancel the order. Happy Hour started at 5:00, I was all puked out and in bed by 8:30.
After pickling myself on Friday, did I listen to the sober voice of reason telling me that alcohol was not my friend? Did Britney rush out and buy some new underwear at wal-trash? (that means no) I actually felt pretty darn good on Saturday but by my the 2nd beer on Saturday night, my throat started to close and I realized that I should keep a water in my hand to ensure no more malted beverages made it to my stomach.
And then...
Friends came in to town on Sunday and after a meal that took 2+ hours and 3 bottles of wine, we made our way to a local pub for some after-dinner drinks. I capped my weekend off by getting pulled over by Portland's finest because he thought that our car wasn't inspected (it was but MA puts its sticker on the right side of the windshield where ME puts it on the left or center). He also mentioned that I had "rolled" through a few of the blinking red lights but for some reason he spared me with a verbal warning and my weekend of self-pickling and drunken debauchery came to an end.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Happy Mouth, Happy Team
Yes, my mouth is still happy about having eaten lunch at the local Greek Festival. Tall Guy and I waited in line for about 30 minutes, but the gyro and greek salad were worth it. And the pastries for dessert...mmmmmm.
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Another kickball victory last night for "Rick is 21." We played killer defense and had some amazing base-running to put us ahead 4-1. I know it's only supposed to be for fun, but, Damn! I like winning.
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Another kickball victory last night for "Rick is 21." We played killer defense and had some amazing base-running to put us ahead 4-1. I know it's only supposed to be for fun, but, Damn! I like winning.
Makin' our way to the bar after the game
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Makin' my own fun
First of all, happy summer! It's freakin' gorgeous out, here in Portland.
Due to last week’s egregious emceeing at the local trivia night, we decided to skip it this week in protest (I’m sure that guy really missed us). In lieu of “pub trivia,” here is some good ol’ fashioned U.S. presidential history followed by trivia about my new home state.
*Who were the tallest and shortest presidents?
*Who was the only bachelor president?
*Which president served the shortest term?
*What was the first movie shown in the White House?
*What percent of the country’s lobster is caught off the coast of Maine?
*Portland is the birthplace of what famous poet, author of "Paul Revere’s Ride"?
*How many and which other U.S. states does Maine border?
*What is the nickname for Maine?
*How fast can a moose run?
*The state motto is Dirigo, also the name of a high school and health system in the state. What does it mean (in Latin)?
*What is the name of the largest indigenous Indian tribe in the state?
*What do the call letters of WCSH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Portland, stand for?
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‘Cause I can’t resist reporting about the stupidity of some people out there, here is a story about some candidates for a Darwin Award. Notice that I didn't mention that they are southern. I hope they at least got to smoke a cigarette.
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Apartment search update: We gave up the great place we had found because it meant taking a risk and putting down a bunch of money without knowing that our current place would definitely be rented. So, the bad news is we lost a pretty awesome apartment. The good news is we don’t have to move next week and we can now leave our lease when it’s actually up thereby ensuring we get our security deposit back. Because we can't accept having leisure time for some reason, we have now turned our eyes toward purchasing a home and have filled every available minute looking at possibilities. Between apartment and house hunting, I'm pretty sure we've been in over 2 dozen homes in the area. An important lesson learned: Tall Guy's head is higher than many ___________ (insert here: ceilings/stairwells/basements/showers).
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Answers:
*Lincoln at 6’4” and Madison at 5’4”
*James Buchanan
*William Henry Harrison (1 month)
*Birth of a Nation
*90%
*Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 2/2/1807
*One – New Hampshire
*Pine Tree State is the official nickname, but Vacationland is the other, more accurate, nickname (hint hint, come visit)
*About 30 mph
*"I lead" or "I direct"
*Abenaki
*Congress Square Hotel, owned by the founder of WCSH radio and television
Due to last week’s egregious emceeing at the local trivia night, we decided to skip it this week in protest (I’m sure that guy really missed us). In lieu of “pub trivia,” here is some good ol’ fashioned U.S. presidential history followed by trivia about my new home state.
*Who were the tallest and shortest presidents?
*Who was the only bachelor president?
*Which president served the shortest term?
*What was the first movie shown in the White House?
*What percent of the country’s lobster is caught off the coast of Maine?
*Portland is the birthplace of what famous poet, author of "Paul Revere’s Ride"?
*How many and which other U.S. states does Maine border?
*What is the nickname for Maine?
*How fast can a moose run?
*The state motto is Dirigo, also the name of a high school and health system in the state. What does it mean (in Latin)?
*What is the name of the largest indigenous Indian tribe in the state?
*What do the call letters of WCSH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Portland, stand for?
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‘Cause I can’t resist reporting about the stupidity of some people out there, here is a story about some candidates for a Darwin Award. Notice that I didn't mention that they are southern. I hope they at least got to smoke a cigarette.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Apartment search update: We gave up the great place we had found because it meant taking a risk and putting down a bunch of money without knowing that our current place would definitely be rented. So, the bad news is we lost a pretty awesome apartment. The good news is we don’t have to move next week and we can now leave our lease when it’s actually up thereby ensuring we get our security deposit back. Because we can't accept having leisure time for some reason, we have now turned our eyes toward purchasing a home and have filled every available minute looking at possibilities. Between apartment and house hunting, I'm pretty sure we've been in over 2 dozen homes in the area. An important lesson learned: Tall Guy's head is higher than many ___________ (insert here: ceilings/stairwells/basements/showers).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Answers:
*Lincoln at 6’4” and Madison at 5’4”
*James Buchanan
*William Henry Harrison (1 month)
*Birth of a Nation
*90%
*Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 2/2/1807
*One – New Hampshire
*Pine Tree State is the official nickname, but Vacationland is the other, more accurate, nickname (hint hint, come visit)
*About 30 mph
*"I lead" or "I direct"
*Abenaki
*Congress Square Hotel, owned by the founder of WCSH radio and television
Monday, June 18, 2007
Family
This weekend brought together a lot of Italians in one place. The highlights:
*Homemade wine. Almost 2 years ago, my cousin Jayne revealed that she had all of the original wine-making equipment from my great grandmother’s basement. This brought a flurry of planning to make wine “like grandma.” So they tried it. And it’s pretty good, but my cousin Jayne and her husband have continued to refine the process and they are now really good at it. They have even bought part of a vineyard so they can grow their own grapes and make more wine. A future wine-tasting was promised.
*Music. We’re Italian, there was accordion music. It was ethnic and good.
*Food. See the Italian thing above.
*Whiffleball. A 4-on-4 game, my 2 bros on one team, Tall Guy and I on the other – a smattering of cousins rounding things out. Despite taunts from my brothers, I hit 2 singles, helped a rally that put our team up 5-1 and then closed out the 5th inning, striking out my cousin Erik to end the game victorious. Dingers!
*My younger brother/Slipping and sliding. My younger brother is a walking human party. It was hot, he thought that a slip ‘n slide would be fun. He went and bought one. It was fun.
*My family. Despite some lone crazies who try to bring down the enjoyment level, my family is not bad and I enjoyed seeing everyone and catching up. The old timers can still tell a story. My mother can definitely take a joke. And at the end of the day, it can be nice to reconnect. And then to go home until next year.
*Homemade wine. Almost 2 years ago, my cousin Jayne revealed that she had all of the original wine-making equipment from my great grandmother’s basement. This brought a flurry of planning to make wine “like grandma.” So they tried it. And it’s pretty good, but my cousin Jayne and her husband have continued to refine the process and they are now really good at it. They have even bought part of a vineyard so they can grow their own grapes and make more wine. A future wine-tasting was promised.
*Music. We’re Italian, there was accordion music. It was ethnic and good.
*Food. See the Italian thing above.
*Whiffleball. A 4-on-4 game, my 2 bros on one team, Tall Guy and I on the other – a smattering of cousins rounding things out. Despite taunts from my brothers, I hit 2 singles, helped a rally that put our team up 5-1 and then closed out the 5th inning, striking out my cousin Erik to end the game victorious. Dingers!
*My younger brother/Slipping and sliding. My younger brother is a walking human party. It was hot, he thought that a slip ‘n slide would be fun. He went and bought one. It was fun.
*My family. Despite some lone crazies who try to bring down the enjoyment level, my family is not bad and I enjoyed seeing everyone and catching up. The old timers can still tell a story. My mother can definitely take a joke. And at the end of the day, it can be nice to reconnect. And then to go home until next year.
the four (of 7) remaining "greats"
having "cosmos" with my adorable niece
i hope he never grows up
call it a tie
Friday, June 15, 2007
Too sad to talk about it
I didn't mention our kickball game last night. It was a tough game - we were down some key members of our team - and the end result was not in our favor. Despite having a lead at two different points of the game, we lost 5-3. The team that beat us is a good team and we were out defended.
On a happy kickball note, I won this week's photo contest with the high-five pic I posted earlier. Ten bucks at $3 Deweys. That's a whole pitcher with $2 to spare. Drowning my sorrow tastes all the sweeter when it's free.
This weekend is my annual family reunion. Tall Guy is thrilled beyond words to be accompanying me (or maybe he's not talking to me?). I'm banking on at least one good post from the event.
On a happy kickball note, I won this week's photo contest with the high-five pic I posted earlier. Ten bucks at $3 Deweys. That's a whole pitcher with $2 to spare. Drowning my sorrow tastes all the sweeter when it's free.
This weekend is my annual family reunion. Tall Guy is thrilled beyond words to be accompanying me (or maybe he's not talking to me?). I'm banking on at least one good post from the event.
Pride
Speaking of rainbows...
I am proud of the legislators in my home state for protecting the decision that allows people to live their lives as they'd like.
When the head of the Mass F@mily Insti tute says "it's certainly a setback," I kick my heels together in glee. The idea that people can define a family as one thing is absurd and insulting. A lot of my life was spent with a non-traditional family life and I have not gone on to bite the heads off animals. Why it matters to Bible-thumping conservatives how people conduct their business INSIDE their own homes is beyond me. Especially when some of those same thumpers are not so clean and "holy" behind their own doors (I'm looking at you, Ted Haggard).
From the Boston Globe: "Isaacson, cochairwoman of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus and its chief legislative lobbyist, said the amendment's defeat is a "monumental and historic moment" that not only marks a crushing setback to gay-marriage opponents in Massachusetts but also to conservative forces across the nation.
"This was the battleground; our opponents considered this to be ground zero," said Isaacson, referring to Massachusetts' status as the first and only state in the nation to sanction gay marriage.
Guerriero, a former Republican legislator from Melrose who is now executive director of Gill Action, a national political organization that promotes gay rights, said the Legislature's vote has broad national implications.
"Every single state in America was looking at Massachusetts today for a message, and the message is clear, that this state's experience in marriage equality has endured and thrived," Guerriero said." (Phillips/Estes June 15, 2007)
If the amendment had been put to the voters, there is a great chance it would have been overturned anyay, but I'm glad that this won't be the focus on the ballot in Mass in November 2008. Take that Karl Rove. Now if we could get some of this enlightened thinking to permeate northern Maine...
I am proud of the legislators in my home state for protecting the decision that allows people to live their lives as they'd like.
When the head of the Mass F@mily Insti tute says "it's certainly a setback," I kick my heels together in glee. The idea that people can define a family as one thing is absurd and insulting. A lot of my life was spent with a non-traditional family life and I have not gone on to bite the heads off animals. Why it matters to Bible-thumping conservatives how people conduct their business INSIDE their own homes is beyond me. Especially when some of those same thumpers are not so clean and "holy" behind their own doors (I'm looking at you, Ted Haggard).
From the Boston Globe: "Isaacson, cochairwoman of the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Political Caucus and its chief legislative lobbyist, said the amendment's defeat is a "monumental and historic moment" that not only marks a crushing setback to gay-marriage opponents in Massachusetts but also to conservative forces across the nation.
"This was the battleground; our opponents considered this to be ground zero," said Isaacson, referring to Massachusetts' status as the first and only state in the nation to sanction gay marriage.
Guerriero, a former Republican legislator from Melrose who is now executive director of Gill Action, a national political organization that promotes gay rights, said the Legislature's vote has broad national implications.
"Every single state in America was looking at Massachusetts today for a message, and the message is clear, that this state's experience in marriage equality has endured and thrived," Guerriero said." (Phillips/Estes June 15, 2007)
If the amendment had been put to the voters, there is a great chance it would have been overturned anyay, but I'm glad that this won't be the focus on the ballot in Mass in November 2008. Take that Karl Rove. Now if we could get some of this enlightened thinking to permeate northern Maine...
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