I do so enjoy traveling. Even when things don't go well. True, I don't know how I would handle being stuck in an airport for three days, but I don't think the experience would turn me into a monster. Heck, you never know who you might meet. If one wasn't stuck in the airport with a significant other, one might meet one's significant other. Hope springs eternal.
Anyway, I had a fun travel day. Got up and got on the road in a timely manner. Uneventful drive back to Syracuse. Found a gas station after a few wrong turns (darn, I miss my GPS) and returned the rental car. Funny, the only counter that had someone at it was the Enterprise counter - so I got to wait five minutes before it was my turn. Sigh.
Went to security, teeny line. My waterpik made me have to get my bag re-checked. I love my waterpik and will surely write a blog about it one day. Had a nice chat with the TSA lady.
Got to the gate and it was crowded. Apparently the plane to NYC was late - ended up being two hours late. But I got to meet a nice couple, the Ryans, Jim and didn't get her name...And there was free internet in the airport. My friend Jeanie helped to keep me entertained by commenting on a lot of my pictures. Thank you my friend Jeanie!
Got on my plane a smidge late but made it to Phillie in plenty of time to get a piece of pizza and get on. $4.10 for a piece of pizza. I thought that was a bit high. Just as I was thinking that thought, an announcement came over the PA saying that the airport had a "Street Prices" program in place - the prices one pays at the airport are the same that one pays "on the street." Hmm.
Cate picked me up at the airport and now I am home. All in all a great trip! Happy I went, happy to be back. I doubt I will be as prolific on the blog as I was during the trip, but who knows.
Happy happy!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Day Ten Trip to Geneva
Last Day in Geneva and it was an errand day. This trip was not about helping mom to take care of herself. I think I will head back to Geneva in February and do that. She is not the most organized person. She never has been. Honestly, I am not all that organized in general. I have little pockets of organization in my life. But I think I can hep someone else out with a few little tips and tricks. We shall see. This though, wasn't the trip for it.
I got up and called my brother to check on what his plans and thoughts were. He is going to be heading to Geneva later in January. Yippee. Then I called the airlines to see if I needed to worry! I got right through and the service agent was confident that there would be no problems. Yippee again! Next, I printed out my boarding passes.
Mom was just getting started for the day, making a list of groceries she needed to pick up while she had a willing chauffeur. Eventually we made it out the door. First stop, the UPS store - I opted to mail my knives and other Christmas loot back to myself. My suitcase was already close to capacity. Next was Wal mart to buy a bathmat for the front porch. There is a leak in the room of the porch that created a really slippery ice spot and I would rather mom not slip, fall and damage herself. It probably won't be repaired until spring, so as an interim measure, I put down a bath mat so that she won't slip. Fingers crossed!
We headed downtown to go to the bank, post office and Library. Mom wanted to get Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows out so that she might perhaps not be so confused by the next movie. Ha! I read a little while waiting for her to find some other books, and I was more confused than I was before I saw the movie. After the movies are all done, I think I might have to re-read the whole series. We almost missed going to the library. Mom remembered! It is weird what she remembers and doesn't remember. Her condition makes me want to study psychology and memory in humans. Gee, am I too young to start a whole new career? I wonder how long I would have to go to school to be able to work effectively in the field...
Next stop, Wegmans. We didn't really have a lot to get there - crystallized ginger, some swiss rolls (one of my vices as well), some frozen vegetables and returned some returnables. All accomplished.
Back home, I decided that the more cost effective choice was for me to cook up the leftovers we had accumulated than to go out. I had been looking forward to going to a yummy dinner at one of the moderately upscale places in Geneva. But I can be parsimonious on occasion. I made duck egg rolls, chicken egg rolls, left over mashed potatoes, coleslaw and a smidge of left over steak. Actually, a bit too much food, but I did empty out the fridge mostly! Hurrah!
All in all a pleasant day. True, mom and I did have our obligatory "Augustus is leaving" spat, but it was even shorter than usual, which is a good thing.
I got up and called my brother to check on what his plans and thoughts were. He is going to be heading to Geneva later in January. Yippee. Then I called the airlines to see if I needed to worry! I got right through and the service agent was confident that there would be no problems. Yippee again! Next, I printed out my boarding passes.
Mom was just getting started for the day, making a list of groceries she needed to pick up while she had a willing chauffeur. Eventually we made it out the door. First stop, the UPS store - I opted to mail my knives and other Christmas loot back to myself. My suitcase was already close to capacity. Next was Wal mart to buy a bathmat for the front porch. There is a leak in the room of the porch that created a really slippery ice spot and I would rather mom not slip, fall and damage herself. It probably won't be repaired until spring, so as an interim measure, I put down a bath mat so that she won't slip. Fingers crossed!
We headed downtown to go to the bank, post office and Library. Mom wanted to get Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows out so that she might perhaps not be so confused by the next movie. Ha! I read a little while waiting for her to find some other books, and I was more confused than I was before I saw the movie. After the movies are all done, I think I might have to re-read the whole series. We almost missed going to the library. Mom remembered! It is weird what she remembers and doesn't remember. Her condition makes me want to study psychology and memory in humans. Gee, am I too young to start a whole new career? I wonder how long I would have to go to school to be able to work effectively in the field...
Next stop, Wegmans. We didn't really have a lot to get there - crystallized ginger, some swiss rolls (one of my vices as well), some frozen vegetables and returned some returnables. All accomplished.
Back home, I decided that the more cost effective choice was for me to cook up the leftovers we had accumulated than to go out. I had been looking forward to going to a yummy dinner at one of the moderately upscale places in Geneva. But I can be parsimonious on occasion. I made duck egg rolls, chicken egg rolls, left over mashed potatoes, coleslaw and a smidge of left over steak. Actually, a bit too much food, but I did empty out the fridge mostly! Hurrah!
All in all a pleasant day. True, mom and I did have our obligatory "Augustus is leaving" spat, but it was even shorter than usual, which is a good thing.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Random
Should I change to wordpress blog? It sure is prettier there. Any thoughts, always appreciated.
Have you ever heard pipes going clank in the night? Well, my mom has steam heat in her house. Works pretty well overall. But when I first came, we were getting huge clankings that were only getting larger. One morning at around 6 when the heat kicked back into daytime levels - yes, the heat is on a timed thermometer - the clanking was so bad I thought the house was undergoing a minor earthquake! Well, the heating guy came in and let some water out of the system and let some more water back into the system and voila, no more clanking! Apparently that sounds comes from when cold water from the radiators tries to go down the pipes while hot steam is trying to come up! Who knew?! Now I know! Yippee!
I am feeling a bit peeved but can't, or won't, put it in writing. Suffice it to say that sometimes people suck. But that feeling comes from being attached, even a little bit, emotionally. Sigh.
Have you ever heard pipes going clank in the night? Well, my mom has steam heat in her house. Works pretty well overall. But when I first came, we were getting huge clankings that were only getting larger. One morning at around 6 when the heat kicked back into daytime levels - yes, the heat is on a timed thermometer - the clanking was so bad I thought the house was undergoing a minor earthquake! Well, the heating guy came in and let some water out of the system and let some more water back into the system and voila, no more clanking! Apparently that sounds comes from when cold water from the radiators tries to go down the pipes while hot steam is trying to come up! Who knew?! Now I know! Yippee!
I am feeling a bit peeved but can't, or won't, put it in writing. Suffice it to say that sometimes people suck. But that feeling comes from being attached, even a little bit, emotionally. Sigh.
Day Nine Trip to Geneva
Laundry day! I actually like to do laundry. When I was a kid I enjoyed ironing. Weird, I know. I didn't like to iron every day, all the time mind you. But I did enjoy spending an hour or three making things flat and dry and creased. Set up the ironing board in the living room, put on a stack of Beatles records and zone out to ironing. I really liked pillow cases. Shirts were tough, but made for a nice change of pace sometimes.
Anyway, when I am visiting my mom, I like to get her cleaned up. So we do laundry. This time it was only two baskets full. I was surprised. Later, I discovered why. Anyway, we got up and got out at a reasonable hour. Well, almost noon. Got to the laundermat and found it pretty deserted. I like going to the laundermat for some of the same reasons I like to go anywhere. People watching. And people interacting. But with a dearth of people, this can be a challenge. So we got there and started to load the laundry into a big machine. Turns out that a) there were clean clothes at the bottom of one of the baskets, and 2) mom had forgotten to put a few things in to the laundry, like her overworn pants. Sigh. Well, we do what we can. So we washed what we had.
While the laundry was doing its thing, I went next door and flirted with Tana, the woman whose name I forget every time I meet her. I don't know why. She is a very cute 20-something who I have met every time I have gone to that restaurant for the past 2+ years. I try to remember that her name rhymes with Anna, but still she escapes me. I wonder why. Anyway, the choices in my eyes were the Fiesta Mexicana or the Fiesta Americana - both named in honor of Tana. Ok, not really, they have soft a's. One was a platter of appetizers of Mexican flavor, the other American. I opted for the american because it had shrimp associated with it. Mom likes shrimp. Got it and took it back to share with mom. Yum! And made the time pass more quickly.
Next came drying. Mom has a thing about not drying about half the laundry she washes. Like her underwear. Whatever, as long as it makes her happy. I let her sort the laundry into a basket and into the dryer. The attendant told me a secret, that if I put a quarter in before the time ran out, I would save a little money. Woo hoo! I think it took about $1.25 to dry the clothes.
Then came folding. Mom offered to help, but since she can't really raise her arms very far, that didn't last long. I got everything folded and into the car in a jiffy.
Not much else planned for the day. So we came back and read and hung around the house. Later, we went to Friendly's - only to be told that their fryer was down! Eeek!! Friendly's without fried food? We managed to find stuff to eat. I had, ugh, mixed vegetables with my super turkey melt. Mom took a shine to Jeanette, our server. I think part of the reason was because mom's mom's name was Jeanette.
Back home we watched, finally, the Kennedy Honors. Boy, Caroline is a lackluster presenter. She was funnier when she was younger. Or maybe it was just because she was hanging out with friends and not standing on a stage in front of oodles of people. While the show was on, I spent a good portion of the time in the kitchen making garlic mashed potatoes. Since I am leaving on Thursday, I am trying to use up as much of the stuff that I bought as possible. Mom isn't good with using things up. The potatoes turned out really well!
Anyway, when I am visiting my mom, I like to get her cleaned up. So we do laundry. This time it was only two baskets full. I was surprised. Later, I discovered why. Anyway, we got up and got out at a reasonable hour. Well, almost noon. Got to the laundermat and found it pretty deserted. I like going to the laundermat for some of the same reasons I like to go anywhere. People watching. And people interacting. But with a dearth of people, this can be a challenge. So we got there and started to load the laundry into a big machine. Turns out that a) there were clean clothes at the bottom of one of the baskets, and 2) mom had forgotten to put a few things in to the laundry, like her overworn pants. Sigh. Well, we do what we can. So we washed what we had.
While the laundry was doing its thing, I went next door and flirted with Tana, the woman whose name I forget every time I meet her. I don't know why. She is a very cute 20-something who I have met every time I have gone to that restaurant for the past 2+ years. I try to remember that her name rhymes with Anna, but still she escapes me. I wonder why. Anyway, the choices in my eyes were the Fiesta Mexicana or the Fiesta Americana - both named in honor of Tana. Ok, not really, they have soft a's. One was a platter of appetizers of Mexican flavor, the other American. I opted for the american because it had shrimp associated with it. Mom likes shrimp. Got it and took it back to share with mom. Yum! And made the time pass more quickly.
Next came drying. Mom has a thing about not drying about half the laundry she washes. Like her underwear. Whatever, as long as it makes her happy. I let her sort the laundry into a basket and into the dryer. The attendant told me a secret, that if I put a quarter in before the time ran out, I would save a little money. Woo hoo! I think it took about $1.25 to dry the clothes.
Then came folding. Mom offered to help, but since she can't really raise her arms very far, that didn't last long. I got everything folded and into the car in a jiffy.
Not much else planned for the day. So we came back and read and hung around the house. Later, we went to Friendly's - only to be told that their fryer was down! Eeek!! Friendly's without fried food? We managed to find stuff to eat. I had, ugh, mixed vegetables with my super turkey melt. Mom took a shine to Jeanette, our server. I think part of the reason was because mom's mom's name was Jeanette.
Back home we watched, finally, the Kennedy Honors. Boy, Caroline is a lackluster presenter. She was funnier when she was younger. Or maybe it was just because she was hanging out with friends and not standing on a stage in front of oodles of people. While the show was on, I spent a good portion of the time in the kitchen making garlic mashed potatoes. Since I am leaving on Thursday, I am trying to use up as much of the stuff that I bought as possible. Mom isn't good with using things up. The potatoes turned out really well!
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Day Eight Trip to Geneva
Interesting day - not in a good way. I think I am about at the end of my emotional mom tether. We had planned a lazy day. Just sitting around and reading. My sister gave me a book from some guy I had never heard of. Turns out he is an entrepreneur who I ought to have heard of. Surprisingly interesting life and set of people he knows. So enjoyable reading. Mom wanted to go to see the Harry Potter movie. But she didn't want to go because I had already seen it. I made it clear that I was willing to go again. After much back and forth, she agreed to go. And I thought eating at the Mexican Restaurant in the strip mall where the theatre was would be an easy thing to do. As the day went along, mom started to want to see The Kennedy Honors show. Fine with me, changing plans is not that huge a deal. So, we decided to go to Parker's, a local pub, for dinner then come back and watch the TV show. We went, ate and came back in plenty of time. Mom looked at her TV guide and couldn't find the show. I took it in hand and discovered that the show was on Tuesday night, not Monday night. Sigh. So, I decided we were going to go to the movie after all, which we did. No harm, no foul.
This is another "interesting" bit. The whole day mom kept asking me about a set of storage containers. I got some for her and the house for Christmas because she has none. She kept asking me if they were mine. I mean seriously, ten times throughout the day. We looked at her Christmas list three times where she wrote that I had given them to her. I told her every time, patiently, that they were hers and I already had storage stuff at my house. Over and over again. I don't know how to handle this. Mom barely knows what day it is. Can't find anything in her house. She admitted the other day that she is glad she doesn't have to worry about having and driving a car. She would be safer in a nursing home, but that is a terribly hard decision to make. Is putting my mom in a nursing home anything like her sending me to boarding school? Ok, similar but not the same at all...
This is another "interesting" bit. The whole day mom kept asking me about a set of storage containers. I got some for her and the house for Christmas because she has none. She kept asking me if they were mine. I mean seriously, ten times throughout the day. We looked at her Christmas list three times where she wrote that I had given them to her. I told her every time, patiently, that they were hers and I already had storage stuff at my house. Over and over again. I don't know how to handle this. Mom barely knows what day it is. Can't find anything in her house. She admitted the other day that she is glad she doesn't have to worry about having and driving a car. She would be safer in a nursing home, but that is a terribly hard decision to make. Is putting my mom in a nursing home anything like her sending me to boarding school? Ok, similar but not the same at all...
Monday, December 27, 2010
Christmas Experiment Continued
So, it is almost the end of Monday here on the East Coast. Of the 280ish people that I sent personalized Christmas/New Year messages to, I have heard from a little over 100. That isn't good, in my opinion. I know that there are at least ten who never check their facebook. Maybe twenty. But that leaves 160 who do. My thought is if they haven't responded in a week, to drop them as friends. Any opinions? The ones who I can't drop, high school friends, people I have known for more than five years, family, them I will keep regardless. But people who I have met once or twice and we became facebook friends, usually on their prompting as I try my best not to send friend requests (fear of rejection), them, I can let go of without many qualms, can't I?
Day Six and Seven Trip to Geneva - Christmas Day and
Oops, missed a day. Truth be told, not all that exciting. Christmas day passed pretty quietly. Ok, I did type 280 personal messages, but that wasn't such a big deal. We had home made fried chicken for dinner - yummy, but not exciting. We watched another Busby Berkely movie. In fact, as of this writing, we have watched all four in the set that I gave mom for Christmas. None were scintillating, all were entertaining. Moving on. Mostly we just sat around. Same is true of Sunday. Though I did go to the store for a couple of groceries - vanilla coke, yum, and a clove of garlic. I am going to make garlic mashed potatoes today (Monday). And I did convince mom to go to the movies again. Sadly, it doesn't look like we are going to get to the Corning Museum. Maybe in the spring. Mom just doesn't want to budge out of the house.
We have had day after day of sub freezing weather and overcast skies. No Sunshine, no moonshine, no starshine. It must be starting to wear on me as well. My normal state is one of happiness. This is interspersed with moments of joy and moments of sadness. Right now, I am in a moment of sadness. Maybe it is because of the weather. You all (all six of you known followers) know that there is actually a syndrome where people get depressed when they don't get enough sunlight. That could be it. It could be because my mom thinks she isn't going to make it to her next birthday. Or that I feel guilty about leaving in a few days. Not guilty really, just not generating a great feeling, leaving mom to fend for herself once again. Her mind really is going. Not faster than it was, but it does seem more noticeable to me. Sigh.
Maybe it is my lack of dating, the lack of a significant other in my life. Still. True, this has been the state of affairs for at least four years - partially through my choice, partially with the conspiracy of the Universe. And that wears on me once in a while. In any case, blueness there is. Writing about it helps to ease the darkness. Yippee! See, all better. :)
Seriously, life is what it is. It is easy to choose to be unhappy. And every once in a while, I choose that easy path. Most of the time, I choose the equally easy choice to be happy. Choose Happy!
We have had day after day of sub freezing weather and overcast skies. No Sunshine, no moonshine, no starshine. It must be starting to wear on me as well. My normal state is one of happiness. This is interspersed with moments of joy and moments of sadness. Right now, I am in a moment of sadness. Maybe it is because of the weather. You all (all six of you known followers) know that there is actually a syndrome where people get depressed when they don't get enough sunlight. That could be it. It could be because my mom thinks she isn't going to make it to her next birthday. Or that I feel guilty about leaving in a few days. Not guilty really, just not generating a great feeling, leaving mom to fend for herself once again. Her mind really is going. Not faster than it was, but it does seem more noticeable to me. Sigh.
Maybe it is my lack of dating, the lack of a significant other in my life. Still. True, this has been the state of affairs for at least four years - partially through my choice, partially with the conspiracy of the Universe. And that wears on me once in a while. In any case, blueness there is. Writing about it helps to ease the darkness. Yippee! See, all better. :)
Seriously, life is what it is. It is easy to choose to be unhappy. And every once in a while, I choose that easy path. Most of the time, I choose the equally easy choice to be happy. Choose Happy!
Sunday, December 26, 2010
My Christmas Experiment
I love to experiment. And am fascinated by numbers. I must, one day, take statistics. I think I would really like it. Anyway, I woke up on Christmas morning and decided to reach out and touch every one of my Facebook friends. I had noticed a lot of people posting a passive Merry Christmas and such like on their profiles. Others wishing others happy holidays on their walls. I decided to write each one of my facebook friends a somewhat personalized note. I didn't write all of my friends. I don't think the museum needs a note, or Paraclete Sky Adventures. And a few of my friends I am in such constant contact with, they didn't need them either. And one or two others might have been skipped by accident. I have discovered a few of those. Glaring exceptions when I noticed, but somehow, in typing out 280+ messages, I did find my mind blurring just a bit.
Here comes the experiment bit. I know that some people are rarely on Facebook, so I don't expect to hear from them. Others are on Facebook often, but I rarely hear from them. Others still are on Facebook all the time and I rarely hear from them. So, I wrote everyone and am seeing what kind of response rate I get.
I will admit, that I did drop a few people as I went through my list. And I will probably drop a few more from the latter two categories - people who are on Facebook often or all the time, and I never hear from them. Hearing from them is either getting a note from them or they post something on my wall or comment on something or like something that I commented on. That sort of thing. Some sort of acknowledgment that we are on the same page, so to speak.
I finished typing at about 12:30 Sunday morning. So far at 10:40 am, I have had 68 responses. Not too shabby. What is that, about one in three? I do hope to get to at least double digits by the end of Monday. After that, the ax falls on a few. I figure if they can't get their acts together by then, they aren't going to. I know, I probably ought to give it a week. We shall see...
Here comes the experiment bit. I know that some people are rarely on Facebook, so I don't expect to hear from them. Others are on Facebook often, but I rarely hear from them. Others still are on Facebook all the time and I rarely hear from them. So, I wrote everyone and am seeing what kind of response rate I get.
I will admit, that I did drop a few people as I went through my list. And I will probably drop a few more from the latter two categories - people who are on Facebook often or all the time, and I never hear from them. Hearing from them is either getting a note from them or they post something on my wall or comment on something or like something that I commented on. That sort of thing. Some sort of acknowledgment that we are on the same page, so to speak.
I finished typing at about 12:30 Sunday morning. So far at 10:40 am, I have had 68 responses. Not too shabby. What is that, about one in three? I do hope to get to at least double digits by the end of Monday. After that, the ax falls on a few. I figure if they can't get their acts together by then, they aren't going to. I know, I probably ought to give it a week. We shall see...
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Love Socks, Don't Like the Nickname Gus
I love socks. I think I always have. Long socks, short socks, soft socks, scratchy socks, black socks, colored socks. I like them all. I do have some sock peculiarities. I like to wear socks that match in size and texture. I don't really care if they match in color. And I really like slocks - or socks with non-skid stuff on the bottom that you can wear in place of slippers. Love 'em! When others decry the appearance of socks as a gift, I rejoice!
I don't like the nickname Gus. It is so short. And I am tall. It is also simple, and I am complex. Gus is a firefly. Gus is a bus driver. Gus is Gullible. At least Augustus is a nincompoop.
I don't like the nickname Gus. It is so short. And I am tall. It is also simple, and I am complex. Gus is a firefly. Gus is a bus driver. Gus is Gullible. At least Augustus is a nincompoop.
Day Five Trip to Geneva - Christmas Eve
Another lovely day here in beautiful Geneva. If people visited here only during this recent spate of miserable weather, they wouldn't understand why Geneva is a nice place to live. Anyway, we got up and didn't do a lot. Last night, I snuck down after mom had gone to bed and put out the Christmas presents. Mom's family did really well by her and me. Karl, Juliet and Paul and Ernst and Betty all sent boxes with gifts. Mom and I have not done as well by them. :( I put a picture of the tree with presents up on facebook. When mom came downstairs, she wanted to start opening presents right then. Several times throughout the day she asked to start opening presents. I think at about 4pm I relented and let her open a present. She found a lovely copy of Ernst's book of collected works.
I went to the grocery store again. Ok, I have a crush on the grocery store. Anyway, I needed to get a few things for the evening and for future meals. It was crowded! Really crowded. People were parking along the side of the road because there was a paucity of available spaces! I got the replacement chicken, some oil to fry it in - can't wait - some borsin cheese, some more beer, and I think that is all. Oh, a bar of Toblerone. Yippee!
After returning home and resting a bit from my exertions, we had leftovers for lunch - I tried to doctor up the broccoli soup a bit - added some more paprika and some salt - I think it was a smidge improved. Also tossed on the left over sausages and some coleslaw and called it lunch for me and mom. After another lie down, heck, this is a vacation, I went to do some cooking. For some reason I wanted to make Cheese Straws. Turned out that they are easy - well, they require some effort, but not a lot of ingredients. They turned out pretty well. I think when I make them next, probably for the bridge group, I will make them with sharp cheddar cheese and maybe some Parmesan. Another rest, really a reason to check my email and look at facebook and play a few hands of computer bridge. Then it was time to get the scalloped potatoes ready for the oven. I found a recipe that is very easy. And with my new knife, cutting the potatoes was really smooth and fast. And I swear that cutting onions with it causes fewer tears. Before I knew it, it was time to head out to pick up the duck.
Honestly, I did so with a little bit of trepidation. Wing Tai, the restaurant I got the duck from, has been open in Geneva for at least 30 years. And it has a hit or miss reputation. This time they hit. The duck was great!
When I got back, I organized the hors d'oeuvres while mom changed into her new black pants. Then it was present opening time! We took our time - mom wrote down every thing that we both got. Good hauls for both of us! Yippee! And yummy food - cheese straws, borsin cheese, smoked mussels, black olives and hummus! And I started drinking. Goodness gracious, the Southern Tier Chokolat Imperial Stout was really delicious. Later I had a Creme Brulee Imperial Stout. Also a great beer. But both were pretty strong! After we had opened all of our presents, I prepared little dishes of duck and scalloped potatoes for us for our dinner. Yippee!
After eating we watched one of the movies I had gotten for mom. Then watched the tail end of Its A Wonderful Life - on commercial television sadly. I left my copy at home in Clayton. And I didn't bring my other favorite holiday movie - Holiday Inn. I know, many people like the BB Gun movie - never really got into that one. By that time, I was snockered and mom was pretty exhausted and we called it a night!
I went to the grocery store again. Ok, I have a crush on the grocery store. Anyway, I needed to get a few things for the evening and for future meals. It was crowded! Really crowded. People were parking along the side of the road because there was a paucity of available spaces! I got the replacement chicken, some oil to fry it in - can't wait - some borsin cheese, some more beer, and I think that is all. Oh, a bar of Toblerone. Yippee!
After returning home and resting a bit from my exertions, we had leftovers for lunch - I tried to doctor up the broccoli soup a bit - added some more paprika and some salt - I think it was a smidge improved. Also tossed on the left over sausages and some coleslaw and called it lunch for me and mom. After another lie down, heck, this is a vacation, I went to do some cooking. For some reason I wanted to make Cheese Straws. Turned out that they are easy - well, they require some effort, but not a lot of ingredients. They turned out pretty well. I think when I make them next, probably for the bridge group, I will make them with sharp cheddar cheese and maybe some Parmesan. Another rest, really a reason to check my email and look at facebook and play a few hands of computer bridge. Then it was time to get the scalloped potatoes ready for the oven. I found a recipe that is very easy. And with my new knife, cutting the potatoes was really smooth and fast. And I swear that cutting onions with it causes fewer tears. Before I knew it, it was time to head out to pick up the duck.
Honestly, I did so with a little bit of trepidation. Wing Tai, the restaurant I got the duck from, has been open in Geneva for at least 30 years. And it has a hit or miss reputation. This time they hit. The duck was great!
When I got back, I organized the hors d'oeuvres while mom changed into her new black pants. Then it was present opening time! We took our time - mom wrote down every thing that we both got. Good hauls for both of us! Yippee! And yummy food - cheese straws, borsin cheese, smoked mussels, black olives and hummus! And I started drinking. Goodness gracious, the Southern Tier Chokolat Imperial Stout was really delicious. Later I had a Creme Brulee Imperial Stout. Also a great beer. But both were pretty strong! After we had opened all of our presents, I prepared little dishes of duck and scalloped potatoes for us for our dinner. Yippee!
After eating we watched one of the movies I had gotten for mom. Then watched the tail end of Its A Wonderful Life - on commercial television sadly. I left my copy at home in Clayton. And I didn't bring my other favorite holiday movie - Holiday Inn. I know, many people like the BB Gun movie - never really got into that one. By that time, I was snockered and mom was pretty exhausted and we called it a night!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Typsy Typing Totally Truculent
Ok, I just put truculent for the alliteration. Sue me, I like alliteration. If I were cleverer, I would go for allusions. Just can't be bothered. And I am not going to make any conscious biblical references. So there.
Anyway, it is Christmas Eve. On the East Coast of the US, for all of my non-existent non-east Coast, non-us Readers, it is almost midnight. And if I type quickly, which I generally do, I will get this posted before Christmas.
You know, I don't know that I believe that Christ was born at the winter solstice. I wasn't there. And there doesn't seem to be a lot of evidence for that date. Whatever. I like Christmas. I used to sing in an Episcopalian choir. A lot. Until I went away to high school. But I am really Christian no more. My concept of God is much larger, I feel, than Christianity. Again, whatever.
My mom and I had Christmas together. My siblings and half siblings sent presents. Mom was like a kid, always wanting to start opening her presents. I made her wait until almost 6 pm. We have always opened our presents in this family on Christmas Eve, with stockings opened the next day. No stockings for us this year. I didn't get my act together. But I do think I provided a lot of good Christmas bits to my mom. Good hors d'oeuvres, good food (we had Peking Duck for our entree) and decent entertainment. We watched a mediocre Busby Berkeley film (Golddiggers of 1937) and the last forty minutes of It's A Wonderful Life. Waah! Cried a lot.
Moving on. The woman I am most enamored of, doesn't seem to recall that I am alive. Another I have a crush on, totally inappropriate, also doesn't seem to know that I am breathing similar air to her. And the women that an FB friend introduced to me - well, it is too early to call on them, but so far, I am not feeling the love. But it is Christmas and I am sure all of them are more focused on their lives and loved ones and not on me. Sigh.
Ok, it is Christmas, 2010. I have had a tad too much yummy Southern Tier beer to drink. And that is the way life goes sometimes. Happy Christmas to All and to all a Merry New Year.
Anyway, it is Christmas Eve. On the East Coast of the US, for all of my non-existent non-east Coast, non-us Readers, it is almost midnight. And if I type quickly, which I generally do, I will get this posted before Christmas.
You know, I don't know that I believe that Christ was born at the winter solstice. I wasn't there. And there doesn't seem to be a lot of evidence for that date. Whatever. I like Christmas. I used to sing in an Episcopalian choir. A lot. Until I went away to high school. But I am really Christian no more. My concept of God is much larger, I feel, than Christianity. Again, whatever.
My mom and I had Christmas together. My siblings and half siblings sent presents. Mom was like a kid, always wanting to start opening her presents. I made her wait until almost 6 pm. We have always opened our presents in this family on Christmas Eve, with stockings opened the next day. No stockings for us this year. I didn't get my act together. But I do think I provided a lot of good Christmas bits to my mom. Good hors d'oeuvres, good food (we had Peking Duck for our entree) and decent entertainment. We watched a mediocre Busby Berkeley film (Golddiggers of 1937) and the last forty minutes of It's A Wonderful Life. Waah! Cried a lot.
Moving on. The woman I am most enamored of, doesn't seem to recall that I am alive. Another I have a crush on, totally inappropriate, also doesn't seem to know that I am breathing similar air to her. And the women that an FB friend introduced to me - well, it is too early to call on them, but so far, I am not feeling the love. But it is Christmas and I am sure all of them are more focused on their lives and loved ones and not on me. Sigh.
Ok, it is Christmas, 2010. I have had a tad too much yummy Southern Tier beer to drink. And that is the way life goes sometimes. Happy Christmas to All and to all a Merry New Year.
Day Four Trip to Geneva
Once again, I got up. That always seems to make a day more pleasant. And it was flurrying. I guess that is a good thing. White soon-to-be Christmas and all. Not much planned for the day which is a mixed blessing. Mom had an eye doctor's appointment scheduled, and I wanted to do some more Christmas and food shopping.
All went as planned. We got mom to the eye doctor in time, and then had to wait at least half an hour before she got seen. :( It was just a follow up to her cataract surgery earlier in the year.
Next stop, Big Lots. I have only been to big lots once or twice before and generally have not been impressed. But that video store sales person suggested it for a place for inexpensive videos, and she was right! Some interesting stuff. If I were made of money, I would have picked up a few more. As it is, I got one for mom for Christmas, and a couple others that I haven't decided what to do with. Maybe give them away? Maybe just keep them and watch them myself! Hahahahaha (diabolical laughter, for those who couldn't tell)
Back to Wegman's again. Yes, I like going there. In fact, I will probably go there tomorrow as well (well, today, but tomorrow in respect to this note - Day 5... anyway). Picked up Chicken and beer and some stuff for our merriment tonight - some traditional stuff. Sadly, mom and I couldn't find the smoked clams that are traditional for the Schoen-Rene family. Maybe I will have to break down and go to Tops to look. Hmm.
After that, we came back and I started to cook. Intuition is a good thing, but I did not heed it. I thought that mom's cooking oil might be bad. I smelled it, it didn't smell too bad. I tasted it - a little weird but not horrible, so I went ahead and fried some chicken in it. I got the first two pieces out and put the next two pieces in and, as is my proclivity, tasted a piece of the skin from one of the pieces. Gag me with a fork! Ick, patoey! Yuck! Oh well. I will get more oil and chicken today at Wegmans and try again on Saturday night. I went to plan b. Well, there was no plan b, so I made one up. Mom had some hot italian sausages that I cooked with onions. The spinach salad was still yummy - though the hot bacon dressing I made was way too sweet. I can fix that, though. More vinegar! :)
Later that evening, I wrapped mom's two presents, and after she went to bed, put out the presents that the family has sent for her. My sister and two brothers all sent her something! Yippee!
All went as planned. We got mom to the eye doctor in time, and then had to wait at least half an hour before she got seen. :( It was just a follow up to her cataract surgery earlier in the year.
Next stop, Big Lots. I have only been to big lots once or twice before and generally have not been impressed. But that video store sales person suggested it for a place for inexpensive videos, and she was right! Some interesting stuff. If I were made of money, I would have picked up a few more. As it is, I got one for mom for Christmas, and a couple others that I haven't decided what to do with. Maybe give them away? Maybe just keep them and watch them myself! Hahahahaha (diabolical laughter, for those who couldn't tell)
Back to Wegman's again. Yes, I like going there. In fact, I will probably go there tomorrow as well (well, today, but tomorrow in respect to this note - Day 5... anyway). Picked up Chicken and beer and some stuff for our merriment tonight - some traditional stuff. Sadly, mom and I couldn't find the smoked clams that are traditional for the Schoen-Rene family. Maybe I will have to break down and go to Tops to look. Hmm.
After that, we came back and I started to cook. Intuition is a good thing, but I did not heed it. I thought that mom's cooking oil might be bad. I smelled it, it didn't smell too bad. I tasted it - a little weird but not horrible, so I went ahead and fried some chicken in it. I got the first two pieces out and put the next two pieces in and, as is my proclivity, tasted a piece of the skin from one of the pieces. Gag me with a fork! Ick, patoey! Yuck! Oh well. I will get more oil and chicken today at Wegmans and try again on Saturday night. I went to plan b. Well, there was no plan b, so I made one up. Mom had some hot italian sausages that I cooked with onions. The spinach salad was still yummy - though the hot bacon dressing I made was way too sweet. I can fix that, though. More vinegar! :)
Later that evening, I wrapped mom's two presents, and after she went to bed, put out the presents that the family has sent for her. My sister and two brothers all sent her something! Yippee!
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Movie thoughts on two movies
My mom likes to go to the movies when I am here. That is a good thing, as I get to see movies that I might not otherwise get to see in a theatre. I haven't, sadly, been going to the $1.50 movie theatre in Raleigh as much as I used to. Anyway, since coming up here, we have been to two. And here is what I think of them:
Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawntreader - 3D - I would give it 6.5 out of 10.
If one likes fantasy (I do) and likes the Narnia books and the other Narnia movies (me) then this was good fun. I still think the acting is pretty atrocious, but the effects are decent and the story is one of my favorite of the series.
How Do You Know - I thought this was going to be a thoughtful movie - I thought it was Albert Brooks, not James Brooks. Oh well. I have a thing for romantic comedies. I love to watch them, no matter how sappy and ridiculous. I also like Reese Witherspoon. And Owen Wilson. So I had high hopes. I give it a 5 out of 10. Worth seeing if someone else pays for it.I don't like Paul Rudd. And Jack Nicholson wasn't the optimal choice for his role.
Hey, I was thinking of writing a book of pop psychology based on movies - pick a movie and as a favorite and it says something about you. Does that sound like something that would be successful? Is there a book like that? There probably is. Anyway, comments are welcome?
Crickets, all I get are crickets...
Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawntreader - 3D - I would give it 6.5 out of 10.
If one likes fantasy (I do) and likes the Narnia books and the other Narnia movies (me) then this was good fun. I still think the acting is pretty atrocious, but the effects are decent and the story is one of my favorite of the series.
How Do You Know - I thought this was going to be a thoughtful movie - I thought it was Albert Brooks, not James Brooks. Oh well. I have a thing for romantic comedies. I love to watch them, no matter how sappy and ridiculous. I also like Reese Witherspoon. And Owen Wilson. So I had high hopes. I give it a 5 out of 10. Worth seeing if someone else pays for it.I don't like Paul Rudd. And Jack Nicholson wasn't the optimal choice for his role.
Hey, I was thinking of writing a book of pop psychology based on movies - pick a movie and as a favorite and it says something about you. Does that sound like something that would be successful? Is there a book like that? There probably is. Anyway, comments are welcome?
Crickets, all I get are crickets...
Day Three Trip to Geneva
Another exciting day here in Geneva. Got up and took a shower. For some reason I am reluctant to use the shower here. It isn't that bad once I start, but it is off putting. Perhaps it is that the water doesn't get all that hot (we turned down the water heater so my mom wouldn't scald herself). Or the weird bathmat. Or the way the handles have been turned around from so much use. Anyway, I am clean for the moment! We got out of the house a little later than I would have liked. I am trying to find a present to put under the tree for mom. So we went to the Waterloo Outlet Mall - halfway between Geneva and Waterloo. Just like any set of outlet malls.
We looked in a few stores - Claire's Accessories (for another present for someone else) and the woman there suggested a clothing store for pants for my mom. Next the book store. They had a couple of deals that I thought were tempting - but since I am not in my car (having flown here) I thought about lugging them back home and opted not to get the $60 twenty pound coffee table book. Sigh. I just love buying books. Sad. Next we went to the clothing store and managed to convince mom to buy two pairs of pants. Honestly, I think she wears one pair for a month before washing them. Eeeek! I chatted with the salesperson while mom tried on the pants. She was telling me about her father and his last years. Fun stuff. No seriously, interesting and fun.
Next, a kitchen supply place. Mom bought me a knife. I am very excited. With my recent foray into cooking, a good knife is just what I need! I realized, though, that TSA might not let me carry it on the plane in my carry on luggage - so we will send it to me before I leave.
Lastly, we went to a perfume store, where mom replenished her stock of 4711. Big time!
Wow - that was enough for a whole day, but wait, there's more! Lunch of leftovers at home - pizza (all gone now) and Hot and Sour Soup (still a smidge left). Then I headed out on my own. One of the hard things about coming to Geneva is that I feel like spending time not in the house is unfair to my mom. I have felt like this since I was 20 and living here to go to school. Oh well. My problem. Anyway, I managed to head off by myself for an hour and a half. Back to Wegman's (like a cross between Food Lion and Lowe's Food) for groceries. I like going to the grocery store. People watching is always entertaining. Got some ingredients to make Cream of Broccoli Soup and Scalloped potatoes. Then to Walmsrt to try to find a movie for mom. No luck. Then to the local movie rental place - no luck - though they suggested Big Lots and I am going to try them on Thursday.
At home, I cooked. We had omelets and broccoli soup for dinner. The omelet was great! The soup, ok, but not great. :( The entertainment option for the evening was another movie - How Do You Know. I have a love hate relationship with Romantic Comedies. I always hope that love can happen like that - especially friends turning into romantic partners - but life doesn't seem to work out like that for me.
Then home again home again! And bed. Sleeping is good. :)
We looked in a few stores - Claire's Accessories (for another present for someone else) and the woman there suggested a clothing store for pants for my mom. Next the book store. They had a couple of deals that I thought were tempting - but since I am not in my car (having flown here) I thought about lugging them back home and opted not to get the $60 twenty pound coffee table book. Sigh. I just love buying books. Sad. Next we went to the clothing store and managed to convince mom to buy two pairs of pants. Honestly, I think she wears one pair for a month before washing them. Eeeek! I chatted with the salesperson while mom tried on the pants. She was telling me about her father and his last years. Fun stuff. No seriously, interesting and fun.
Next, a kitchen supply place. Mom bought me a knife. I am very excited. With my recent foray into cooking, a good knife is just what I need! I realized, though, that TSA might not let me carry it on the plane in my carry on luggage - so we will send it to me before I leave.
Lastly, we went to a perfume store, where mom replenished her stock of 4711. Big time!
Wow - that was enough for a whole day, but wait, there's more! Lunch of leftovers at home - pizza (all gone now) and Hot and Sour Soup (still a smidge left). Then I headed out on my own. One of the hard things about coming to Geneva is that I feel like spending time not in the house is unfair to my mom. I have felt like this since I was 20 and living here to go to school. Oh well. My problem. Anyway, I managed to head off by myself for an hour and a half. Back to Wegman's (like a cross between Food Lion and Lowe's Food) for groceries. I like going to the grocery store. People watching is always entertaining. Got some ingredients to make Cream of Broccoli Soup and Scalloped potatoes. Then to Walmsrt to try to find a movie for mom. No luck. Then to the local movie rental place - no luck - though they suggested Big Lots and I am going to try them on Thursday.
At home, I cooked. We had omelets and broccoli soup for dinner. The omelet was great! The soup, ok, but not great. :( The entertainment option for the evening was another movie - How Do You Know. I have a love hate relationship with Romantic Comedies. I always hope that love can happen like that - especially friends turning into romantic partners - but life doesn't seem to work out like that for me.
Then home again home again! And bed. Sleeping is good. :)
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Just undateable?
(To the tune of Unforgettable)
Just un-date-able, that's what I am
Just un-date-able just like a clam
Like a smell of dove that clings to me
How the thought of me does things to thee
Never before has someone been more
Just un-date-able in every way
And forever more, that's how I’ll stay
That's why, people, it's incredible
That someone so just un-date-able
Thinks that I am un-date-able too
I have come to realize that I may be un-date-able. This is just an observation. The way the notion came up was someone mentioned that a guy who wore a fanny pack - or anything on their belt - was un-date-able. Maybe it was on a TV show - a sitcom even - which, as we of the TV generation know, is the font of all cultural wisdom. In any case, this is the first reason I am un-date-able - I wear my camera on my hip and have for a few years now. The second reason I am un-date-able is because I am unemployed. Sure, there is potential for me to be gainfully employed, but I am not. The mention of that has turned many budding romances into scenes of women fleeing before the tab comes. The third reason is appearance. Right now I am in super hirsute mode. I have a beard and my hair is getting longer by the second. There are very few men with long hair just now and even fewer women who like men with long hair. And unkempt beard has never been very popular. The final reason I am going to enumerate here, cause there are probably many more, and I just don’t want to list them, is that I am picky. I know, weird. I really would like to date someone that I find appealing and attractive. Sue me. So there we have it. Undateable.
Then again, I’m a Great Catch
I am a great catch, if I must say so myself. Or I could get my mom to say so. She thinks I have enough positive attributes to put me in the great catch category. I am healthy. I am smart. I am funny. Ok, maybe not a good catch, but not a bad one either...
I think I have forgotten how to date. Or how to ask people out. And after that, how to move to actual romance. And sex. And a relationship. Sad, but I think it has happened. I certainly haven’t been picking potential partners perfectly (ok, I mean “well” - I just wanted one more “p” word for the alliteration). I thought one woman was appealing, and she thought I wasn’t. Full stop. Another woman who appeals on many levels just wants to be friends. Hey, there is nothing wrong with friends. It would just be nice to be in a companionable relationship where sex is an option. And maybe even a long term relationship if possible. Sigh. Maybe other people are less picky than I am about who they date and who they get into a relationship with. Heck, I don’t even know where to meet appropriate women. I meet inappropriate women all the time. Not that it matters because even the inappropriate ones have no interest in dating me. At least, not that I can tell. My last long term relationship ended 4 years ago. Wow, scary when it is in black and white. Since then I have had a few dates, and maybe a short fling, but nothing longterm, nothing serious. The universe is as the universe is.
Just un-date-able, that's what I am
Just un-date-able just like a clam
Like a smell of dove that clings to me
How the thought of me does things to thee
Never before has someone been more
Just un-date-able in every way
And forever more, that's how I’ll stay
That's why, people, it's incredible
That someone so just un-date-able
Thinks that I am un-date-able too
I have come to realize that I may be un-date-able. This is just an observation. The way the notion came up was someone mentioned that a guy who wore a fanny pack - or anything on their belt - was un-date-able. Maybe it was on a TV show - a sitcom even - which, as we of the TV generation know, is the font of all cultural wisdom. In any case, this is the first reason I am un-date-able - I wear my camera on my hip and have for a few years now. The second reason I am un-date-able is because I am unemployed. Sure, there is potential for me to be gainfully employed, but I am not. The mention of that has turned many budding romances into scenes of women fleeing before the tab comes. The third reason is appearance. Right now I am in super hirsute mode. I have a beard and my hair is getting longer by the second. There are very few men with long hair just now and even fewer women who like men with long hair. And unkempt beard has never been very popular. The final reason I am going to enumerate here, cause there are probably many more, and I just don’t want to list them, is that I am picky. I know, weird. I really would like to date someone that I find appealing and attractive. Sue me. So there we have it. Undateable.
Then again, I’m a Great Catch
I am a great catch, if I must say so myself. Or I could get my mom to say so. She thinks I have enough positive attributes to put me in the great catch category. I am healthy. I am smart. I am funny. Ok, maybe not a good catch, but not a bad one either...
I think I have forgotten how to date. Or how to ask people out. And after that, how to move to actual romance. And sex. And a relationship. Sad, but I think it has happened. I certainly haven’t been picking potential partners perfectly (ok, I mean “well” - I just wanted one more “p” word for the alliteration). I thought one woman was appealing, and she thought I wasn’t. Full stop. Another woman who appeals on many levels just wants to be friends. Hey, there is nothing wrong with friends. It would just be nice to be in a companionable relationship where sex is an option. And maybe even a long term relationship if possible. Sigh. Maybe other people are less picky than I am about who they date and who they get into a relationship with. Heck, I don’t even know where to meet appropriate women. I meet inappropriate women all the time. Not that it matters because even the inappropriate ones have no interest in dating me. At least, not that I can tell. My last long term relationship ended 4 years ago. Wow, scary when it is in black and white. Since then I have had a few dates, and maybe a short fling, but nothing longterm, nothing serious. The universe is as the universe is.
Day Two Trip to Geneva
Got up to overcast skies. What a surprise. :) Anyway, we got out around noon after doing a lot of nothing in the house. We had errands. Bank, post office downtown. Then find a tree and do some food shopping. The bank was eventful. Mom prefers the drive-thru window for some reason. Since she doesn't drive anymore (yippee!) she doesn't get to do that to frequently anymore. We got there, only to discover that it was closed for repairs. So inside we trooped. Only to discover that there was something sticky on her check. Ick! So she had to write a new one. Something she has, sadly, forgotten how to do for the most part. Eek! But we persevered and came out loaded with cash. Ok, not loaded. Off to the post office. Mom bought three sheets of stamps, two of them love stamps. In the post office, she liked them. Later she said they were garish and wondered why she had bought them. Sigh. I mailed off a check to my designer and a thumb drive containing some 3000 images that were Saucer related. Yippee.
Next, off to the top of the hill to look for a Christmas Tree. We have a store in town called Red Jacket. It is an apple store primarily and has been in business as long as I can remember. One of the few places that hasn't gone under here in Geneva. They happened to also be selling Christmas trees. Mom and I agreed that we wanted a tree in a pot, one that we might be able to replant at some point. They had three or four - and again we agreed on one. And it was on sale! Yippee! The attendant put it in the car and it looked really, really heavy! I was not looking forward to trying to get it into the house. But that was postponed for a short trip through the store. Mom has a favorite apple, but she has forgotten the name. So we wandered around and looked at the apples and other local foods that they had. Came away with one apple, a package of cheese and a package of crystallized ginger, of which mom apparently never has enough.
When we got home, mom suggested we use a little rolling dolly thing she has to help get the tree into the living room. Great suggestion! It was really, really, really heavy. And getting it out of the car and up the three steps and onto the dolly was tough. I lifted mostly with my back, so I don't think I hurt anything. I decided that it would be easiest and best to leave the tree on the dolly for the foreseeable future. Mom concurred.
After we got the tree into the house, we went food shopping. Mom doesn't do much food shopping because the taxi process is difficult for her to get her head around and accept. Met a nice woman named Leeana in the Natural Foods aisle who helped us to find some of the ingredients I needed to make food that night. Also found an interesting beer from Southern Tier that I am looking forward to trying. Bought a little of everything in the store, as well as the makings for hot and sour soup and croque monsieur.
Headed home to unpack and to also start decorating the tree. I have put some pictures up on Facebook of the tree. It took me a few minutes to find the Christmas stuff in the attic. Three boxes were all I brought down. I think we have one or two more. But it is a small tree, and I am not going in for decorating the whole house. The tree will suffice, I think. I got some "snow" from the linen closet, tossed on some lights and a few bulbs and called a halt for the time being. Next trip, Walmart.
Our walmart has been transformed. It was an early walmart and was dingy and unhappy. Then they added a grocery section and transformed the whole place to a new, happy walmart! Yippee. If I never had to shop at walmart, I wouldn't. But they have slowly forced a lot of other stores out of business. I was shocked to find that our local shoe store had given up the ghost recently. Anyway, I wanted to get mom a couple of things to put under the tree. Nothing major or earth shattering. But mom had forgotten her glasses and so couldn't navigate by herself. And when she suggested she wait outside in the freezing cold while I shopped for her, I opted to take her home and go back another day.
Once at home, I did some more tree decorating - I still want a garland or a strand of popcorn and tinsel if I can find it. And I thought about dinner. I ended up making the hot and sour soup, which turned out ok, and the croque monsieur which was yummy, but looked weird because I used red wine rather than white. Pretty darn yummy.
Mom watched some TV and then went to bed. I played on the computer till latish and also went to dream land. Wednesday - outlet malls and other shopping. Yippee!
Next, off to the top of the hill to look for a Christmas Tree. We have a store in town called Red Jacket. It is an apple store primarily and has been in business as long as I can remember. One of the few places that hasn't gone under here in Geneva. They happened to also be selling Christmas trees. Mom and I agreed that we wanted a tree in a pot, one that we might be able to replant at some point. They had three or four - and again we agreed on one. And it was on sale! Yippee! The attendant put it in the car and it looked really, really heavy! I was not looking forward to trying to get it into the house. But that was postponed for a short trip through the store. Mom has a favorite apple, but she has forgotten the name. So we wandered around and looked at the apples and other local foods that they had. Came away with one apple, a package of cheese and a package of crystallized ginger, of which mom apparently never has enough.
When we got home, mom suggested we use a little rolling dolly thing she has to help get the tree into the living room. Great suggestion! It was really, really, really heavy. And getting it out of the car and up the three steps and onto the dolly was tough. I lifted mostly with my back, so I don't think I hurt anything. I decided that it would be easiest and best to leave the tree on the dolly for the foreseeable future. Mom concurred.
After we got the tree into the house, we went food shopping. Mom doesn't do much food shopping because the taxi process is difficult for her to get her head around and accept. Met a nice woman named Leeana in the Natural Foods aisle who helped us to find some of the ingredients I needed to make food that night. Also found an interesting beer from Southern Tier that I am looking forward to trying. Bought a little of everything in the store, as well as the makings for hot and sour soup and croque monsieur.
Headed home to unpack and to also start decorating the tree. I have put some pictures up on Facebook of the tree. It took me a few minutes to find the Christmas stuff in the attic. Three boxes were all I brought down. I think we have one or two more. But it is a small tree, and I am not going in for decorating the whole house. The tree will suffice, I think. I got some "snow" from the linen closet, tossed on some lights and a few bulbs and called a halt for the time being. Next trip, Walmart.
Our walmart has been transformed. It was an early walmart and was dingy and unhappy. Then they added a grocery section and transformed the whole place to a new, happy walmart! Yippee. If I never had to shop at walmart, I wouldn't. But they have slowly forced a lot of other stores out of business. I was shocked to find that our local shoe store had given up the ghost recently. Anyway, I wanted to get mom a couple of things to put under the tree. Nothing major or earth shattering. But mom had forgotten her glasses and so couldn't navigate by herself. And when she suggested she wait outside in the freezing cold while I shopped for her, I opted to take her home and go back another day.
Once at home, I did some more tree decorating - I still want a garland or a strand of popcorn and tinsel if I can find it. And I thought about dinner. I ended up making the hot and sour soup, which turned out ok, and the croque monsieur which was yummy, but looked weird because I used red wine rather than white. Pretty darn yummy.
Mom watched some TV and then went to bed. I played on the computer till latish and also went to dream land. Wednesday - outlet malls and other shopping. Yippee!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Does this scarf make me look gay?
The other day, my housemate asked me if I was going to wear a certain scarf when I was going out. I said yes. She said that the scarf made me look gay. Even gayer than I already seemed. I think she meant this mostly in jest. She wanted me to wear a scarf that she had made. I wanted to wear the scarf that I had made. 30 years ago. I started it when I was eight, worked on it off and on until I was ten. Didn't touch it again for almost 8 years. A friend and theatre colleague saw it in my closet and offered to help me finish it. She showed me a couple stitches and I finished it up pretty quickly. In time for the winter season at school that year. Here is a picture of me wearing the scarf. Ok, so it makes me look a little fat, maybe...
Day one Trip to Geneva
Travel day! I do so enjoy traveling. Even when it doesn't go as smoothly as one could hope. All in all, it wasn't a bad travel day. I did have to get up pretty early for me. Cate and Daniel do it all week long - getting up around 5 or so. Eeek! We all got up and got ready and got out on time - we chose 6:15 as the leaving time so that Cate could get to work on time. I hope she did! I zipped through the security check with narry a difficulty. Oh, I think I did lose a pen. 1 down, 250 to go (I have way too many pens). I found the gate and sat down to wait. By waiting, I mean napping. Napped and napped. And then got on the plane. Teeny! I couldn't even stand up straight in the aisle. But it was a jet, instead of a turboprop. Found my aisle seat - I like the aisle for the view of the plane that they afford. Got my elephant pillow and my sound canceling headphones out and was getting comfortable when a couple got on the plane. Their seats were separated, so I agreed to swap. Still an aisle seat. And proceeded to nap. I hope I didn't drool on the doctor flying to Burlington in the seat beside me. Anyway, I napped and napped and kept looking out the window to see that we weren't moving. Apparently we didn't move for an hour! No window of opportunity to land at Reagan National in Washington. Oh well. More napping.
The flight was uneventful. I got a glass of water and napped some more. When we were getting close to landing, the steward starting asking about people's connections. Turns out that most of us were going to miss ours, since we were an hour late. at least 6 of us were going on to Syracuse. I bonded with a woman and her two lovely college daughters. Their answer to the question of what they were studying sounded practiced: Daughter one (Meredith College) Psychology, Daughter two (Elon College) Psychology, Mother "Just plain Psycho!" She was great, though. When it came time to get our boarding passes to the next flight, she convinced the agent to give us all a free lunch! Woohoo!
So, I sat in the airport for more than two hours. Napping. Ok, not all napping. I did some people watching. I love people watching. Did some writing - started maybe four blog entries that may or may not make it here. Helped out a man from Jamaica by lending him my phone. We commiserated about the state of the nation and talked about all sorts of things. Including Marijuana. Ate my lunch - from 5 guys - still not thrilled with their food - really don't like their french fries at all. The ten dollar voucher was almost entirely used up on that meal! Eeek! I also texted with a friend for a while which helped to make the time more pleasant.
Finally got on another teeny plane and flew to Syracuse. Yippee! Lovely, overcast Syracuse. I used Enterprise for my rental car company. My mom's Discover card was declined and I ended up having a nice chat with the security people. Turns out that there is something wrong with the card's data strip. Not going to worry about it. The car I got (a picture has been posted to Facebook) is some sort of Chevy. Reminds me of a PT cruiser but larger. The drive was pleasant enough, despite blowing snow for the first 20 minutes.
Got to Geneva safely, which is always a good thing. Mom and I decided that the first night I would not cook, so we got Pizza hut pizza - I like their pan pizza - and a few chicken wings. Then off to the movies to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I think I read those books 41 years ago. Weird! Fun movie, though. I wonder if they are making a version of The Last Battle... Then home to bed for me. Long day! Today - shopping!
The flight was uneventful. I got a glass of water and napped some more. When we were getting close to landing, the steward starting asking about people's connections. Turns out that most of us were going to miss ours, since we were an hour late. at least 6 of us were going on to Syracuse. I bonded with a woman and her two lovely college daughters. Their answer to the question of what they were studying sounded practiced: Daughter one (Meredith College) Psychology, Daughter two (Elon College) Psychology, Mother "Just plain Psycho!" She was great, though. When it came time to get our boarding passes to the next flight, she convinced the agent to give us all a free lunch! Woohoo!
So, I sat in the airport for more than two hours. Napping. Ok, not all napping. I did some people watching. I love people watching. Did some writing - started maybe four blog entries that may or may not make it here. Helped out a man from Jamaica by lending him my phone. We commiserated about the state of the nation and talked about all sorts of things. Including Marijuana. Ate my lunch - from 5 guys - still not thrilled with their food - really don't like their french fries at all. The ten dollar voucher was almost entirely used up on that meal! Eeek! I also texted with a friend for a while which helped to make the time more pleasant.
Finally got on another teeny plane and flew to Syracuse. Yippee! Lovely, overcast Syracuse. I used Enterprise for my rental car company. My mom's Discover card was declined and I ended up having a nice chat with the security people. Turns out that there is something wrong with the card's data strip. Not going to worry about it. The car I got (a picture has been posted to Facebook) is some sort of Chevy. Reminds me of a PT cruiser but larger. The drive was pleasant enough, despite blowing snow for the first 20 minutes.
Got to Geneva safely, which is always a good thing. Mom and I decided that the first night I would not cook, so we got Pizza hut pizza - I like their pan pizza - and a few chicken wings. Then off to the movies to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader. I think I read those books 41 years ago. Weird! Fun movie, though. I wonder if they are making a version of The Last Battle... Then home to bed for me. Long day! Today - shopping!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Nesting?
Weird. That is all I can say. For the past couple of months I have been cooking. A lot. When I was ten to about 14 I liked to cook. Especially bake, but I would cook anything. Recently, I have been trying recipes, being creative in the kitchen. I like it. I like making stuff and people eating it and them saying it is yummy! Yippee! Also oddly, I don't mind cleaning in the kitchen, and elsewhere, nearly as much. I would make someone a pretty good househusband. Sadly, I can't find anyone who appeals who is interested in settling down and having a child or two. Oh well. Life is like that sometimes. Still, I am getting to eat some great food. Last night, baked salmon with dill sauce. Woo hoo!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Saturday
I actually did some work today. Nothing too strenuous or exciting. I chose a designer. Yippee! Lily Foks actually put us in contact. Heather was the only designer to get her act together and give me a proof of concept. Two others promised and neither delivered. One of those emailed me a proof of concept, but forgot to attach it. Great. Heather was also the most cost effective designer. I sent her a very long email today congratulating her and giving her some thoughts. I hope she doesn't back out after finding out that I am going to be a pain in the butt to work with. Anyway, I did that, a load of laundry, shopped for dinner tonight - salmon with dill sauce, artichokes and maybe another vegetable of some kind - and managed to keep mostly dry. It is a miserable day out there - unless one really enjoys cold, sleety sunless days - in which case, it is a beautiful day!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Small things
So, I came out today to run errands and everything has been swell. I got to the mall and went to the Apple store to exchange a dongle. I had feared there would be a brew haha. There wasn't. They just said, oh, ok, swapped them out and I went on with my life. Sat in a sitting area and filled out a check I had to mail to my editor for her work on my Saucer book. Walked to the Post Office at the mall and dropped off the letter. Headed home - now that was a bit of a challenge since the mall has changed all of the exits around for the holiday season. But I made it here to the Saucer relatively easily. Got my first beer and Adam Springs showed up, as he had warned on my status update last night. We chatted and he mentioned the glass from the night before. Apparently they had shown up around four on Thursday. I looked up, noticed there were a couple glasses on a shelf and asked my server about them. Minutes later she handed me one. Yippee! It is the small things that make life so sweet.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Long time, no post
Sad, but true. Blogging consistently, well doing anything consistently, can prove to be a challenge. Anyway, life has been dandy, all things considered. Weird thing, though. I have been on a saving money kick - trying to go to the Saucer less, eating out less, etc. And I don't seem to be saving money. What is that about? I have been successful in not going to the Saucer as much. Which is sad, because I am working diligently on the book. Ok, others are working diligently on the Saucer book right now. I have an editor who is working through the text. And I am very close to finding a designer. We shall see. I am hoping for a Spring release of the book. Anything is possible...
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The Results
Hi everyone out in blogoland. The results are in from the brainstorming event. All in all, a bunch of fun was had. That is the best thing! Fun fun fun! And a lot of great ideas. Here is a somewhat culled list...
Teach at a charter school
Radiation tech or similar
Run Brainstorming events
Study Marketing and Making Beer
Motivational Speaker!
radio talk show host
interpreters for traveling executives
volunteering
Law enforcement
professional gambler!
international flight attendant
beer tour guide
beer rep positions
Write for beer advocate
historian/guide on a cruise ship
Politician
Painter
Resort Activity Director
Assisted Living Activity Director
Cruise Ship Cruise director
Photographer
Photo Journalist
Career Counselor
Event Planner
english teacher overseas
direct a movie
Medical Marijuana Grower
Radio Disc Jockey
Puzzle write for papers/magazines
Teach Chinese to like US Microbrews
Animation
Translator
Inspirational speaker
talent acquisition for the arts
documentarian
teach Chinese how to make a beer Americans like
Augustus Adventures on Travel Channel
Entertainer
Event marketer
teacher
Author
Corporate Trainer
professional game show winner
llama trainer
photo journalism
comedian
interpreter for political/hospitals
wedding planner
Traveling salesman - maybe software sales in China Germany or France
Translator or teaching border guards to speak Mexican or English
(Part-time) - Directing/producing tv shows with local tv stations
Teach Chinese how to make a beer Americans will like - teach Chinese how to like American “microbrews”
Facebook event planner
computer/is
pc/sn/db training, design, development
helping Chinese see us perspective
Gaming in Vegas or Atlantic City
Acupuncture
companion
set up flower arrangements in hotels
security guard
set up a community to survive this economy
house sit
teach skills at Senior places or night classes or community centers - ie juggling, cards, taking chances
Party planner
Drive people ie to airport, shopping, etc.
Get a job and run a WA WA
Cut grass
Manage apartments
work for the state
work for the post office
I will have to read through this list a few more times to see what I can see. And as always, if anyone has anything to add, please let me know!
Teach at a charter school
Radiation tech or similar
Run Brainstorming events
Study Marketing and Making Beer
Motivational Speaker!
radio talk show host
interpreters for traveling executives
volunteering
Law enforcement
professional gambler!
international flight attendant
beer tour guide
beer rep positions
Write for beer advocate
historian/guide on a cruise ship
Politician
Painter
Resort Activity Director
Assisted Living Activity Director
Cruise Ship Cruise director
Photographer
Photo Journalist
Career Counselor
Event Planner
english teacher overseas
direct a movie
Medical Marijuana Grower
Radio Disc Jockey
Puzzle write for papers/magazines
Teach Chinese to like US Microbrews
Animation
Translator
Inspirational speaker
talent acquisition for the arts
documentarian
teach Chinese how to make a beer Americans like
Augustus Adventures on Travel Channel
Entertainer
Event marketer
teacher
Author
Corporate Trainer
professional game show winner
llama trainer
photo journalism
comedian
interpreter for political/hospitals
wedding planner
Traveling salesman - maybe software sales in China Germany or France
Translator or teaching border guards to speak Mexican or English
(Part-time) - Directing/producing tv shows with local tv stations
Teach Chinese how to make a beer Americans will like - teach Chinese how to like American “microbrews”
Facebook event planner
computer/is
pc/sn/db training, design, development
helping Chinese see us perspective
Gaming in Vegas or Atlantic City
Acupuncture
companion
set up flower arrangements in hotels
security guard
set up a community to survive this economy
house sit
teach skills at Senior places or night classes or community centers - ie juggling, cards, taking chances
Party planner
Drive people ie to airport, shopping, etc.
Get a job and run a WA WA
Cut grass
Manage apartments
work for the state
work for the post office
I will have to read through this list a few more times to see what I can see. And as always, if anyone has anything to add, please let me know!
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Brainstorming Session - Third Post
We have had the event. Overall, I am very pleased. My two main goals were a) to have fun and b) to be inspired. Both occurred. Yippee! A group of about twenty people came. As prognosticated, only about half of the people who RSVP'd "yes" actually attended. One or two maybes and a few that were otherwise unaccounted for appeared. The space was just large enough and it all worked out. At about 7 I made a little speech and did some brainstorming on my giant yellow ruled post-it flip chart pad. And I chatted with a lot of the great people who came out! The youngest participant was Leland at 13 (I hope that is the right age) and the oldest was Nancy (not Eric's Nancy) at some age greater than 60.
Now, the next task is to transcribe all of the thoughts and see if anything inspires me further. Deus ex machina, where are you when I need you? :)
Thank you one and all thus far!
Now, the next task is to transcribe all of the thoughts and see if anything inspires me further. Deus ex machina, where are you when I need you? :)
Thank you one and all thus far!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Feeling Virtuous
I am feeling virtuous for having sorted not one, but two pen drawers just now. In preparation for the grand event on Wednesday, August 11, I decided to take some pens along. My original thought was to buy a ten pack of pens - but I realized that since I already had at least 50 pens, I might as well sort through those and see which ones might be up for the adventure. I ended up through 10 or so away. This is huge for me. I also found a few pencils and a few other odds and ends. And a pair of laser tag pens that seem to mostly function sort of. I also accomplished my trip to Staples, achieving Sticky flipchart paper that looks like yellow ruled tablet paper! Woohoo! I for one am getting excited!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Bought Markers
I am so excited. I bought two packs of markers for the brainstorming event. Next on my to do list is go through all of my myriad pens in my pen drawer and figure out which ones work and which ones ought to see the inside of the circular file! I have decided to also take notecards so that people who are reluctant to write large on the walls can write small on a card. I need to find the cards I have somewhere as well. I love using up things that I have been keeping around for 40 years. Ok, 25 years. Tomorrow I need to get my resume copied while I am shopping at Staples. This is another thing about which I am excited. I love office supplies. Which might mean that I ought to be an office manager so that I could play with office supplies all the time! Hmm.
As for the attendance. So far 14 people have said they are attending. 48 are maybes. 101 have responded no. And still waiting for 129 people. I am going to seriously consider defriending anyone who hasn't bothered to respond. Is that harsh? I don't think so. I am sure there is some dead-ish weight on my friends list. Tomorrow, the unresponsive will get another email. I think total will be around 20 people. 10 of the 14 yeses will show. 7 of the maybes will show and three people who are not on Facebook or otherwise accounted for will appear. 20 isn't bad. I hope that it is enough for critical mass. We shall, of course, see.
As for the attendance. So far 14 people have said they are attending. 48 are maybes. 101 have responded no. And still waiting for 129 people. I am going to seriously consider defriending anyone who hasn't bothered to respond. Is that harsh? I don't think so. I am sure there is some dead-ish weight on my friends list. Tomorrow, the unresponsive will get another email. I think total will be around 20 people. 10 of the 14 yeses will show. 7 of the maybes will show and three people who are not on Facebook or otherwise accounted for will appear. 20 isn't bad. I hope that it is enough for critical mass. We shall, of course, see.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Brainstorming Session - Second Post
So I sent invitations to all of my Facebook friends and to about 20 other people through email. I never did get around to creating an Evite. Most of the people I know are on Facebook. Except Daniel. Anyway, I so far have 11 yeses, 37 maybes, 72 not attending and 169 awaiting reply. I think I am going to harass the awaiting reply people once a day and see what happens. I like that Facebook allows one to target the four different replies. Yippee! (I got ice cream in my hair.) I am still debating what to do about the people who eventually end up not replying at all. Hmm. Thoughts?
Brainstorming Session
Hi there, long time, no blog. Life is that way sometimes. Anywho, I met a great woman named Valerie who did a cool thing. And I am emulating her. She asked her friends and family to get together to come up with ideas on what she ought to do with her life. Career-wise, ostensibly, but life-wise in reality. So that is what I am doing. August 11 from 6 to 8 in the back room of the Raleigh Flying Saucer, I am having a brainstorming session to see what thoughts people have for and about me. It will, if nothing else, be fun. A very diverse group have already RSVP'd that they are coming - though if typical party statistics prevail only half of them really will. A bunch of maybes - two or three of whom will make an appearance, and maybe one or two random people not otherwise accounted for will grace us! We shall see. In any case, I will post the results here at some point! Yippee!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 19
Nineteen days is one of the amounts of time that I like to travel. Well, three weeks, actually, but who is counting? Oh, right, I am. Anyway, this was my last day. I was trying to keep my mind on the fun I was hoping to have at the Nashville store and not the 9 hour drive I had afterwards through the dark of the night to get home.
The drive from Brownsville TN to Nashville was a zippy two hours. I had had a few communications from a manager named Dani who I had not met on my previous visits to the Nashville, FS.
Have I mentioned that I really hate to pay for parking. I just find something inherently wrong with the notion. There aren't a lot of options around the Nashville Saucer. A large lot behind the building is exorbitant, and I parked there reluctantly. As I was walking in, there was a sign about $3 and parking. I thought that it was $3 off the parking fee. Turns out that, yippee, it is a flat rate parking fee of $3 for patrons! That brightened my mood considerably.
I took two laps around the Saucer looking for an appropriate Augustus seating situation. I ended up on another tall table which, though decent, was still not optimal. I guess, like a few of the other Saucers, I will have to keep going there until I find the perfect seat. Still, this one worked out.
One of the first people I spoke to was the MOD who happened to be the very Dani with whom I had been communicating!
(Dani is on the left and Drea my server is on the right - as one looks at the picture)
She had told me that their top knurd also wasn't coming in that much, but that the one server who still worked there would be starting her shift that afternoon. I had already mentally decided to stay until she came.
I had a fun server named Drea who was very knowledgeable and obviously an old hand. Katie, who was working her second or maybe third shift took the time to chat a little. I also met the great bartender, Holly, who is, sadly, planning a move to Florida!
(Holly on the left, Katie on the right)
A couple other servers were also gracious enough to come chat, sign my calendar and pose for a picture.
Eventually the calendar model came over, signed the calendar and refused to take a picture. What the heck was that? Honestly, if I had known that she wasn't going to take a picture, I wouldn't have asked her to sign the calendar. A signature without a picture is fairly useless, in my opinion. And since it is my calendar, my opinion counts for a lot. :)
I got some food to go, and Drea also provided me with a cup of water to take on the road.
It was a loooong drive. Which I survived. Arriving home, finally, around 3 in the morning.
The drive from Brownsville TN to Nashville was a zippy two hours. I had had a few communications from a manager named Dani who I had not met on my previous visits to the Nashville, FS.
Have I mentioned that I really hate to pay for parking. I just find something inherently wrong with the notion. There aren't a lot of options around the Nashville Saucer. A large lot behind the building is exorbitant, and I parked there reluctantly. As I was walking in, there was a sign about $3 and parking. I thought that it was $3 off the parking fee. Turns out that, yippee, it is a flat rate parking fee of $3 for patrons! That brightened my mood considerably.
I took two laps around the Saucer looking for an appropriate Augustus seating situation. I ended up on another tall table which, though decent, was still not optimal. I guess, like a few of the other Saucers, I will have to keep going there until I find the perfect seat. Still, this one worked out.
One of the first people I spoke to was the MOD who happened to be the very Dani with whom I had been communicating!
(Dani is on the left and Drea my server is on the right - as one looks at the picture)
She had told me that their top knurd also wasn't coming in that much, but that the one server who still worked there would be starting her shift that afternoon. I had already mentally decided to stay until she came.
I had a fun server named Drea who was very knowledgeable and obviously an old hand. Katie, who was working her second or maybe third shift took the time to chat a little. I also met the great bartender, Holly, who is, sadly, planning a move to Florida!
(Holly on the left, Katie on the right)
A couple other servers were also gracious enough to come chat, sign my calendar and pose for a picture.
Eventually the calendar model came over, signed the calendar and refused to take a picture. What the heck was that? Honestly, if I had known that she wasn't going to take a picture, I wouldn't have asked her to sign the calendar. A signature without a picture is fairly useless, in my opinion. And since it is my calendar, my opinion counts for a lot. :)
I got some food to go, and Drea also provided me with a cup of water to take on the road.
It was a loooong drive. Which I survived. Arriving home, finally, around 3 in the morning.
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 18 - Part Two
Thanks to my GPS, my drive to Cordova was mostly scenic.
Got there and after chatting with Kevin, the manager, decided it was best to run errands before settling in to wait for Tom, the top beer knurd.
First, oil change and car wash. And it was a deluxe car wash. Probably worth the price of the oil change! I almost didn't recognize my shiny car.
I had a great chat with a professional poker player and hope to see him at the final table in the World Series of Poker soon!
From there I went to find a stand for my 15th plate - long story - and to have some food at Chili's. Yum!
Back to the Saucer - I sat a pretty decent seat. It might just be "the seat" for that store. Kevin came over a little later and told me that Tom had arrived - along with a whole cadre of his friends - all working fairly diligently on their plates.
I think three or four of them at least are going to the GABF from Cordova! I wonder how many are going from the Raleigh Saucer...
Not much server participation, which was sad - but life is that way sometimes.
I headed out as I wanted to get stopped in time to, sigh, Tanga.
Got there and after chatting with Kevin, the manager, decided it was best to run errands before settling in to wait for Tom, the top beer knurd.
First, oil change and car wash. And it was a deluxe car wash. Probably worth the price of the oil change! I almost didn't recognize my shiny car.
I had a great chat with a professional poker player and hope to see him at the final table in the World Series of Poker soon!
From there I went to find a stand for my 15th plate - long story - and to have some food at Chili's. Yum!
Back to the Saucer - I sat a pretty decent seat. It might just be "the seat" for that store. Kevin came over a little later and told me that Tom had arrived - along with a whole cadre of his friends - all working fairly diligently on their plates.
I think three or four of them at least are going to the GABF from Cordova! I wonder how many are going from the Raleigh Saucer...
Not much server participation, which was sad - but life is that way sometimes.
I headed out as I wanted to get stopped in time to, sigh, Tanga.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Summary and Recap
19 days. X (where x is a large number) number of miles. Y (Not that large a number) number of dollars.
Great trip, all things considered. True, I didn't have any great thoughts about what my next job will be, but other than that, it was well worth the time and effort.
During the course of the trip I spent time with 14 friends and family members. Not as many as I had hoped, but I did get to reconnect with a lot of my favorite people!
Also, during the trip, I tasted at least 40 beers in local Brewpubs. I also went to 12 of the fourteen flying saucers. I took a lot of pictures, a few of which were ok. I also took 23 movies, only two or three of which were intentional. I am going to edit the movies all together, someday, and post it. Probably on Facebook. Also a photo album will go up there.
Sadly, I had no epiphany about what to do for a livelihood for the next five to fifteen years. I figure by that time, something else will have shaken loose. I will be married again, the world will have ended, one of my books will have been selected by Oprah. Who knows?!
Great trip, all things considered. True, I didn't have any great thoughts about what my next job will be, but other than that, it was well worth the time and effort.
During the course of the trip I spent time with 14 friends and family members. Not as many as I had hoped, but I did get to reconnect with a lot of my favorite people!
Also, during the trip, I tasted at least 40 beers in local Brewpubs. I also went to 12 of the fourteen flying saucers. I took a lot of pictures, a few of which were ok. I also took 23 movies, only two or three of which were intentional. I am going to edit the movies all together, someday, and post it. Probably on Facebook. Also a photo album will go up there.
Sadly, I had no epiphany about what to do for a livelihood for the next five to fifteen years. I figure by that time, something else will have shaken loose. I will be married again, the world will have ended, one of my books will have been selected by Oprah. Who knows?!
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 18
From Little Rock, or North Little Rock where I slept for the night, to Memphis was a short two hour drive. I found parking about a block away from the Memphis Saucer and wandered in. It was dead! I mean dead! Maybe five tables. Eeek! But no one seemed too concerned about it.
This is their countdown clock for their Thirteenth Birthday!
I ended up sitting at the bar (I know, what a shock!) because the bartender was personable. Two of her sisters came in to eat lunch later and I prevailed upon all of them for a picture!
Kirk, the GM and apparently also the uber manager for the area, was very accommodating. He even gave me a glass from that evening's glass night!
The servers on duty also gamely took their picture with me - and signed my calendar!
Off to Cordova!
This is their countdown clock for their Thirteenth Birthday!
I ended up sitting at the bar (I know, what a shock!) because the bartender was personable. Two of her sisters came in to eat lunch later and I prevailed upon all of them for a picture!
Kirk, the GM and apparently also the uber manager for the area, was very accommodating. He even gave me a glass from that evening's glass night!
The servers on duty also gamely took their picture with me - and signed my calendar!
Off to Cordova!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 17
Today got off to a relaxing start. I only had a 30 minute drive to The Lake, so I took my time getting up and getting out. I had a huge breakfast! The highpoint of which was my Texas shaped waffle!!
I moseyed over to The Lake and was pleased to find that my memories of it were not wrong. Wow! A billboard for a Saucer! I wonder if it works...
Still a great looking Saucer. And I had an excellent time there. Race's brother was the Manager on duty - well, one of two. The other was Becca (one of only five female manages currently in the Flying Saucer Stores). It was lunch time, and they were moderately busy, so I took my time eating my chicken snack and drinking my one beer.
All of the servers and the bartender came over to say hello and pose for pictures.
On my way out, I almost asked a server in training for her picture! Good time.
The drive to Little Rock was uneventful and pleasant enough as my drives on freeways can be.
My second visit to the Little Rock store was agreeable. Nice chat with the MOD. One of the calendar models was actually there! Yippee!
No sign of the top beer knurd, but apparently, he doesn't come in that frequently anymore. Only my server was brave enough to sign my calendar and pose for a picture. Sigh.
I guess part of my reason for not being comfortable in the Saucers I am not comfortable in, is not finding a seat that I like. More on this in another post one day.
Off a little way out of the city for overnighting!
I moseyed over to The Lake and was pleased to find that my memories of it were not wrong. Wow! A billboard for a Saucer! I wonder if it works...
Still a great looking Saucer. And I had an excellent time there. Race's brother was the Manager on duty - well, one of two. The other was Becca (one of only five female manages currently in the Flying Saucer Stores). It was lunch time, and they were moderately busy, so I took my time eating my chicken snack and drinking my one beer.
All of the servers and the bartender came over to say hello and pose for pictures.
On my way out, I almost asked a server in training for her picture! Good time.
The drive to Little Rock was uneventful and pleasant enough as my drives on freeways can be.
My second visit to the Little Rock store was agreeable. Nice chat with the MOD. One of the calendar models was actually there! Yippee!
No sign of the top beer knurd, but apparently, he doesn't come in that frequently anymore. Only my server was brave enough to sign my calendar and pose for a picture. Sigh.
I guess part of my reason for not being comfortable in the Saucers I am not comfortable in, is not finding a seat that I like. More on this in another post one day.
Off a little way out of the city for overnighting!
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 16
The Econolodge guy convinced me to take a third floor room - because the view was better.
The drive from Albuquerque to Fort Worth went pretty smoothly.
I like the Fort Worth store's look and feel. And my experiences have been decent, though not exemplary.
I got there right about 6, and headed inside. Not particularly crowded. Found a tall table in a corner. Not optimal for me, but ok. My server was a friendly woman who found the manager for me - Curtis. He and I had met the last time I was at the Fort Worth Saucer. He said he would get some of the rest of the staff to come to sign my calendar and pose for pictures. He also told me that it wasn't certain that the top beerknurd would be in that day. But the other calendar model was gracious enough to come over and sign my calendar and stand with me for a picture.
Only two other staff members (out of 10 or so) came over to say hello.
What made my visit was meeting Mason. We chatted about this and that before we each headed our separate ways - he to his home, me to Addison!
Instead of heading to the Addison store, I headed for the Econolodge I had chosen. Turned out to be about a mile from the Saucer. So, after Tanga, I walked down the street. Addison is one of the seemingly few areas with actual sidewalks! It was a pleasant walk. I walked past the Motel 6 I had stayed in last time I was in the area.
Not a banner time at the Addison Saucer. Race, the manager, remembered me from my previous visit and was very personable.
Sadly, no one else came to chat. And my server took five minutes to even approach me, then didn't bother to tell me her name, tell me the specials or ask if I wanted any food. I asked for an icewater with lemon and it took me asking two more times to finally get a wedge. Sigh. I ordered a piece of pizza, that in my mood was not exemplary. Snarfed that down, chugged my beer and left. At least I had a pleasant walk home. I will, of course, continue to give Addison a chance - I just haven't been hitting the correct servers so far.
Friday, April 23, 2010
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 15
I wasn't sure exactly where I was going to stop when I left Las Vegas. I was leaning towards someplace near or after Albuquerque. (That is a tough city to spell!!) On the way, I opted for an Econolodge on the Eastern Outskirts of Albuquerque. Not a lot happened other than a lot of driving.
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 14
Originally my GPS, which sometimes seemingly anticipates my desires, wanted to send me through California and the freeways. I dissuaded it from that by starting down a mountain road. It dutifully recalculated and I had another lovely drive through the high desert.
I am a bad tourist. I stopped for gas at a Candy store and was approached by a trombone player from the local highschool band. For a donation, he would wash my windshield. He didn't do a great job, but it was cleaner than it had been.
Anyway, I was given the option to go see Death Valley - but I didn't bother to take out my map and see that I really wouldn't have had to do any backtracking to do so. Sigh. I opted not to go. Who knows when next I will have that opportunity. Did I Sigh already? Still, the scenery was great!
The rest of the drive was uneventful. The same Econolodge was waiting patiently for my return. This time I had a much cleaner, happier room - for the same price. Go figure. Again, I had gotten into town fairly early in the day. So I got out and hopped on the bus to the strip. First stop, was Treasure Island to see what time their shows were. Next stop, Mirage to see about tickets for that evening's performance of Love - the Cirque's Beatles show. They had two shows - one at 9:30 which was good for me so that I could Tanga. The ticket seller actually suggested I buy the lesser priced of two tickets - weird. More on that later.
Next stop, Harrah's to gamble my hundred dollars. Not a good gambling experience. David Cummerford mentioned that hotels off the strip had better odds on their slot machines - and I think he was correct. Next time, I think I will try one of the off strip Harrah's properties. Grrr.
Then it was time to head back to Tanga. That was kind of pointless as I didn't do particularly well. Sigh.
Back on the bus to the Strip to hang out till the show started. I checked the timing and realized that I could use my two for one drink ticket that I got with my admission and also go see the TI Sirens show before Love. I went to Revolution, which was opened just for the people who had these tickets and got my two for one beers. Good thing it was two for one. They were charging $8 for a beer! Eeeek!! Cool thing about Vegas, though, is that one can walk the street with beer in hand! Yippee!
The Sirens show was fun, but I liked the pirates versus the British show that they had before. And it would have been better with binoculars - which I conveniently had left in my car. Sigh. This actually didn't strike me until I was watching Love later. Anyway, back to The Mirage and love.
Great show! And the seats were excellent. All the way at the top of the theatre, but not that high and not that far from the stage. And right behind the sound and light boards! Lots of hydraulics, lots of projections, great sound and nicely balanced circus acts versus pure sort of dance stuff.
I also harassed, only mildly, the young saleswoman who had convinced me that Love was worth seeing - Shannon. Sigh.
After the show I was exhausted and headed straight back to the hotel to sleep!
I am a bad tourist. I stopped for gas at a Candy store and was approached by a trombone player from the local highschool band. For a donation, he would wash my windshield. He didn't do a great job, but it was cleaner than it had been.
Anyway, I was given the option to go see Death Valley - but I didn't bother to take out my map and see that I really wouldn't have had to do any backtracking to do so. Sigh. I opted not to go. Who knows when next I will have that opportunity. Did I Sigh already? Still, the scenery was great!
The rest of the drive was uneventful. The same Econolodge was waiting patiently for my return. This time I had a much cleaner, happier room - for the same price. Go figure. Again, I had gotten into town fairly early in the day. So I got out and hopped on the bus to the strip. First stop, was Treasure Island to see what time their shows were. Next stop, Mirage to see about tickets for that evening's performance of Love - the Cirque's Beatles show. They had two shows - one at 9:30 which was good for me so that I could Tanga. The ticket seller actually suggested I buy the lesser priced of two tickets - weird. More on that later.
Next stop, Harrah's to gamble my hundred dollars. Not a good gambling experience. David Cummerford mentioned that hotels off the strip had better odds on their slot machines - and I think he was correct. Next time, I think I will try one of the off strip Harrah's properties. Grrr.
Then it was time to head back to Tanga. That was kind of pointless as I didn't do particularly well. Sigh.
Back on the bus to the Strip to hang out till the show started. I checked the timing and realized that I could use my two for one drink ticket that I got with my admission and also go see the TI Sirens show before Love. I went to Revolution, which was opened just for the people who had these tickets and got my two for one beers. Good thing it was two for one. They were charging $8 for a beer! Eeeek!! Cool thing about Vegas, though, is that one can walk the street with beer in hand! Yippee!
The Sirens show was fun, but I liked the pirates versus the British show that they had before. And it would have been better with binoculars - which I conveniently had left in my car. Sigh. This actually didn't strike me until I was watching Love later. Anyway, back to The Mirage and love.
Great show! And the seats were excellent. All the way at the top of the theatre, but not that high and not that far from the stage. And right behind the sound and light boards! Lots of hydraulics, lots of projections, great sound and nicely balanced circus acts versus pure sort of dance stuff.
I also harassed, only mildly, the young saleswoman who had convinced me that Love was worth seeing - Shannon. Sigh.
After the show I was exhausted and headed straight back to the hotel to sleep!
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 13
Eeek - Thirteenth Day -
Got up to find my car covered in frost! Garg!
The drive from Redmond to Reno was along a non-thruway which was great. A really, really lovely drive. All high desert.
I might actually like Reno better than Las Vegas in some ways. It is smaller and less ostentatious than it's bigger cousin. More manageable. I got in pretty early, so went to check out the downtown. Found the Harrah's and did my $100 gamble and came out $10 ahead. I decided not to gamble the last $7.50 from Jo-Anne in Reno and to wait until I got back to Vegas for that.
Wandered around a bit, took a picture of myself in front of the famous Reno sign. Then back to the room to Tanga (Grrr Necole).
Next, my friend Patti was coming from San Francisco to meet a friend up in Reno. How random is that! It was meant to be. So I went to eat and wait for her call. Found a cool place called Brews Brothers. The beer was decent and the chicken club sandwich and fries was one of the best meals I have had in a brew pub! Yum!
Soon thereafter Patti called and we met and chatted for a while. Yippee! She was with her friend Ed Lenert who was quite an interesting guy!
Got up to find my car covered in frost! Garg!
The drive from Redmond to Reno was along a non-thruway which was great. A really, really lovely drive. All high desert.
I might actually like Reno better than Las Vegas in some ways. It is smaller and less ostentatious than it's bigger cousin. More manageable. I got in pretty early, so went to check out the downtown. Found the Harrah's and did my $100 gamble and came out $10 ahead. I decided not to gamble the last $7.50 from Jo-Anne in Reno and to wait until I got back to Vegas for that.
Wandered around a bit, took a picture of myself in front of the famous Reno sign. Then back to the room to Tanga (Grrr Necole).
Next, my friend Patti was coming from San Francisco to meet a friend up in Reno. How random is that! It was meant to be. So I went to eat and wait for her call. Found a cool place called Brews Brothers. The beer was decent and the chicken club sandwich and fries was one of the best meals I have had in a brew pub! Yum!
Soon thereafter Patti called and we met and chatted for a while. Yippee! She was with her friend Ed Lenert who was quite an interesting guy!
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 12
Since my plans changed - see, I can adapt - and with Shauna's gracious invitation extended, I decided to stay a second day in scenic Redmond.
Leisurely start to the day - I got up, took a shower, did some blogging, played some Tanga (curse you Necole) and got out in time to meet Shauna at the Deschutes Brew Pub in Bend. Bend is a more populous city than Redmond. And I had had a Deschutes porter as mentioned earlier, so I was looking forward to our experience.
Lunch was yummy - wings and a side salad. And two flights of beer. The pub had 22 beers from Deschutes on tap. Most of them were decent - a few really good.
After lunch we went to pick up the kids and then picked up my car to head to the Deschutes brewery for a tour! I was surprised to see a ticket on my car. Apparently I can send in the receipt from lunch and get out of it. We shall see if that works.
Poor Fiona! She hated the smell of the brewery. Michael seemed to have fun. He was the only one of the group who asked any intelligent questions.
On the way back to Redmond, we stopped for an early dinner. I don't think either Shauna or I were particularly hungry, but the kids were. Yummy food - I hope to go back there when I am hungry one day.
Back to the homestead and some chatting before sleep! Fiona took Chuck to sleep with her!
Leisurely start to the day - I got up, took a shower, did some blogging, played some Tanga (curse you Necole) and got out in time to meet Shauna at the Deschutes Brew Pub in Bend. Bend is a more populous city than Redmond. And I had had a Deschutes porter as mentioned earlier, so I was looking forward to our experience.
Lunch was yummy - wings and a side salad. And two flights of beer. The pub had 22 beers from Deschutes on tap. Most of them were decent - a few really good.
After lunch we went to pick up the kids and then picked up my car to head to the Deschutes brewery for a tour! I was surprised to see a ticket on my car. Apparently I can send in the receipt from lunch and get out of it. We shall see if that works.
Poor Fiona! She hated the smell of the brewery. Michael seemed to have fun. He was the only one of the group who asked any intelligent questions.
On the way back to Redmond, we stopped for an early dinner. I don't think either Shauna or I were particularly hungry, but the kids were. Yummy food - I hope to go back there when I am hungry one day.
Back to the homestead and some chatting before sleep! Fiona took Chuck to sleep with her!
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 10
Daniel had to head off to work very early in the morning. I had a short driving day to Seattle to look forward to, so I took my time, took a shower and moseyed on down the road.
Another beautiful driving day.
And traffic through Seattle, which can be brutal, wasn't too terrible. Yippee!
I got to Ellen and David's house a little earlier than I had said I would.
They had been planning on going to a lecture that evening, but opted to skip it in order to hang out with me!
We spent the evening chatting and eating. David, a chef in one of his incarnations, prepared yummy artichokes with a garlic aoili for an appetizer. And then we had Steel Head Trout over a bed of greens with a blueberry topping for our main course. Yum!
Another beautiful driving day.
And traffic through Seattle, which can be brutal, wasn't too terrible. Yippee!
I got to Ellen and David's house a little earlier than I had said I would.
They had been planning on going to a lecture that evening, but opted to skip it in order to hang out with me!
We spent the evening chatting and eating. David, a chef in one of his incarnations, prepared yummy artichokes with a garlic aoili for an appetizer. And then we had Steel Head Trout over a bed of greens with a blueberry topping for our main course. Yum!
West Coast Trip April 2010 - Day 11
After a good night's sleep, I got up and out fairly early in the morning. I was supposed to get to Redmond Oregon by 2:15 so that I could accompany Shauna on her way to pick her kids up from school. I thought I had timed everything adequately. Little did I know that I would have to drive extra slowly and extra cautiously through a mountain pass where it had snowed!! Eeek! It was lovely, but a little nerve wracking. Needless to say, I managed to navigate through safely and survived.
I got to Shauna's just a little later than I had anticipated and she had already left. To kill a little time I headed to Applebees for a beer and some food.
After Shauna returned, we went to watch Michael have soccer practice. Burr! The wind was brutal, but the kids seemed to have fun.
Next we went to dinner at a local brew pub. I had beer and three tacos (the special) and had fun chatting with Shauna, though it was a tad loud to hear anything.
After getting the kids to bed, and David arriving home, I spent the night in the study on another air mattress.
Luckily, earlier that day, I had stopped and gotten a space blanket! That made all the difference. Sure, it was a little crinkly but at least I kept warm!
I got to Shauna's just a little later than I had anticipated and she had already left. To kill a little time I headed to Applebees for a beer and some food.
After Shauna returned, we went to watch Michael have soccer practice. Burr! The wind was brutal, but the kids seemed to have fun.
Next we went to dinner at a local brew pub. I had beer and three tacos (the special) and had fun chatting with Shauna, though it was a tad loud to hear anything.
After getting the kids to bed, and David arriving home, I spent the night in the study on another air mattress.
Luckily, earlier that day, I had stopped and gotten a space blanket! That made all the difference. Sure, it was a little crinkly but at least I kept warm!
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