When I don't feel like posting a long, well-thought-out blog but I still wanna talk, this will probably do the trick. Anything that pops into my head that I want to share with whoever wants to know, I'll stick it in these Random Thoughts posts. Kind of like Twitter I guess, but I ain't joining Twitter.
That Fibre 1 commercial with the talking bike seat... where do I get one of those bike seats? She sounds motivating. And hot. Just sayin'.
The Hasselbot... incredibly annoying and seemingly blind to the world, yet hard not to stare at and immensely entertaining.
When will skinny models go away? What kind of guy likes a really skinny girl anyway? Are those guys afraid of the meatier girls who will kick their ass?
Chocolate covered almonds rock... my bowels. But damn they're good.
I might start a blog page documenting David Alward's imminent screwups over the next 4 years. I hope that page has enough memory on it. Shawn Graham screwed up colossally too, but the DA scares me.
I don't hate "Glee", just the fans. No wait... I hate "Glee" too. Sad that McCartney, Coldplay and even my mighty KISS has sold out to that crap.
Being unemployed really, really, really sucks. Trying to find work sucks worse. But, I have traded in work stress for the worrying kind that accompanies Hyperventilation Syndrome.
Nice hearing from Aly, an old AOL buddy when I was on that network way back. She's actually an inspiration.
Looking forward to "Caprica" tomorrow night. What a show. Taken place on a planet in a galaxy a long time ago far, far away like Earth, but not entirely. Draws parallels that will make people talk.
This blog here does NOT mean I have Attention Defic.... LEGS ARE ON TV!!!!
If you haven't seen me a lot lately, bear in mind I'm an introvert. It's not you, it's me.
I'm worried about hatred that's bubbling to the surface among some that I know or know of. Extremists exists among all religions, including Christian. And none of those extremists are justified.
Speaking of hatred... why is the word "liberal" so reviled by so many? I'm a liberal conservative. Or a moderate. I believe in socialism to some degree but not abortion or capital punishment.
By the way... if you hate "liberals", I AM one. In other words, find a better outlet for your hatred. You never know who you're going to offend. All you need is love. Love is all you need.
I've been saying it for a long time now, but I believe my brother Rick is pretty much now the official gatekeeper of the Cooks. And so deserved. He is the model for what all of his siblings should be.
My daughter is the smartest, hardest working 14 year old I know of and the sweetest. I might be biased because she's our kid though.
I really like the Dr. Oz show, but it freaks me out a bit. Is everything around me going to kill me or what? And does any of his advice apply to men or is he strictly for the ladies?
The Afghan war can not be won and won't be won. Never in history has democracy been successfully forced upon a society that doesn't have it by a foreign country or countries. This is no different.
Did Ann Coulter disappear? I know she's really thin. Maybe she just turned sideways.
If you think church is the most segregated hour of the week, you haven't been to St. Bernard's here in Moncton.
I wish my daughter wasn't into so much crap music. But, I do hope one day at least she'll redeem herself by saying "I can't believe I used to like that!"
I said to my wife last night that I believe she is the most reasonable person, man or woman, I've ever known personally. Strong as an ox mentally... and physically, it's best not to piss her off either.
Here's hoping good luck holds up in my friend Sara's love life. She deserves happiness.
Thank God for my cats. These times at home by myself wouldn't be tolerable without those furry little monsters running around.
That'll be all for now I guess. Any questions or comments?
Monday, October 4, 2010
Random Thoughts I
Life is tough. If it wasn't, it would be so bucking foring. I make mistakes and often write about them here, but I tend to point the finger too much, in the past. Now I point it in the mirror, then ask myself, "so what do we do to bring balance to this?" This is how I want to translate my blogs now. I could have called one "Something's gotta give" I think, but Ragnar specifically has too much history.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Bombs the way
EEEEIIIINNNNNGGGG (L)
It has been tough finding work. Tough, in particular, to find something that will actually please me, and not take me away from my family life. My past jobs have allowed me that much. But, I'm not just particular about that. I don't want to do something I know I'll be miserable doing either. This includes working in hardware stores. I'm not one of those He-Man Master of the Home Universe types. I don't get an erection at the mere mention of power tools like some guys do. Look, I wish I DID like that stuff, because it serves a mammoth purpose in the practical world. But alas, it bores the snot out of me. Anyway, I'm exploring some options this coming week. I'm going nuts here.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
The three of us here in the household waiting a long, long time for August 7 to finally get here. Me especially, because I needed some kind of a stress outlet and a way to relax at the same time. What better remedy for that than a KISS show? The show scheduled for that day at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts near Boston (think of what Dieppe or Riverview is to Moncton, only bigger) is an outdoor show, which worried me a bit as to how the weather was going to behave. But we were to be armed with ponchos in the event of such a crisis, so no worries. We were also to graze the hallowed grounds of baseball, where I first acquainted by admiration for a team led by the mighty #14, hall of famer Jim Rice, he the heroic left fielder of the Red Sox whom I followed on WLBZ TV on weekends on cable. When I played baseball for that one year when I was a kid, my number was 14 too. I considered that an honor, because Jim Rice OWNED #14. He da MAN!! I wouldn't want to wear a sports jersey or shirt with a name on it other than my own unless it was Rice, but I was convinced there was no such shirt anymore in this day.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
Our buddy Marshall's been doing a bang-up job with our bedroom, in the meantime. What looked like an impossible objective at the outset and increasingly more so as more problems were uncovered has turned out to be a very satisfying result, as he's into the home stretch of getting the thing done. Maybe the most odd thing is Janice and me lying in bed at night with a lamp on, with us staring up at the ceiling and walls in veritable disbelief, even going so far as to waking up at night sometimes to wonder if we were actually in the same room we've been sleeping in for the past 11 years. We're hopeful that perhaps Thursday night it will all be finished, but it might be a bit longer. Alexandra's room will be next. I know she's looking forward to that.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
Janice's vacation has been going on for the past week, and it's been very nice in that in a way, we've had our vacation together, although I'm not really on one. But we've been together and not working for the past week, let's just call it that. Of course, the end of her vacation time is to culminate with us going to Boston for the KISS show. As Thursday night came around, the day before departure, everything was ready and set to go so that when Friday morning came, we were going to split town and not look back. Our longtime pal Sara assumed the task of babysitter for Crocky and Marbles, dropping in on our little furry family members over the two or three days we wouldn't be home. We got up Friday morning, got a few essentials thrown into the car with our Triptik from CAA along with Kevin (our GPS), and we were on the road.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
And what a day it was Friday, warm and sunny, kind of humid, and really pretty much ideal driving conditions. It might be somewhat of a surprise to some the route that we'd decided to take. Rather than go through southern New Brunswick to get to St. Stephen and into Calais, we went northwest through Fredericton and Woodstock to get to Houlton, taking the I-95 South all the way through Maine and the rest of New England. What resulted in taking this road was a whole lot less headaches, and a lot less time, believe it or not, because there aren't even close to as many stops or slow-downs or diversions along the way. Distance-wise, it's longer, but timewise it's far shorter. We did encounter some heavy traffic on the interstate as we approached the more populous cities, but as we came into them during rush hour or close to it, it was to be expected. Nonetheless, despite fumbling the directions on a minor level as we closed in on our hotel in Attleboro, near Mansfield, we got there in about 9 1/2 hours. We got Alexandra a book she really wanted and presented it to her as we began the road trip, which kept her completely satisfied the whole trip. I drove the whole distance while Janice provided all my navigation, via Kevin and CAA. We found the hotel relatively quickly - a motel, to be fair - and it served its purpose quite nicely. Two double beds for two nights, a washroom w/bath, TV with cable and air conditioning. That's it though, but nothing else was necessary. We wound up buying a hardshell cooler that we dumped ice into and kept drinks in, and we ate mostly on the run anyway. However, the first order of business upon arrival that Friday night was, yes, you guessed it.... the KFC Double Down. Enter the search for a KFC... found one, in Rhode Island. Off we go to Rhode Island. No I'm not joking! It was only a ten minute drive or so from our motel. It was not our first experience with the artery-threatening delicacy. We'd had one on our last jaunt to the U.S. a few months ago, and decided then that it needed an encore when we returned. We got to the KFC and chowed down. Good stuff! Though I think it should come with a complimentary dose of Aspirin to thin the blood for dessert.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
After a brief pit stop to a drug store to get some liquids for life (aka Pop in the Belmont Cook household), it was back to the Super 8 motel to unwind a bit before passing out for the night. It was a pretty good night's sleep actually, and we woke up, got dressed for KISS Army duty and set out to explore our surroundings further. But first on the agenda, I insisted, was to pay a visit to the home of my baseball heroes Boston Red Sox since 1978, Fenway Park. Getting to Boston wasn't that hard, but hair raising when you're just a small town guy like me from Moncton driving into the traffic jigsaw at high velocity that is Beantown. Hearing Janice relay via Kevin that I have to turn right when there are up to three options to turn right was hair raising at times, but once I got acclimatized to it all, it was slightly easier. We kind of wound up going around Fenway in circles a couple of times as I tried to figure out what I was doing and where I was going ("Hello! I'm from Moncton! Stop for ME, because I'm a foreign driver bewildered out of his mind!"), but we did find a place to park and then set out on foot to find things the good old fashioned way. Just to be sure though, we brought Kevin with us. You just have to laugh at yourself if you're Janice with a GPS in your hand talking to you telling you where to go as you stand waiting for a walk sign at traffic lights with others around you. But it was all fun, and funny, and memorable. And we're together experiencing all of it.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
After walking along for a bit, we gaze up and see it.... Fenway Park, the stadium lights defined against the blue sky dotted with clouds, with the multiple entrances below and the legendary Lansdowne and Yawkey Way streets outlining the perimeter. There were more than a handful of charming, earthy restaurants, shops and eateries surrounding the area, buzzing with life and streams of patrons milling about glaring at the architecture just like we were. Lexy and I are snapping photos on our digital cams lots as we go. I'd felt better. When I got up, I took too many of my daily supplements at once, I suspect, and it may have wound up setting the table for a rather unsettled day for me gutwise. But I was not about to let that spoil the day for me. We marched across the street and headed into the Red Sox shop, where everything that ever existed with a Red Sox logo on it was for sale. This is the holy grail for Red Sox fans! You name it, it's in there. As I walked in, there was a ticket booth just to my left where you can buy tickets for a tour of Fenway, which we really had no time for at all. The thought of this saddened me, because Fenway Park is a place I've only dreamed about being at or in all of my life, practically. Now this carrot had to dangle in my face and I had to turn down taking a bite of it. But, I chose to focus on what I had, not what I can't have. To the right, team jerseys and shirts line the wall, and I spy something I could not deny myself. The New England-accented clerk behind the counter presented me with my very own Red Sox t-shirt, with "Rice" and "14" adorning the back. This shirt was made for ME. And it's been waiting for me since 1978.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
We ventured further into the store to look at the various merch, which was staggering. If it was a Red Sox player and he was a hero from any era, then his number and name existed on something in there. Alexandra spied a foam finger with the Red Sox logo on it and I picked it up for her, along with a keychain of the famous socks on it. I got some decals for the car, and we were on our way. The next place I wanted to go to, out of curiousity if nothing else, was Costco in Boston, just to compare to our own. After doing a bit of negotiating with Boston's somewhat confusing roadways (to a guy like me anyway), we landed at Costco and patrolled the store. HUGE. This place was massive compared to ours, not that we did not expect that. I got a couple of things, like a pair of jeans for $12, and a big-ass bottle of prostate supplements and an equally huge bottle of D3 supplements, recommended to me from my bro Pete. Got some good 'ol American chocolate bars too. Never let anyone tell you the Canadian Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the same as the American ones. They aren't. Same with Hershey's chocolate. Anyway... we got these cinnamon stick things from the canteen that were pretty good for a buck each, about a foot long of pastry with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on them, and we ventured around the corner to take a peek at the massive Target store adjacent to Costco. We looked around to see things but didn't get anything outside of a few t-shirts and a new laser pointer toy for the cats, and a floor toy for them. We split from there to head back to Attleboro to touch base with the motel.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
Shortly after that, though, I decided that the best thing for me to do was probably venture out to a drug store to get some Immodium before I exploded in my pants, which is what I felt like might happen at any time. So we got in the car and headed down the road to find a giant Wal Mart, where we picked up said meds and I took them, and we got a few cases of Diet Cherry Pepsi, Diet Cherry Dr Pepper, a funky flavour of G2 Gatorade I wanted to try, many bags of Pizza/Ranch Collisions Doritos and a case of our buddy Cindy's favorite pop (let's see if she reads this blog...Cindy, get in touch with me to get it). Alexandra got some things for herself, and Janice spied a Red Sox Kevin Youkilis jersey that she balked at getting, because she wanted a KISS shirt at the show. The jersey was kind of pricey at around $40. But it was nice. I felt a bit guilty not getting it for her. Back to the motel to drop off all this stuff we got, before it was time to head out to Mansfield once and for all for the Comcast Center.... and KISS.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
The three of us finally decided to find a Quizno's Subs place and get our supper there before taking off. We did find one, right down the street from the motel we were staying at, and we went up to the doors to find ... it was closed. The next thing we decided on was to say screw it and get something to eat near the venue. Soooo, off we went. As we neared the venue, the roads were strewn with police cars and pylons with officers directing traffic. People were offering their properties for parking for a cool $40 for the night... which we absolutely completely turned down in favor of free parking at the venue itself. The price we pay for that, however, is in patience, because there are hundreds upon hundreds of vehicles. We roll into the parking area, among the hundreds of cars filing in, and secure our spot amidst the massive throng of KISS fans, many of whom very evidently had been there long before the time we'd gotten there. The three of us stepped out into the parking lot, absolutely full of people lined with various kinds of vehicles, many equipped with barbecues, tables, lawn chairs, stereos, mini fridges and coolers, and other unexpected amenities of life you wouldn't expect to find at such a locale. There were seniors, there were adults our age or slightly older, there were people of ALL ages between 5 and at least 70. It was an amazing sight to see. This wasn't just a parking lot of concert goers, this was the KISS community. Read that again, because I mean it. This was the KISS Community. People were in makeup, dancing, drinking, smoking, talking, laughing... it was just amazing. No sign of fights or even any kind of argument. Strangers made friends, and strangers helped strangers which made for friends. It was a feeling that I hadn't felt in this kind of setting before quite like this. One example; we came upon this beautiful car that had the KISS faces from their 1978 solo album covers airbrushed onto it, along with other famous KISS iconography. We took pictures of the car from each angle, and Janice wanted to take a picture of Alexandra and myself in front of it. Then a tall, Italian looking guy with that classic New England accent got up from his chair with his buddies from across the way and introduced himself to us. "Hey, you wanna picture? How 'bout I take-a pict-cha of the three of ya?" "Oh would you? I'd really appreciate that, man!" I replied, showing him the button on the camera. "Whose car is this?" Janice asked. "It's my cousin's," her offered, "and he's chargin' people fifteen bucks to have their picture taken wit his car, that's-a fulla shit. I'm gonna take as many pic-chas as I can before he gets back, fuhgeddabout dat!" So he took the picture of us, shook my hand and bade farewell, telling us to enjoy the show. This was the type of interaction that existed at every turn in the place. What an amazing group of people. This was KISS country. And we were there by the thousands upon thousands. If KISS isn't your favorite band, you can only wish you had other fans of them like this. We went from that point to another place in the massive area where the Gene Simmons Family Jewels tour bus was, where everyone was taking pictures of themselves in front of it. Including us. A friendly gentleman kindly took a picture of the three of us beside Gene's face on the bus, and we got other pictures of it. No doubt just about everyone there got pictures of this thing. From there, it was a search for some kind of nourishment. We found it... in the form of $5 (American funds) hot dogs. We each had one, and we shared a $5 bottle of Diet Pepsi, before venturing into the grounds of the Comcast Center itself.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
From the sounds of it, the first band had already hit the stage. We walked in out of curiousity to see the staging area and how the seats were laid out, and much to our surprise, it was almost like a massive theatre. With a roof! It wouldn't matter if it had rained or not, though it didn't. It was open air, but the roof covered the entire seating area, and there were trees all around. Talk about cool looking, I think this is probably the most intimate amphitheatre I've ever seen. There were probably around 15 to 17 thousand seats plus lawn space at the back, which kids 14 and under were allowed to be on for free. The seating area was sloped like a hockey arena, only in a theatre-style configuration. It was something to see. The next night, Rihanna and Ke$ha were to play there, and just in the past week was the Lilith Fair and Tom Petty, among others before then. Green Day is supposed to go there later this week among many others. Anyway.... the grounds very much reminded me of the entranceway to Marineland at Niagara Falls, with a paved pathway lined with trees and kiosks dotting the various courses leading to the entrance of the performance area. One kiosk was selling vouchers for $25, redeemable to pick up a USB stick at the end of the show of KISS' performance that night that you can download into your computer and play on a CD or mp3 player or whatever you want. Obviously I got one of those bad boys. We took a look at other merchandise and I got a tour shirt, Lex got one and I insisted on getting Janice what has become a bit of a collection of hers, a KISS concert zip hoodie which she put on and never took off until we got back to the motel. That eased the guilt I felt for not getting her that Youkilis jersey. She beamed from ear to ear! And of course, Alexandra loved her new shirt (which she's still wearing now as I type this on Sunday night). I got a bandana too, which I tied around my freshly crew cut head. We found a much better deal for food at a kiosk just before the entrance to the theatre area, roast beef/swiss sandwiches with fresh chips for ten bucks. Janice and me had that and Alexandra opted for nachos, and then we headed to take our seats.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
Apparently, we'd just missed The Envy, the first opening band, who I'd actually wanted to see. I knew there were two opening bands, but I thought they'd be the second one. Instead, the second band, The Academy, we caught start to finish. KISS is giving local bands a break by getting them to open for them all throughout the tour, I guess, and The Academy was the chosen one this night. They weren't bad. But we were all there for one reason really and one reason only. We took our seats, which were very good mainly due to the reason that Alexandra had a paid membership to the KISS Army which gives us access to up to four tickets in a presale. We took advantage of that and got these seats, which were about 20 feet from Paul Stanley's platform, which he flies out to during the encore to sing "I Was Made For Lovin' You". There were families all over the place taking their seats, and as it was about 3/5 full, the remainder came in to fill the rest of the place up during the intermission leading up to KISS' set. The lights finally go out, and the deep hum rumbles through the P.A. -- then, "ALLLLL RIIIIIGHT BOSTON!!! YOOOUUU WANTED THE BEST!!! YOOOUUU GOT THE BEST!!! THE HOTTEST...BAND IN THE WORLD... KIIIISSSSS!!!" The entire throng of fans in the building reciting each and every word of this with the announcer, then a blinding explosion, a giant video screen lights up in kaleidoscope colors, and the three guitar members of the band ascend up and over the pounding drummer on a smoke spewing platform that brings them to center stage, they come off while playing "Modern Day Delilah" and the platform rises to pull a 10 foot high lighted KISS logo up from the floor in front of the drums. More smoke, more fire, more bombs, and the band tears through a setlist of favorites through the show to sate the desires of all of us. I don't care what anybody says, Paul Stanley is THE quintessential rock and roll frontman, and there is and will be none better. No one works a crowd like he does. Alexandra is to my immediate right, and Janice next to her. All of us soaking in every moment and reveling in this moment, one of those rare ones that is a KISS concert. This is Alexandra's second, Janice's fifth, and my ninth. And who knows when and if it may be our last. We savour every second of it like it might be the last time. Moments like Gene Simmons' fire breathing stunt, or his blood spewing just before he flies 80 feet above the stage to a platform above us to sing "I Love It Loud", or drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer's tandem solos where Tommy's guitar blew rockets from the headstock just before he and Eric rose 30 feet up on hydraulics, where Eric grabbed a bazooka and blew off a piece of the lighting rig, or when Paul flew to the platform I mentioned above to play right beside us where we snapped countless pictures, or like seeing KISS perform "Rock and Roll All Nite" with confetti cannons firing a continuous barrage of party paper while bomb after bomb after bomb goes off to blast the ending of the set, with "Thank You Mansfield" lighting up the screen to wish everyone well at the end of the show. Bomb after bomb. I mean that! Those bombs at the end were...well, loud!! Janice's ear, coicidentally, like mine, are leaving us with the constant sound of...
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG.... in our left ears. I've dealt with this before. A lot! I've been to a lot of KISS shows. But speaking for myself, I have to get through a few days until somebody turns off that damn test pattern signal in my head. But hey.... all for rock and roll!!
We headed back to the motel after that, once we'd gotten ourselves a cool refreshing beverage and a snack, and we crashed into bed to get ready for the voyage home the next morning. We got up around 10, signed out of our humble motel, and pulled into a Rotten Ronnie's for another dose of artery clogging goodness. From there we got a smattering of donuts from a place called Honeydew Donuts for the trip, and we hit the highway. I forgot to mention along the way that we DID have a fruit tray for breakfast Saturday morning, along with orange juice and granola bars, just in case you think we only eat crap all the time. This is just us on vacation!
The ride home was fantastic. We stuck true to the I-95 north until the NB border and just rode highway 2 all the way home. From Boston to Moncton, it took us nine hours. And here we are, safe and sound, on Belmont Street early morning Monday.
Thanks for taking the time to read about our humble adventure. Let me know if you did if you kindly could.
Fire up those colortinis now and watch the pictures once they're uploaded fly through the air.
Good night.
It has been tough finding work. Tough, in particular, to find something that will actually please me, and not take me away from my family life. My past jobs have allowed me that much. But, I'm not just particular about that. I don't want to do something I know I'll be miserable doing either. This includes working in hardware stores. I'm not one of those He-Man Master of the Home Universe types. I don't get an erection at the mere mention of power tools like some guys do. Look, I wish I DID like that stuff, because it serves a mammoth purpose in the practical world. But alas, it bores the snot out of me. Anyway, I'm exploring some options this coming week. I'm going nuts here.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
The three of us here in the household waiting a long, long time for August 7 to finally get here. Me especially, because I needed some kind of a stress outlet and a way to relax at the same time. What better remedy for that than a KISS show? The show scheduled for that day at the Comcast Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts near Boston (think of what Dieppe or Riverview is to Moncton, only bigger) is an outdoor show, which worried me a bit as to how the weather was going to behave. But we were to be armed with ponchos in the event of such a crisis, so no worries. We were also to graze the hallowed grounds of baseball, where I first acquainted by admiration for a team led by the mighty #14, hall of famer Jim Rice, he the heroic left fielder of the Red Sox whom I followed on WLBZ TV on weekends on cable. When I played baseball for that one year when I was a kid, my number was 14 too. I considered that an honor, because Jim Rice OWNED #14. He da MAN!! I wouldn't want to wear a sports jersey or shirt with a name on it other than my own unless it was Rice, but I was convinced there was no such shirt anymore in this day.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
Our buddy Marshall's been doing a bang-up job with our bedroom, in the meantime. What looked like an impossible objective at the outset and increasingly more so as more problems were uncovered has turned out to be a very satisfying result, as he's into the home stretch of getting the thing done. Maybe the most odd thing is Janice and me lying in bed at night with a lamp on, with us staring up at the ceiling and walls in veritable disbelief, even going so far as to waking up at night sometimes to wonder if we were actually in the same room we've been sleeping in for the past 11 years. We're hopeful that perhaps Thursday night it will all be finished, but it might be a bit longer. Alexandra's room will be next. I know she's looking forward to that.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
Janice's vacation has been going on for the past week, and it's been very nice in that in a way, we've had our vacation together, although I'm not really on one. But we've been together and not working for the past week, let's just call it that. Of course, the end of her vacation time is to culminate with us going to Boston for the KISS show. As Thursday night came around, the day before departure, everything was ready and set to go so that when Friday morning came, we were going to split town and not look back. Our longtime pal Sara assumed the task of babysitter for Crocky and Marbles, dropping in on our little furry family members over the two or three days we wouldn't be home. We got up Friday morning, got a few essentials thrown into the car with our Triptik from CAA along with Kevin (our GPS), and we were on the road.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
And what a day it was Friday, warm and sunny, kind of humid, and really pretty much ideal driving conditions. It might be somewhat of a surprise to some the route that we'd decided to take. Rather than go through southern New Brunswick to get to St. Stephen and into Calais, we went northwest through Fredericton and Woodstock to get to Houlton, taking the I-95 South all the way through Maine and the rest of New England. What resulted in taking this road was a whole lot less headaches, and a lot less time, believe it or not, because there aren't even close to as many stops or slow-downs or diversions along the way. Distance-wise, it's longer, but timewise it's far shorter. We did encounter some heavy traffic on the interstate as we approached the more populous cities, but as we came into them during rush hour or close to it, it was to be expected. Nonetheless, despite fumbling the directions on a minor level as we closed in on our hotel in Attleboro, near Mansfield, we got there in about 9 1/2 hours. We got Alexandra a book she really wanted and presented it to her as we began the road trip, which kept her completely satisfied the whole trip. I drove the whole distance while Janice provided all my navigation, via Kevin and CAA. We found the hotel relatively quickly - a motel, to be fair - and it served its purpose quite nicely. Two double beds for two nights, a washroom w/bath, TV with cable and air conditioning. That's it though, but nothing else was necessary. We wound up buying a hardshell cooler that we dumped ice into and kept drinks in, and we ate mostly on the run anyway. However, the first order of business upon arrival that Friday night was, yes, you guessed it.... the KFC Double Down. Enter the search for a KFC... found one, in Rhode Island. Off we go to Rhode Island. No I'm not joking! It was only a ten minute drive or so from our motel. It was not our first experience with the artery-threatening delicacy. We'd had one on our last jaunt to the U.S. a few months ago, and decided then that it needed an encore when we returned. We got to the KFC and chowed down. Good stuff! Though I think it should come with a complimentary dose of Aspirin to thin the blood for dessert.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
After a brief pit stop to a drug store to get some liquids for life (aka Pop in the Belmont Cook household), it was back to the Super 8 motel to unwind a bit before passing out for the night. It was a pretty good night's sleep actually, and we woke up, got dressed for KISS Army duty and set out to explore our surroundings further. But first on the agenda, I insisted, was to pay a visit to the home of my baseball heroes Boston Red Sox since 1978, Fenway Park. Getting to Boston wasn't that hard, but hair raising when you're just a small town guy like me from Moncton driving into the traffic jigsaw at high velocity that is Beantown. Hearing Janice relay via Kevin that I have to turn right when there are up to three options to turn right was hair raising at times, but once I got acclimatized to it all, it was slightly easier. We kind of wound up going around Fenway in circles a couple of times as I tried to figure out what I was doing and where I was going ("Hello! I'm from Moncton! Stop for ME, because I'm a foreign driver bewildered out of his mind!"), but we did find a place to park and then set out on foot to find things the good old fashioned way. Just to be sure though, we brought Kevin with us. You just have to laugh at yourself if you're Janice with a GPS in your hand talking to you telling you where to go as you stand waiting for a walk sign at traffic lights with others around you. But it was all fun, and funny, and memorable. And we're together experiencing all of it.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
After walking along for a bit, we gaze up and see it.... Fenway Park, the stadium lights defined against the blue sky dotted with clouds, with the multiple entrances below and the legendary Lansdowne and Yawkey Way streets outlining the perimeter. There were more than a handful of charming, earthy restaurants, shops and eateries surrounding the area, buzzing with life and streams of patrons milling about glaring at the architecture just like we were. Lexy and I are snapping photos on our digital cams lots as we go. I'd felt better. When I got up, I took too many of my daily supplements at once, I suspect, and it may have wound up setting the table for a rather unsettled day for me gutwise. But I was not about to let that spoil the day for me. We marched across the street and headed into the Red Sox shop, where everything that ever existed with a Red Sox logo on it was for sale. This is the holy grail for Red Sox fans! You name it, it's in there. As I walked in, there was a ticket booth just to my left where you can buy tickets for a tour of Fenway, which we really had no time for at all. The thought of this saddened me, because Fenway Park is a place I've only dreamed about being at or in all of my life, practically. Now this carrot had to dangle in my face and I had to turn down taking a bite of it. But, I chose to focus on what I had, not what I can't have. To the right, team jerseys and shirts line the wall, and I spy something I could not deny myself. The New England-accented clerk behind the counter presented me with my very own Red Sox t-shirt, with "Rice" and "14" adorning the back. This shirt was made for ME. And it's been waiting for me since 1978.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
We ventured further into the store to look at the various merch, which was staggering. If it was a Red Sox player and he was a hero from any era, then his number and name existed on something in there. Alexandra spied a foam finger with the Red Sox logo on it and I picked it up for her, along with a keychain of the famous socks on it. I got some decals for the car, and we were on our way. The next place I wanted to go to, out of curiousity if nothing else, was Costco in Boston, just to compare to our own. After doing a bit of negotiating with Boston's somewhat confusing roadways (to a guy like me anyway), we landed at Costco and patrolled the store. HUGE. This place was massive compared to ours, not that we did not expect that. I got a couple of things, like a pair of jeans for $12, and a big-ass bottle of prostate supplements and an equally huge bottle of D3 supplements, recommended to me from my bro Pete. Got some good 'ol American chocolate bars too. Never let anyone tell you the Canadian Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the same as the American ones. They aren't. Same with Hershey's chocolate. Anyway... we got these cinnamon stick things from the canteen that were pretty good for a buck each, about a foot long of pastry with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on them, and we ventured around the corner to take a peek at the massive Target store adjacent to Costco. We looked around to see things but didn't get anything outside of a few t-shirts and a new laser pointer toy for the cats, and a floor toy for them. We split from there to head back to Attleboro to touch base with the motel.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
Shortly after that, though, I decided that the best thing for me to do was probably venture out to a drug store to get some Immodium before I exploded in my pants, which is what I felt like might happen at any time. So we got in the car and headed down the road to find a giant Wal Mart, where we picked up said meds and I took them, and we got a few cases of Diet Cherry Pepsi, Diet Cherry Dr Pepper, a funky flavour of G2 Gatorade I wanted to try, many bags of Pizza/Ranch Collisions Doritos and a case of our buddy Cindy's favorite pop (let's see if she reads this blog...Cindy, get in touch with me to get it). Alexandra got some things for herself, and Janice spied a Red Sox Kevin Youkilis jersey that she balked at getting, because she wanted a KISS shirt at the show. The jersey was kind of pricey at around $40. But it was nice. I felt a bit guilty not getting it for her. Back to the motel to drop off all this stuff we got, before it was time to head out to Mansfield once and for all for the Comcast Center.... and KISS.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
The three of us finally decided to find a Quizno's Subs place and get our supper there before taking off. We did find one, right down the street from the motel we were staying at, and we went up to the doors to find ... it was closed. The next thing we decided on was to say screw it and get something to eat near the venue. Soooo, off we went. As we neared the venue, the roads were strewn with police cars and pylons with officers directing traffic. People were offering their properties for parking for a cool $40 for the night... which we absolutely completely turned down in favor of free parking at the venue itself. The price we pay for that, however, is in patience, because there are hundreds upon hundreds of vehicles. We roll into the parking area, among the hundreds of cars filing in, and secure our spot amidst the massive throng of KISS fans, many of whom very evidently had been there long before the time we'd gotten there. The three of us stepped out into the parking lot, absolutely full of people lined with various kinds of vehicles, many equipped with barbecues, tables, lawn chairs, stereos, mini fridges and coolers, and other unexpected amenities of life you wouldn't expect to find at such a locale. There were seniors, there were adults our age or slightly older, there were people of ALL ages between 5 and at least 70. It was an amazing sight to see. This wasn't just a parking lot of concert goers, this was the KISS community. Read that again, because I mean it. This was the KISS Community. People were in makeup, dancing, drinking, smoking, talking, laughing... it was just amazing. No sign of fights or even any kind of argument. Strangers made friends, and strangers helped strangers which made for friends. It was a feeling that I hadn't felt in this kind of setting before quite like this. One example; we came upon this beautiful car that had the KISS faces from their 1978 solo album covers airbrushed onto it, along with other famous KISS iconography. We took pictures of the car from each angle, and Janice wanted to take a picture of Alexandra and myself in front of it. Then a tall, Italian looking guy with that classic New England accent got up from his chair with his buddies from across the way and introduced himself to us. "Hey, you wanna picture? How 'bout I take-a pict-cha of the three of ya?" "Oh would you? I'd really appreciate that, man!" I replied, showing him the button on the camera. "Whose car is this?" Janice asked. "It's my cousin's," her offered, "and he's chargin' people fifteen bucks to have their picture taken wit his car, that's-a fulla shit. I'm gonna take as many pic-chas as I can before he gets back, fuhgeddabout dat!" So he took the picture of us, shook my hand and bade farewell, telling us to enjoy the show. This was the type of interaction that existed at every turn in the place. What an amazing group of people. This was KISS country. And we were there by the thousands upon thousands. If KISS isn't your favorite band, you can only wish you had other fans of them like this. We went from that point to another place in the massive area where the Gene Simmons Family Jewels tour bus was, where everyone was taking pictures of themselves in front of it. Including us. A friendly gentleman kindly took a picture of the three of us beside Gene's face on the bus, and we got other pictures of it. No doubt just about everyone there got pictures of this thing. From there, it was a search for some kind of nourishment. We found it... in the form of $5 (American funds) hot dogs. We each had one, and we shared a $5 bottle of Diet Pepsi, before venturing into the grounds of the Comcast Center itself.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
From the sounds of it, the first band had already hit the stage. We walked in out of curiousity to see the staging area and how the seats were laid out, and much to our surprise, it was almost like a massive theatre. With a roof! It wouldn't matter if it had rained or not, though it didn't. It was open air, but the roof covered the entire seating area, and there were trees all around. Talk about cool looking, I think this is probably the most intimate amphitheatre I've ever seen. There were probably around 15 to 17 thousand seats plus lawn space at the back, which kids 14 and under were allowed to be on for free. The seating area was sloped like a hockey arena, only in a theatre-style configuration. It was something to see. The next night, Rihanna and Ke$ha were to play there, and just in the past week was the Lilith Fair and Tom Petty, among others before then. Green Day is supposed to go there later this week among many others. Anyway.... the grounds very much reminded me of the entranceway to Marineland at Niagara Falls, with a paved pathway lined with trees and kiosks dotting the various courses leading to the entrance of the performance area. One kiosk was selling vouchers for $25, redeemable to pick up a USB stick at the end of the show of KISS' performance that night that you can download into your computer and play on a CD or mp3 player or whatever you want. Obviously I got one of those bad boys. We took a look at other merchandise and I got a tour shirt, Lex got one and I insisted on getting Janice what has become a bit of a collection of hers, a KISS concert zip hoodie which she put on and never took off until we got back to the motel. That eased the guilt I felt for not getting her that Youkilis jersey. She beamed from ear to ear! And of course, Alexandra loved her new shirt (which she's still wearing now as I type this on Sunday night). I got a bandana too, which I tied around my freshly crew cut head. We found a much better deal for food at a kiosk just before the entrance to the theatre area, roast beef/swiss sandwiches with fresh chips for ten bucks. Janice and me had that and Alexandra opted for nachos, and then we headed to take our seats.
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG (L)
Apparently, we'd just missed The Envy, the first opening band, who I'd actually wanted to see. I knew there were two opening bands, but I thought they'd be the second one. Instead, the second band, The Academy, we caught start to finish. KISS is giving local bands a break by getting them to open for them all throughout the tour, I guess, and The Academy was the chosen one this night. They weren't bad. But we were all there for one reason really and one reason only. We took our seats, which were very good mainly due to the reason that Alexandra had a paid membership to the KISS Army which gives us access to up to four tickets in a presale. We took advantage of that and got these seats, which were about 20 feet from Paul Stanley's platform, which he flies out to during the encore to sing "I Was Made For Lovin' You". There were families all over the place taking their seats, and as it was about 3/5 full, the remainder came in to fill the rest of the place up during the intermission leading up to KISS' set. The lights finally go out, and the deep hum rumbles through the P.A. -- then, "ALLLLL RIIIIIGHT BOSTON!!! YOOOUUU WANTED THE BEST!!! YOOOUUU GOT THE BEST!!! THE HOTTEST...BAND IN THE WORLD... KIIIISSSSS!!!" The entire throng of fans in the building reciting each and every word of this with the announcer, then a blinding explosion, a giant video screen lights up in kaleidoscope colors, and the three guitar members of the band ascend up and over the pounding drummer on a smoke spewing platform that brings them to center stage, they come off while playing "Modern Day Delilah" and the platform rises to pull a 10 foot high lighted KISS logo up from the floor in front of the drums. More smoke, more fire, more bombs, and the band tears through a setlist of favorites through the show to sate the desires of all of us. I don't care what anybody says, Paul Stanley is THE quintessential rock and roll frontman, and there is and will be none better. No one works a crowd like he does. Alexandra is to my immediate right, and Janice next to her. All of us soaking in every moment and reveling in this moment, one of those rare ones that is a KISS concert. This is Alexandra's second, Janice's fifth, and my ninth. And who knows when and if it may be our last. We savour every second of it like it might be the last time. Moments like Gene Simmons' fire breathing stunt, or his blood spewing just before he flies 80 feet above the stage to a platform above us to sing "I Love It Loud", or drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer's tandem solos where Tommy's guitar blew rockets from the headstock just before he and Eric rose 30 feet up on hydraulics, where Eric grabbed a bazooka and blew off a piece of the lighting rig, or when Paul flew to the platform I mentioned above to play right beside us where we snapped countless pictures, or like seeing KISS perform "Rock and Roll All Nite" with confetti cannons firing a continuous barrage of party paper while bomb after bomb after bomb goes off to blast the ending of the set, with "Thank You Mansfield" lighting up the screen to wish everyone well at the end of the show. Bomb after bomb. I mean that! Those bombs at the end were...well, loud!! Janice's ear, coicidentally, like mine, are leaving us with the constant sound of...
EEEEIIIINNNNGGGG.... in our left ears. I've dealt with this before. A lot! I've been to a lot of KISS shows. But speaking for myself, I have to get through a few days until somebody turns off that damn test pattern signal in my head. But hey.... all for rock and roll!!
We headed back to the motel after that, once we'd gotten ourselves a cool refreshing beverage and a snack, and we crashed into bed to get ready for the voyage home the next morning. We got up around 10, signed out of our humble motel, and pulled into a Rotten Ronnie's for another dose of artery clogging goodness. From there we got a smattering of donuts from a place called Honeydew Donuts for the trip, and we hit the highway. I forgot to mention along the way that we DID have a fruit tray for breakfast Saturday morning, along with orange juice and granola bars, just in case you think we only eat crap all the time. This is just us on vacation!
The ride home was fantastic. We stuck true to the I-95 north until the NB border and just rode highway 2 all the way home. From Boston to Moncton, it took us nine hours. And here we are, safe and sound, on Belmont Street early morning Monday.
Thanks for taking the time to read about our humble adventure. Let me know if you did if you kindly could.
Fire up those colortinis now and watch the pictures once they're uploaded fly through the air.
Good night.
Life is tough. If it wasn't, it would be so bucking foring. I make mistakes and often write about them here, but I tend to point the finger too much, in the past. Now I point it in the mirror, then ask myself, "so what do we do to bring balance to this?" This is how I want to translate my blogs now. I could have called one "Something's gotta give" I think, but Ragnar specifically has too much history.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
136 Memory St.
It's the wee hours of July 14, 2010 in this present time. I'm watching the lovely Lisa giving the news on TV with the wife at my side, and our newly installed fan exchanger in the livingroom window sucking and blowing in an effort to keep us cool. What a hot and muggy couple of weeks it's been, though I will not complain too much about it. The last few summers were ridden with rain and lousy temperatures, so if this is how it's got to be, so be it.
But I wish other things could be better. The job hunt is still on, and it's been frustrating to say the least. Back in the 90's when Janice and me left Green Gables management (she was the brains there, make no mistake), I went through a nasty spell of unemployment despite going back to school and taking computer courses and putting out dozens upon dozens of resumes. Then I had the choice of going to BJ's Subs to drive or working at a call center. I decided to drive, and did for eleven years. I went to Shoppers Drug Mart for a year and a half, then switched from there because of shortened hours to go to Vail's, which I left under less than amicable circumstances. Now here I am, waiting and watching, biting at every opportunity that comes to me, however without much success. The worst of all of it is not doing anything. I love to work, if it's a job that I like doing and for a good boss. The trick is I won't compromise my time with my family. This may mean going back to school again if something doesn't materialize soon. It's scary waiting, that's for sure. It's hard not to feel like some kind of lazy freeloader. It doesn't help any, either, that I'm a giant softhearted sap. I decided last week it was time to start wearing a tank top and shorts to the gym, where the weather's pretty much approaching melting status these days. I have bike shorts that I like that double as swim trunks, and they're pretty snug lycra material. I don't go for the plaid and cargo borderline skorts that guys wear these days. Anyway, after a workout I went to a Tim's to get Janice an Ice Cap, and the instant I walked into the empty store at the time, a teenager at the counter giggled and walked back to her friends, where the bunch of them peered over and collectively chuckled. As I placed my order, she could barely contain her amusement at my appearance. I know I'm pretty fair skinned as a family trait, but wow. Back to jeans or track pants and baggy t-shirts.
Anyway... the biggest source of pride in my life, our big little girl Alexandra, is having an okay summer, but my not working put the kibosh to what was supposed to be a fun time in Ontario in August. The saving grace is that we do everything as a family and won't give that up for anything either. We're as tight a unit as you can get, and although times might not always be pristine, we at least have each other. Lex is coming off a stellar school year, her best yet, bringing home an 'A' average and getting ready now to go to Harrison Trimble for grade 9. She's getting back into taekwondo now as of this week to keep herself active. It's a little bit tough because there aren't many kids around the neighbourhood, and of course we don't have the kind of funds to enroll her in any sports programs. But she's very strong of mind and body and she has a healthy attitude.
Janice is doing great at work, having finally fixed her staff problems she had managing her post office and getting terrific support from her bosses. I think everyone wants to work for the kind of people that she works for. They listen to her ideas (which I actually sometimes suggest to her! point!), her concerns, and do everything they can to make her happy. And that's how you run good business. Her post office's revenues have tripled if I'm not mistaken, because she's that good at what she does. You should see her in action with her customers! She treats them the way they want to be treated, plus even better. You don't get the kind of service she delivers from a whole lot of places. She's been dedicated to her gym routine too. She goes every day, with an aim to burn off at least a pound on cardio, or around 1100 calories. That's not to say the pounds are melting off. That's a tough challenge, but she is shrinking. Just tonight she bought herself a pair of size 16 pants, which for her is a monumental achievement. I couldn't be more proud of her accomplishments. If I could even approach her level of success I would be happy.
I've been upping my gym activities lately myself. I mean, not working makes me pretty antsy, so I go everyday now myself. There's a facebook group for weightlifting that I subscribe to, and it sent out a link for a chest workout that I've been trying. As it is, I do weights every third day, and cardio every day like Janice. On the non-weight days I'll do an hour and a half or more of cardio. The weight days, I'll do between 15-30 minutes of cardio and another hour and a half of weights, although the chest workout is only once a week because it's kind of intense. And I do stretching everyday of course or I'd snap like an overstressed rubber band at some point. Going to the gym has actually become more of a hobby than a chore, because I leave feeling refreshed and recharged. I honestly don't know how some people can go to the women-only fitness clubs though, how boring is that? I know the members turnover at those places is high. No wonder! Hey, I'm a red blooded man, I appreciate the sights surrounding me. I mean, I go to the Y, and everyone that goes there generally goes with someone else anyway. It's big and open and is the best atmosphere of any gym I've ever been to. Going has certainly paid off with me; I hover around 180-185, and my heart rate is around 56. I hope a year or two from now I'm still gushing about going to the gym, but I'm at the point right now where I actually enjoy going. Janice too.
And hey, speaking of fitness, have you tried those Cheeseburger Doritos yet?? Holy livin' Lord, those are the cat's ass. Janice came home yesterday telling me that it's just like a McDonald's Quarter Pounder in a chip bag. If a crunchy Quarter Pounder doesn't sound appealing to you, think again. You wouldn't believe how much this tastes like one. With the ketchup, mustard and hamburger and cheese and everything. Unbelievable!
This weekend the movie "Inception" comes out. I've had a countdown on my facebook page for the last year and a half or something. Chris Nolan is one of my favorite all-time directors, and I know this one's gonna be the talk of the town. Nolan, of course, directed "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight", "The Prestige", "Memento" and "Insomnia", all first rate films that are meant to be seen lots of times each. I don't think a movie is good if you walk out of it and you don't want to see it again. That happened this past weekend when we went to the Neptune Drive-In in Shediac, the three of us, and saw "The Karate Kid" for the second time and "Grownups" for the first time. "Grownups" had its funny moments, some really funny ones, but it grew tiring and oh-brother-ish less than halfway through and I really have no desire whatsoever to watch it again. Janice and Alexandra felt the same way. The friggin' mosquitos provided a sideshow, creeping into the car despite the netting and making a full course meal out of us. Especially Janice who's still itchy from bug bites today. Still, it was family time, and we had fun in spite of all that.
Our bedroom is getting an extreme makeover, for the past few weeks. Right now drywall compound is going on it, from a guy we hired to do it that I used to work with at Vail's named Marshall. To any of my siblings who are reading this, you owe it to yourselves to come see this room when it's all done, because I had it built to look virtually identical to the boys' room at 136 Emmerson. Right down to the sloped walls to the windows with the ballpark lights shining through at nighttime and the storage attics at either end of the room, and the closet even. I wake up at night sometimes even thinking that I'm back at the old house. What a magnificent job Marshall has done at creating this for me. And the guy's heart is as big as his brains are, which says a lot, because he's a sharp dude. He did the electrical for us too. He'll move on to Alexandra's room next, hopefully I'll be working by then.
In closing... I did promise my facebook friends that I would post a recipe for a broccoli casserole that is now in the oven as I type this edit in before I publish the blog. So, here we go....
What you'll need:
*2 heads of freshly chopped broccoli
*1 pouch of Uncle Ben's Fast and Fancy rice... I chose Country Homestyle Chicken flavor
*2 cups of Uncle Ben's brown minute rice
*2 chopped sweet red peppers... you know, those long skinny ones, or if you want, one of the big fat ones, but those long skinny dudes are BITCHIN'
*About half a bunch of green onions, chopped
*1 can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
*Kraft Tex Mex Cheese
*I large bag of Spicy Quesadilla Tostitos
*Olive oil and garlic powder
-Steam the broccoli... careful not to make it soggy
-Prepare the Fast and Fancy rice, letting it stand as long as you can
-Prepare the two cups of Uncle Ben's brown minute rice
-Sautee lightly the mushrooms and peppers in olive oil... be generous with the oil, it's good stuff
-Sautee about 2 cups, or one of those fresh blue packages, of chopped mushrooms in olive oil, and let those suckers soak up some of that yummy tasting oil, just be careful not to heat the oil too much
Combine all that stuff and stir it up real good, and sprinkle some garlic powder in there. Be careful not to use garlic SALT, that'll overwhelm things. Then, add in a can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup (or, Cream of Mushroom, but my experience showed me that the chicken one was tastier). Stir that up real good, and put it in a medium sized casserole dish, or one that'll fit.
Next, you're going to sprinkle some Kraft Tex Mex Cheese (today I used shredded marble because we ran out... s'all good, but Tex Mex rules). Not too, too much. Then, the big secret of the dish... Spicy Quesadilla Tostitos. Take those rounds and neatly and evenly distribute them over the casserole, then stick them in on the sides of the dish -- that will make for awesome little dipping chips when you serve the finished product, plus hold all the stuff in when you put it in the oven! After you're done with the chips, put lots of cheese on top of the chips you laid out on the dish.
Bake it in the oven at 350F for about 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown. Careful not to burn the chips too.
Let me know how you made out with it if you try it.
But I wish other things could be better. The job hunt is still on, and it's been frustrating to say the least. Back in the 90's when Janice and me left Green Gables management (she was the brains there, make no mistake), I went through a nasty spell of unemployment despite going back to school and taking computer courses and putting out dozens upon dozens of resumes. Then I had the choice of going to BJ's Subs to drive or working at a call center. I decided to drive, and did for eleven years. I went to Shoppers Drug Mart for a year and a half, then switched from there because of shortened hours to go to Vail's, which I left under less than amicable circumstances. Now here I am, waiting and watching, biting at every opportunity that comes to me, however without much success. The worst of all of it is not doing anything. I love to work, if it's a job that I like doing and for a good boss. The trick is I won't compromise my time with my family. This may mean going back to school again if something doesn't materialize soon. It's scary waiting, that's for sure. It's hard not to feel like some kind of lazy freeloader. It doesn't help any, either, that I'm a giant softhearted sap. I decided last week it was time to start wearing a tank top and shorts to the gym, where the weather's pretty much approaching melting status these days. I have bike shorts that I like that double as swim trunks, and they're pretty snug lycra material. I don't go for the plaid and cargo borderline skorts that guys wear these days. Anyway, after a workout I went to a Tim's to get Janice an Ice Cap, and the instant I walked into the empty store at the time, a teenager at the counter giggled and walked back to her friends, where the bunch of them peered over and collectively chuckled. As I placed my order, she could barely contain her amusement at my appearance. I know I'm pretty fair skinned as a family trait, but wow. Back to jeans or track pants and baggy t-shirts.
Anyway... the biggest source of pride in my life, our big little girl Alexandra, is having an okay summer, but my not working put the kibosh to what was supposed to be a fun time in Ontario in August. The saving grace is that we do everything as a family and won't give that up for anything either. We're as tight a unit as you can get, and although times might not always be pristine, we at least have each other. Lex is coming off a stellar school year, her best yet, bringing home an 'A' average and getting ready now to go to Harrison Trimble for grade 9. She's getting back into taekwondo now as of this week to keep herself active. It's a little bit tough because there aren't many kids around the neighbourhood, and of course we don't have the kind of funds to enroll her in any sports programs. But she's very strong of mind and body and she has a healthy attitude.
Janice is doing great at work, having finally fixed her staff problems she had managing her post office and getting terrific support from her bosses. I think everyone wants to work for the kind of people that she works for. They listen to her ideas (which I actually sometimes suggest to her! point!), her concerns, and do everything they can to make her happy. And that's how you run good business. Her post office's revenues have tripled if I'm not mistaken, because she's that good at what she does. You should see her in action with her customers! She treats them the way they want to be treated, plus even better. You don't get the kind of service she delivers from a whole lot of places. She's been dedicated to her gym routine too. She goes every day, with an aim to burn off at least a pound on cardio, or around 1100 calories. That's not to say the pounds are melting off. That's a tough challenge, but she is shrinking. Just tonight she bought herself a pair of size 16 pants, which for her is a monumental achievement. I couldn't be more proud of her accomplishments. If I could even approach her level of success I would be happy.
I've been upping my gym activities lately myself. I mean, not working makes me pretty antsy, so I go everyday now myself. There's a facebook group for weightlifting that I subscribe to, and it sent out a link for a chest workout that I've been trying. As it is, I do weights every third day, and cardio every day like Janice. On the non-weight days I'll do an hour and a half or more of cardio. The weight days, I'll do between 15-30 minutes of cardio and another hour and a half of weights, although the chest workout is only once a week because it's kind of intense. And I do stretching everyday of course or I'd snap like an overstressed rubber band at some point. Going to the gym has actually become more of a hobby than a chore, because I leave feeling refreshed and recharged. I honestly don't know how some people can go to the women-only fitness clubs though, how boring is that? I know the members turnover at those places is high. No wonder! Hey, I'm a red blooded man, I appreciate the sights surrounding me. I mean, I go to the Y, and everyone that goes there generally goes with someone else anyway. It's big and open and is the best atmosphere of any gym I've ever been to. Going has certainly paid off with me; I hover around 180-185, and my heart rate is around 56. I hope a year or two from now I'm still gushing about going to the gym, but I'm at the point right now where I actually enjoy going. Janice too.
And hey, speaking of fitness, have you tried those Cheeseburger Doritos yet?? Holy livin' Lord, those are the cat's ass. Janice came home yesterday telling me that it's just like a McDonald's Quarter Pounder in a chip bag. If a crunchy Quarter Pounder doesn't sound appealing to you, think again. You wouldn't believe how much this tastes like one. With the ketchup, mustard and hamburger and cheese and everything. Unbelievable!
This weekend the movie "Inception" comes out. I've had a countdown on my facebook page for the last year and a half or something. Chris Nolan is one of my favorite all-time directors, and I know this one's gonna be the talk of the town. Nolan, of course, directed "Batman Begins", "The Dark Knight", "The Prestige", "Memento" and "Insomnia", all first rate films that are meant to be seen lots of times each. I don't think a movie is good if you walk out of it and you don't want to see it again. That happened this past weekend when we went to the Neptune Drive-In in Shediac, the three of us, and saw "The Karate Kid" for the second time and "Grownups" for the first time. "Grownups" had its funny moments, some really funny ones, but it grew tiring and oh-brother-ish less than halfway through and I really have no desire whatsoever to watch it again. Janice and Alexandra felt the same way. The friggin' mosquitos provided a sideshow, creeping into the car despite the netting and making a full course meal out of us. Especially Janice who's still itchy from bug bites today. Still, it was family time, and we had fun in spite of all that.
Our bedroom is getting an extreme makeover, for the past few weeks. Right now drywall compound is going on it, from a guy we hired to do it that I used to work with at Vail's named Marshall. To any of my siblings who are reading this, you owe it to yourselves to come see this room when it's all done, because I had it built to look virtually identical to the boys' room at 136 Emmerson. Right down to the sloped walls to the windows with the ballpark lights shining through at nighttime and the storage attics at either end of the room, and the closet even. I wake up at night sometimes even thinking that I'm back at the old house. What a magnificent job Marshall has done at creating this for me. And the guy's heart is as big as his brains are, which says a lot, because he's a sharp dude. He did the electrical for us too. He'll move on to Alexandra's room next, hopefully I'll be working by then.
In closing... I did promise my facebook friends that I would post a recipe for a broccoli casserole that is now in the oven as I type this edit in before I publish the blog. So, here we go....
What you'll need:
*2 heads of freshly chopped broccoli
*1 pouch of Uncle Ben's Fast and Fancy rice... I chose Country Homestyle Chicken flavor
*2 cups of Uncle Ben's brown minute rice
*2 chopped sweet red peppers... you know, those long skinny ones, or if you want, one of the big fat ones, but those long skinny dudes are BITCHIN'
*About half a bunch of green onions, chopped
*1 can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup
*Kraft Tex Mex Cheese
*I large bag of Spicy Quesadilla Tostitos
*Olive oil and garlic powder
-Steam the broccoli... careful not to make it soggy
-Prepare the Fast and Fancy rice, letting it stand as long as you can
-Prepare the two cups of Uncle Ben's brown minute rice
-Sautee lightly the mushrooms and peppers in olive oil... be generous with the oil, it's good stuff
-Sautee about 2 cups, or one of those fresh blue packages, of chopped mushrooms in olive oil, and let those suckers soak up some of that yummy tasting oil, just be careful not to heat the oil too much
Combine all that stuff and stir it up real good, and sprinkle some garlic powder in there. Be careful not to use garlic SALT, that'll overwhelm things. Then, add in a can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup (or, Cream of Mushroom, but my experience showed me that the chicken one was tastier). Stir that up real good, and put it in a medium sized casserole dish, or one that'll fit.
Next, you're going to sprinkle some Kraft Tex Mex Cheese (today I used shredded marble because we ran out... s'all good, but Tex Mex rules). Not too, too much. Then, the big secret of the dish... Spicy Quesadilla Tostitos. Take those rounds and neatly and evenly distribute them over the casserole, then stick them in on the sides of the dish -- that will make for awesome little dipping chips when you serve the finished product, plus hold all the stuff in when you put it in the oven! After you're done with the chips, put lots of cheese on top of the chips you laid out on the dish.
Bake it in the oven at 350F for about 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown. Careful not to burn the chips too.
Let me know how you made out with it if you try it.
Life is tough. If it wasn't, it would be so bucking foring. I make mistakes and often write about them here, but I tend to point the finger too much, in the past. Now I point it in the mirror, then ask myself, "so what do we do to bring balance to this?" This is how I want to translate my blogs now. I could have called one "Something's gotta give" I think, but Ragnar specifically has too much history.
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