Ok so I've been reading a lot of kids books lately to Tommy and he's a huge fan of Dr. Suess - the rhymes, the crazy words, it's a lot of fun... OK so maybe it's daddy that likes reading Dr. Seuss ... you caught me, but if nobody has made a drinking game out of "Fox in Socks" than I will be the first one to do so... example - each time you mess up a word you drink: When beetles battle beetles in a puddle paddle battle and the beetle battle puddle is a puddle in a bottle (DRINK!) - I mean you will be totally Suessed at the end of the book...
But that is not why I blog. I blog tonight because the Cat in the Hat is a criminal and he needs to be arrested. Why is he such a famous character that we read to our children - I always knew about him but never really read the book til now. The Cat in the Hat breaks into a house where two young children are home alone (child protective services anyone, why is Sally and her brother left at home alone in the first place???) Anyway enter the Cat, wearing his red and white striped hat which makes him look like he's a convict, he completely wrecks the place, almost kills the family pet, he brakes their toy ship (that's property damage on top of the breaking and entering), then he brings in two deranged lunatics that he has kept in a box (KIDNAPPING ANYONE?)... Where did Thing One and Thing Two come from? An insane asylum? Is Sally and her brother about to become Thing 3 and 4? What kind of crazy sh*t is this Cat up to? The Cat has these two things brain washed into doing whatever he tells them to so then they start wrecking the place... If the mom never came home I am sure this could have turned into some real wrongdoings... And in the end, Yes somehow he did clean up the place, but that just sounds like B.S. - how could he have cleaned up all that mess that quick... I am guessing The Cat in the Hat drugged the kids and the mom and had his two "Things" clean up the mess (and all the fingerprints) before they went on their way and the drugs wore off...
So I ask what is the moral of this tale? What is the story supposed to teach our kids? I mean this is how the book ends: Then our mother came in and she said to us two, did you have any fun? Tell me - what did you do? And Sally and I did not know what to say, should we tell her the things that went on their that day? Should we tell her about it? Now what should we do? Well what would you do if your mother asked you?
YES! YOU TELL HER! What is wrong with these kids - some guy dressed up in a cat suit broke into your house and had two deranged midgets locked in a box, of course you tell her. On top of that someone needs to tell these kids that if a stranger comes to the door that they should say their Mommy is in the shower or something like that, they must have told the Cat in the Hat about 5 times that their Mommy was not home... And I am not even going to get into Daddy and how he is not mentioned once in this story - why is he out of the picture? Maybe if he didn't leave than Mommy wouldn't have to work so many jobs that she has to leave these poor kids home alone.
Well, that's it, Dr. Seuss, if you even really are a doctor - I do love your rhymes and the crazy words, and yes I will still read "Fox in Socks" but only for drinking game purposes... but you and I are done - I am moving on to Eric Carle and his hungry caterpillars - there has got to be a better message in there somewhere for my kid.
Thanks for reading... and Thanks for Listening to Lumpy!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
TOP 10 on 10 - TV SHOWS EDITION
So I decided on the 10th of each month I will make a TOP 10 list - Why? Because I love TOP 10 lists... For this first one I decided to go with my top 10 TV shows of all time. I surprised myself (not really) that I only have 3 reality shows on this list, plus I have 2 shows on the list that I never watched when they were on (thanks for DVD's) and only 4 of the shows are still on TV today... I left off some of my new obsessions (Yes Revenge that means you) as well as some of my faves as a 10 year old (sorry Wonder Years, Alf, Perfect Strangers, and Price is Right)
Please let me know what other TOP 10 Lists you would like to see in the future... but for now here are my TOP 10 TV Shows of All-Time (or the last 15 years)
10. Entourage - Not counting this last season, which was horrible, this was a very cool show - any guy who has a group of guy friends wanted to believe that they could be in this crew and hug it out with Ari. The finale made me not want to put this on my top 10 list - but it took the final spot.
9. Lost - I did not watch this show when it started - EVERYBODY watched this show, so I did not want to watch it - instead the wife and I zipped through all the seasons in about a couple of months, 5-6 episodes at a night, glued to the screen. Was it the fact that this was the first TV show Carroll Anne really enjoyed that made me want to keep watching? Was it Kate? Was it the smoke monster? I have no idea what it was, and I got no answers to any of the questions I wanted answered - but for some reason at the end of each episode, no matter how late it was at night, I needed to watch the next one. The characters were so interesting that it did not matter how little of the show I understood, I was invested in the people, so I guess you can say I got LOST in the characters, and just went along for the ride.
8. Sopranos - I came for the pasta, I stayed for the sauce. Tony reminded me of some of my uncles - Bada Bing!
7. Treasure Hunters - This show only lasted 3 months! One season! This could have been my favorite reality show of all time and that is saying something. This was like Amazing Race (more on this show in a bit) but better - yes I said it better. There were no clues, they would just drop you off in a giant room and you had to figure stuff out. Hmmmm.... maybe after 8 hours of searching under, behind, and around every object in the room I will breathe on this small mirror - oh wow there's the clue - WHAT? Yes, that is what it was like - so awesome. The finale of this show was the coolest thing ever - I want this show back on the air - if you know people, do something.
6. Modern Family - This is my favorite show right now and has shown no signs of slowing down. I go back and forth between Phil and Cam as my favorite character, but that is the only debate on this comedic winner. This is the type of show where you can watch an episode over and over again and it is still funny.
5. Friday Night Lights - This is the other gem of a show that I did not watch when it was on, big props to my mom for hooking me up with the complete DVD set and it has paid off big time. This show is so good that I only have one disc left to watch and I refuse to watch it because I don't want it to end. It reminds me of that year in 8th grade when I was on the B-Team offensive line, but in Texas, and better.
4. SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance) - Oh I went there - American Idol was my reality show/talent show top choice for years until I got into this one (another show my mom told me to watch.) They always say on the show when you take the right song, the right dancers, and the right choreographer and put it together, magic happens - well it does. Usually its when Travis Wall is choreographing a Howie Day/Coldplay song - but it does happen - and I love it. I love dancing! Or watching people dancing... wait I'm taping dancing, to watch again later (Brian Regan reference) - anyway this is the best of all the talent shows out there and I watch all of them so this makes my list.
3. Amazing Race - I have never missed an episode of this show, dating back to when I was in college, working on my own TV show there "Thursday Nite Live" - I would get home at like 4 in the morning and pop in the VHS that my parents recorded the show on for me (this was not that long ago) - Call it the traveler/dreamer in me - but if I could be on any show, this would be it - you get to travel around the world in a competition, it is simply amazing. My only fear of going on would be getting eliminated right away, that and maybe having to bungee jump.
2. Seinfeld - This was the first sitcom that I got into that really made me laugh, not always laugh out loud, but just one long continuous laugh that was more of a smile. I really think that this show about nothing paved the way for all my other favorite shows about nothing (Parks and Rec/ The Office/ Modern Family) - I am a huge fan of witty dialogue, I don't need a big elaborate story or crazy music, or special effects - I just want 4 people sitting in an apartment or a diner shooting the sh*t - talking like people talk. This show did that and more - the way this show would tie stories together was unbelievable, I mean is "anyone here a marine biologist?" - Classic.
1. The Office - The only reason why this gets my #1 over Seinfeld is because of Michael Scott and the fact that I have the first 3 season's DVD's to remind me of how great this show was up until this season. This was just like Seinfeld, a show about nothing, but instead of in an apartment it took place in an apartment - only difference is I do not just long laugh and smile during this show - I laugh out loud, near tears, the funniest moment in any TV show I have ever seen took place on a Christmas episode when Meredith flashes Michael. The look on his face and then he snaps a photo, I mean I probably watched that part 100 times, it is so funny. If the show continues the way it's going, Seinfeld might move up to #1 - but then again I can just pop in the DVD and be reminded of the good ole days.
*** Hope you enjoyed the TOP 10 on 10 - I would love to hear your feedback on how great/awful my selections are - and let me know what I left out.
Thanks for Listening to Lumpy
Please let me know what other TOP 10 Lists you would like to see in the future... but for now here are my TOP 10 TV Shows of All-Time (or the last 15 years)
10. Entourage - Not counting this last season, which was horrible, this was a very cool show - any guy who has a group of guy friends wanted to believe that they could be in this crew and hug it out with Ari. The finale made me not want to put this on my top 10 list - but it took the final spot.
9. Lost - I did not watch this show when it started - EVERYBODY watched this show, so I did not want to watch it - instead the wife and I zipped through all the seasons in about a couple of months, 5-6 episodes at a night, glued to the screen. Was it the fact that this was the first TV show Carroll Anne really enjoyed that made me want to keep watching? Was it Kate? Was it the smoke monster? I have no idea what it was, and I got no answers to any of the questions I wanted answered - but for some reason at the end of each episode, no matter how late it was at night, I needed to watch the next one. The characters were so interesting that it did not matter how little of the show I understood, I was invested in the people, so I guess you can say I got LOST in the characters, and just went along for the ride.
8. Sopranos - I came for the pasta, I stayed for the sauce. Tony reminded me of some of my uncles - Bada Bing!
7. Treasure Hunters - This show only lasted 3 months! One season! This could have been my favorite reality show of all time and that is saying something. This was like Amazing Race (more on this show in a bit) but better - yes I said it better. There were no clues, they would just drop you off in a giant room and you had to figure stuff out. Hmmmm.... maybe after 8 hours of searching under, behind, and around every object in the room I will breathe on this small mirror - oh wow there's the clue - WHAT? Yes, that is what it was like - so awesome. The finale of this show was the coolest thing ever - I want this show back on the air - if you know people, do something.
6. Modern Family - This is my favorite show right now and has shown no signs of slowing down. I go back and forth between Phil and Cam as my favorite character, but that is the only debate on this comedic winner. This is the type of show where you can watch an episode over and over again and it is still funny.
5. Friday Night Lights - This is the other gem of a show that I did not watch when it was on, big props to my mom for hooking me up with the complete DVD set and it has paid off big time. This show is so good that I only have one disc left to watch and I refuse to watch it because I don't want it to end. It reminds me of that year in 8th grade when I was on the B-Team offensive line, but in Texas, and better.
4. SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance) - Oh I went there - American Idol was my reality show/talent show top choice for years until I got into this one (another show my mom told me to watch.) They always say on the show when you take the right song, the right dancers, and the right choreographer and put it together, magic happens - well it does. Usually its when Travis Wall is choreographing a Howie Day/Coldplay song - but it does happen - and I love it. I love dancing! Or watching people dancing... wait I'm taping dancing, to watch again later (Brian Regan reference) - anyway this is the best of all the talent shows out there and I watch all of them so this makes my list.
3. Amazing Race - I have never missed an episode of this show, dating back to when I was in college, working on my own TV show there "Thursday Nite Live" - I would get home at like 4 in the morning and pop in the VHS that my parents recorded the show on for me (this was not that long ago) - Call it the traveler/dreamer in me - but if I could be on any show, this would be it - you get to travel around the world in a competition, it is simply amazing. My only fear of going on would be getting eliminated right away, that and maybe having to bungee jump.
2. Seinfeld - This was the first sitcom that I got into that really made me laugh, not always laugh out loud, but just one long continuous laugh that was more of a smile. I really think that this show about nothing paved the way for all my other favorite shows about nothing (Parks and Rec/ The Office/ Modern Family) - I am a huge fan of witty dialogue, I don't need a big elaborate story or crazy music, or special effects - I just want 4 people sitting in an apartment or a diner shooting the sh*t - talking like people talk. This show did that and more - the way this show would tie stories together was unbelievable, I mean is "anyone here a marine biologist?" - Classic.
1. The Office - The only reason why this gets my #1 over Seinfeld is because of Michael Scott and the fact that I have the first 3 season's DVD's to remind me of how great this show was up until this season. This was just like Seinfeld, a show about nothing, but instead of in an apartment it took place in an apartment - only difference is I do not just long laugh and smile during this show - I laugh out loud, near tears, the funniest moment in any TV show I have ever seen took place on a Christmas episode when Meredith flashes Michael. The look on his face and then he snaps a photo, I mean I probably watched that part 100 times, it is so funny. If the show continues the way it's going, Seinfeld might move up to #1 - but then again I can just pop in the DVD and be reminded of the good ole days.
*** Hope you enjoyed the TOP 10 on 10 - I would love to hear your feedback on how great/awful my selections are - and let me know what I left out.
Thanks for Listening to Lumpy
Friday, January 6, 2012
Let's go for a Walk Man.
Is 31 old? Here is the scenario - I start every class with a trivia question for my students each day, something to get them excited about being in math class, and the answer is always a number so that it is relevant to the subject that I teach. Today's question - What year was the Sony Walkman invented?
Here is the student's reply - What is a walkman?
Oh man, I am old, students today do not have a clue what this device is and why we would ever have to use it... Worse, the teacher I work with, a half a decade younger than I, responded - It played CD's... err wrong - that was a Discman, early 20's people - us 30 year olds first had a thing called a Walkman, it played cassettes, it was amazing, and it came out pre-Discman... Try explaining a cassette to a 15-year old, it's awesome- it will probably be like me trying to explain a CD to my son in 10 years.
But then it continued to get worse... the answer to the trivia question... 1980! That was the year I was born. Something the same age as me, is irrelevant - that is scary.
I discussed this issue with my friend Sean over a few drinks on a Friday evening, not night, evening, before heading home before 10 p.m. - yes another sign of getting old... and we talked about the stereo systems our fathers had, that would take up an entire wall unit, be connected through dozens of wires, to two giant speakers. Now kids wear a clip the size of a pinky on their pocket and listen to whatever song they want with the touch of a finger, through big giant purple headphones. What the heck is going on? How did this all happen so fast.
31 is not that old - the world is just moving too fast - I mean I got upset the other day when I was watching a football game in my basement and it wasn't in HD? Who am I? I used to have a TV in my basement with a huge seat shaped thing that came out in the front with red, yellow, and green lights that shined off a mirror and onto the TV screen - and I was fine with that, now I complain that my eyes hurt, its not in HD, waaah.
So my students don't know what a Walkman is, big deal, they can just google it and find out from wikipedia that it is a device that played audio cassettes, and since the word cassettes is in blue they can than click on that since they have no idea what that is and find out that a cassette is a magnetic tape sound recording format popular in the 1970's and if that doesn't satisfy their search they can click on magnetic tape and discover that it was created in Germany and used to record and play back audio... I mean that took me all of 5 seconds.
Life is fast, people are running from place to place, everything moves so quick - I suggest we all relax and just go for a Walk Man.
Thanks for Listening to Lumpy
Here is the student's reply - What is a walkman?
Oh man, I am old, students today do not have a clue what this device is and why we would ever have to use it... Worse, the teacher I work with, a half a decade younger than I, responded - It played CD's... err wrong - that was a Discman, early 20's people - us 30 year olds first had a thing called a Walkman, it played cassettes, it was amazing, and it came out pre-Discman... Try explaining a cassette to a 15-year old, it's awesome- it will probably be like me trying to explain a CD to my son in 10 years.
But then it continued to get worse... the answer to the trivia question... 1980! That was the year I was born. Something the same age as me, is irrelevant - that is scary.
I discussed this issue with my friend Sean over a few drinks on a Friday evening, not night, evening, before heading home before 10 p.m. - yes another sign of getting old... and we talked about the stereo systems our fathers had, that would take up an entire wall unit, be connected through dozens of wires, to two giant speakers. Now kids wear a clip the size of a pinky on their pocket and listen to whatever song they want with the touch of a finger, through big giant purple headphones. What the heck is going on? How did this all happen so fast.
31 is not that old - the world is just moving too fast - I mean I got upset the other day when I was watching a football game in my basement and it wasn't in HD? Who am I? I used to have a TV in my basement with a huge seat shaped thing that came out in the front with red, yellow, and green lights that shined off a mirror and onto the TV screen - and I was fine with that, now I complain that my eyes hurt, its not in HD, waaah.
So my students don't know what a Walkman is, big deal, they can just google it and find out from wikipedia that it is a device that played audio cassettes, and since the word cassettes is in blue they can than click on that since they have no idea what that is and find out that a cassette is a magnetic tape sound recording format popular in the 1970's and if that doesn't satisfy their search they can click on magnetic tape and discover that it was created in Germany and used to record and play back audio... I mean that took me all of 5 seconds.
Life is fast, people are running from place to place, everything moves so quick - I suggest we all relax and just go for a Walk Man.
Thanks for Listening to Lumpy
Thursday, December 29, 2011
We-Robot
The other day I went to Sports Authority and Home Depot with three of my friends - and bought matching outfits, 12 feet of duct piping, and lots of tin foil. Kind of interesting, but still not sure of this is Blog-Worthy.
The other day I went to Sports Authority and Home Depot with three of my friends - and bought matching outfits, 12 feet of duct piping, and lots of tin foil - so that we can dress up as robots to compete in the 1st Annual Astoria Pub Golf Competition. Winning!!!
Hi. I am 31 years old. I have a 2-month old son. I have a wife. I teach children. And yes, I dressed up as a robot to chug beers yesterday in Astoria, Queens. There were Pirates, Mexican Banditos, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at this drink fest - but as you would expect the Robots defeated the human race. It was an unfair advantage, we are half-man/half-machine - oh and we had a space ship (courtesy of Mike, Michelle, and CVS.)
I knew from the moment we went shopping together as a foursome that this trip would be blog-worthy, but I didn't know what I would talk about until the actual event happened. I could give the play-by-play of the events that took place, or explain what pub golf is and how we did this same activity on my bachelor party, or I could talk about my friend Sean's co-workers who set this up and how even though we all met for the first time yesterday, there is a real bonding experience between people who are dressed in costumes when it is not Halloween and you are chugging beers.
Instead I want to talk about how nice the people of this world are to Robots. You would think if 4 people dressed with tin-foil hats, metal piping on their arms and legs, carrying a big space ship (cardboard box) stepped on to the same subway car as you, then the people on the car would turn the other way in disgust... Eh, more drunken a**holes from Long Island... But that never happened - we had a father and son intrigued asking great questions:
SON: If you have a spaceship, why are you taking the 7 train? FATHER: There going to be drinking so they can't drive the spaceship. -
I mean we are teaching great life lessons here - don't drink and drive - even if you are a robot!
We had women stopping us on the street to take pictures with us like we were celebrities. People were smiling, pointing, laughing, having a good time. A restaurant even let us construct our space ship inside since it was too windy for us to do it outside. Another woman actually blogged about us asking who the people in the tin-foil hats were on 30th Ave. yesterday in Astoria because her daughter wants a hat. Role Models!
What I concluded from this fun drinking expedition is that everyone, no matter age or life situation, no matter if you are a robot, a pirate, a bandito, or a ninja turtle - you should take one day a year to dress up, to visit a place you have never been before (even if its only 30 minutes away), to have a drink or two or nine, to meet new people, to talk to a stranger, and to find your own space ship and let it take you for a ride.
In the meantime, I will be waiting for the 2nd Annual Astoria Pub Golf Challenge - and it seems like I will have to finally watch the Lord of the Rings movies - as next year it's a LOTR themed event.
Thanks again for Listening to Lumpy
Monday, December 26, 2011
St. Knicks
Back in 1996, I was in the 11th grade, watching the Knicks game with my Dad - it wasn't just any Knicks game though - the Knicks who were hovering around .500 were playing against the 54 win - 6 loss Chicago Bulls, The Jordan/Pippen Bulls - and the Knicks had a new head coach, a little guy named Jeff Van Gundy. The Knicks played with a purpose that night, they played their best game of the season, Patrick Ewing had 26 points and 14 boards, altogether the Knicks had six players in double figures. The Knicks ended up winning by 32 points, which was in fact how many points Jordan had in the game - cruising to a victory and handing the mighty Bulls only their 7th loss of the season. It was simply put... fantastic! But it was more than that, it wasVan Gundy's first win as a Knicks head coach, so I turned to my dad and said...
"VANtastic!"
Yes it was corny, and for those of you who know me well, I pride myself on being able to come up with catchy phrases or names of games, or nights for bars, that are usually extremely corny. I am used to the regular pathetic giggle from the friends, or the "cornball" comments from my students. In fact when I worked at the Nutty Irishman my job was every Wednesday to sit down with management and give them 10 ideas. They told me 9 would be the worst ideas that they have ever heard of, but that 10th one, that 10th one was perfect - they would start to laugh, how come we never thought of that? Some examples:
Peat N Pong - Peat Moss, Beer Pong it was legendary
M.O.M.S. (Mondays on Main Street) ex. Where you going, I'm just going to Moms.
Double The Love Party - Twice as much fun as Valentines, this was for a friend's birthday which we held on the 28th of February, 28 is twice as much as 14, 14th is Valentines day, hence - Double The Love - that is how my brain works.
All this corniness started for me on March 11th, 1996 - the day after the Knicks huge win - my dad woke me up by calling my name, "Joe, come take a look at this!" - I run downstairs and see my dad holding the Newsday to the back cover, sports section, and there it is, in big words... my words... "VANtastic!"
I was hooked. After any meaningful sporting event I would give it a shot, sometimes I would tell someone else so that I had proof, eventually I just played this game inside of my head... I have gotten a few here and there, and I got today's - that is what brought me back to the first one. Today I woke up and saw, "St. Knicks." - It was an easy one, Christmas, Knicks opening day, it wasn't rocket science - but I saw it coming. It made me smile to think back to that day in 1996 when my corniness started.
Now my students get to experience it each day when they walk in my classroom, my friends get to experience it every time we get together for a few Bud Lights, my wife gets to experience it on a day to day basis (poor her), and eventually my son will get to experience it - and hopefully one day after watching a game together he will turn to me and say something extremely corny. 9 times out of 10 it might be something very silly, but every once in a while, it will be "VANtastic!"
"VANtastic!"
Yes it was corny, and for those of you who know me well, I pride myself on being able to come up with catchy phrases or names of games, or nights for bars, that are usually extremely corny. I am used to the regular pathetic giggle from the friends, or the "cornball" comments from my students. In fact when I worked at the Nutty Irishman my job was every Wednesday to sit down with management and give them 10 ideas. They told me 9 would be the worst ideas that they have ever heard of, but that 10th one, that 10th one was perfect - they would start to laugh, how come we never thought of that? Some examples:
Peat N Pong - Peat Moss, Beer Pong it was legendary
M.O.M.S. (Mondays on Main Street) ex. Where you going, I'm just going to Moms.
Double The Love Party - Twice as much fun as Valentines, this was for a friend's birthday which we held on the 28th of February, 28 is twice as much as 14, 14th is Valentines day, hence - Double The Love - that is how my brain works.
All this corniness started for me on March 11th, 1996 - the day after the Knicks huge win - my dad woke me up by calling my name, "Joe, come take a look at this!" - I run downstairs and see my dad holding the Newsday to the back cover, sports section, and there it is, in big words... my words... "VANtastic!"
I was hooked. After any meaningful sporting event I would give it a shot, sometimes I would tell someone else so that I had proof, eventually I just played this game inside of my head... I have gotten a few here and there, and I got today's - that is what brought me back to the first one. Today I woke up and saw, "St. Knicks." - It was an easy one, Christmas, Knicks opening day, it wasn't rocket science - but I saw it coming. It made me smile to think back to that day in 1996 when my corniness started.
Now my students get to experience it each day when they walk in my classroom, my friends get to experience it every time we get together for a few Bud Lights, my wife gets to experience it on a day to day basis (poor her), and eventually my son will get to experience it - and hopefully one day after watching a game together he will turn to me and say something extremely corny. 9 times out of 10 it might be something very silly, but every once in a while, it will be "VANtastic!"
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas Eve Eve
In case you haven't heard the day before the day before Christmas is a new holiday - Christmas Eve Eve. I did not learn about this holiday until I met Carroll Anne (the wife). This has become the day when we exchange gifts and here I am at 10 p.m. on December 23rd and little Tommy has already opened the gifts for his very first Christmas. He got several books, very cute outfits, and a New York Giants hat (which I hope he wears with pride tomorrow.)
December 23rd used to be the day I finished my Christmas shopping, in fact today I was at Target getting some last gifts, but instead of having the Eve to wrap, there I was rushing home to wrap so that we can exchange on the Eve's Eve.
It still has all the Christmas flare, we put the gifts under the tree, Ca had hot chocolate, I had some egg nog, Tommy had his pacifier - we were all set. Fios TV turned to 1818, Holiday Hits. Our families first Christmas, the only thing that was missing was Christmas itself.
She has a good point, tonight is the only night where it will be just the three of us. Tomorrow we head to her aunt and uncles then to my aunt and uncles, get home way past midnight early into Christmas morning, then wake up on actual Christmas morning and have my side come to our house for gift exchange and then to her parents house for dinner. These two days, filled with great food, great wine, great people, and great times, oh and a great Christmas Mass at Our Lady of the Snow, let's not forget the reason we are celebrating - these next two days as amazing as they are, they are jam packed and that was before we had a 10 pound 10 ounce two month old joining us for the festivities. So I get it, this is a nice night, the calm before the storm, for us to celebrate as a family, to do our thing, just the three of us.
So I guess I am looking to you for your advice (Carroll Anne won the Great Dinner Debate, as most of you commented that you agreed with her on that battle.) - Is Christmas Eve Eve a holiday, or should we wait til the 25th to celebrate?
HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY and THANKS FOR LISTENING TO LUMPY!
December 23rd used to be the day I finished my Christmas shopping, in fact today I was at Target getting some last gifts, but instead of having the Eve to wrap, there I was rushing home to wrap so that we can exchange on the Eve's Eve.
It still has all the Christmas flare, we put the gifts under the tree, Ca had hot chocolate, I had some egg nog, Tommy had his pacifier - we were all set. Fios TV turned to 1818, Holiday Hits. Our families first Christmas, the only thing that was missing was Christmas itself.
She has a good point, tonight is the only night where it will be just the three of us. Tomorrow we head to her aunt and uncles then to my aunt and uncles, get home way past midnight early into Christmas morning, then wake up on actual Christmas morning and have my side come to our house for gift exchange and then to her parents house for dinner. These two days, filled with great food, great wine, great people, and great times, oh and a great Christmas Mass at Our Lady of the Snow, let's not forget the reason we are celebrating - these next two days as amazing as they are, they are jam packed and that was before we had a 10 pound 10 ounce two month old joining us for the festivities. So I get it, this is a nice night, the calm before the storm, for us to celebrate as a family, to do our thing, just the three of us.
So I guess I am looking to you for your advice (Carroll Anne won the Great Dinner Debate, as most of you commented that you agreed with her on that battle.) - Is Christmas Eve Eve a holiday, or should we wait til the 25th to celebrate?
HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY and THANKS FOR LISTENING TO LUMPY!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The Great Dinner Debate
Choosing where to eat on date night can be make or break. Are you going to have enough time for apps? My wife and I have different theories on restaurant choosing so I thought I would share with you our two sides to the Great Dinner Debate and let you decide which side you're on:
A NEW PLACE vs. A RECOMMENDATION - LET THE BATTLE BEGIN
So the question came up as the wife and I were driving west towards the city, no plans in mind, this was pre-child when we could waste an hour or two deciding where to eat, now I have to schedule when I am going to use the bathroom. Where do you want to go to eat? It's a big question, that comes up very often in relationships, and to get to a decision can take longer than the meal itself. She started off by reeling off a bunch of places that friends from work told her about, (insert name) said the pasta is amazing at (insert Italian name here.) All the girls from work go there, we should go, its supposed to be soooo good!!!
MY THEORY - A NEW PLACE
So here I am sitting in traffic, hunger kicking in, listening to my wife tell me all about these great places nearby that would be very easy to get to, and sound amazing based on what her friends were telling her about it. And that is when I realized, I don't like to listen to recommendations, I am an explorer, a discoverer. This is my theory: If you go to a restaurant that you heard is amazing, and order a dish that you heard was amazing, then at best your experience will be just that, amazing... nothing more, nothing less. And what kind of amazing is it? It's not your amazing, it's someone else's amazing, so there is a cap on how high the amazingness level can hit. There are only two things that will happen when you go off someone else's recommendation, either you will not think the place is as good as they said it was, therefore leading to awkwardness around the water cooler, Can you believe so-and-so likes that place, oh it was awful. Or what most likely would happen, you would agree with your friends suggestion and as they did, also think of this place as amazing. But there is no passion in that feeling because it is not your feeling, it is someone else's words, it is someone else's amazing. This is probably the reason why I never watched the Lord of the Rings movies, or why it took me until the final season to finally start watching Lost. I have an issue with doing things that I already know the outcome of, if everyone says a movie is great, why should I watch it? I know its gonna be great, but it's not my great, it's somebody else's. So I guess my point was, I rather find a new restaurant that we never heard of before, just by driving around exploring, and take the risk of it being awful or amazing. In fact it would be better than amazing because there are no expectations, there is no ceiling to the amazingness factor in discovering a new place to eat. You are the one setting the expectation, you can put whatever word you want on it, and it will be yours. Where there are expectations there are limitations, if you take away the expectations then you are left with an infinite amount of space to let your imagination run wild, and in this case your taste buds.
HER THEORY - RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GOLDEN
The wife seems to believe in listening to her friends and family's suggestions in choosing a place to eat. She feels that if you risk going somewhere that you know nothing about then it could be a horrible experience, a waste of time, and a waste of money. I want to know I am going to like it before I go, I don't like surprises. Which is very true, she planned her own surprise birthday party last year, just kidding, but not really. She told me, if I know that a restaurant has a type of food I like, and it is very good, then yes I want to experience that as well. She loves to listen to people's suggestions, she is always googling (really a red line under googling, how is this not a word yet?) to get advice from other people. And it does make sense, her theory does make sense, it is just not the way I see it. Her way, you know what you're getting will most likely be really good, you then can report back to the friend that suggested it and that is always fun I guess, and your experience will be simply put, amazing. Just not your amazing.
THE QUESTION I PROPOSED
So now it comes to you, my readers, to answer the question that I asked my wife on that very night. If the same chef made the same exact meal, and he gave it to you at Restaurant A (which you knew about from friends at work who said it was amazing) and then he served it to you at Restaurant B (a place you stumbled upon while driving around on a random night) would they taste the same?
She said it would.
I said it would not.
What do you say?
A NEW PLACE vs. A RECOMMENDATION - LET THE BATTLE BEGIN
So the question came up as the wife and I were driving west towards the city, no plans in mind, this was pre-child when we could waste an hour or two deciding where to eat, now I have to schedule when I am going to use the bathroom. Where do you want to go to eat? It's a big question, that comes up very often in relationships, and to get to a decision can take longer than the meal itself. She started off by reeling off a bunch of places that friends from work told her about, (insert name) said the pasta is amazing at (insert Italian name here.) All the girls from work go there, we should go, its supposed to be soooo good!!!
MY THEORY - A NEW PLACE
So here I am sitting in traffic, hunger kicking in, listening to my wife tell me all about these great places nearby that would be very easy to get to, and sound amazing based on what her friends were telling her about it. And that is when I realized, I don't like to listen to recommendations, I am an explorer, a discoverer. This is my theory: If you go to a restaurant that you heard is amazing, and order a dish that you heard was amazing, then at best your experience will be just that, amazing... nothing more, nothing less. And what kind of amazing is it? It's not your amazing, it's someone else's amazing, so there is a cap on how high the amazingness level can hit. There are only two things that will happen when you go off someone else's recommendation, either you will not think the place is as good as they said it was, therefore leading to awkwardness around the water cooler, Can you believe so-and-so likes that place, oh it was awful. Or what most likely would happen, you would agree with your friends suggestion and as they did, also think of this place as amazing. But there is no passion in that feeling because it is not your feeling, it is someone else's words, it is someone else's amazing. This is probably the reason why I never watched the Lord of the Rings movies, or why it took me until the final season to finally start watching Lost. I have an issue with doing things that I already know the outcome of, if everyone says a movie is great, why should I watch it? I know its gonna be great, but it's not my great, it's somebody else's. So I guess my point was, I rather find a new restaurant that we never heard of before, just by driving around exploring, and take the risk of it being awful or amazing. In fact it would be better than amazing because there are no expectations, there is no ceiling to the amazingness factor in discovering a new place to eat. You are the one setting the expectation, you can put whatever word you want on it, and it will be yours. Where there are expectations there are limitations, if you take away the expectations then you are left with an infinite amount of space to let your imagination run wild, and in this case your taste buds.
HER THEORY - RECOMMENDATIONS ARE GOLDEN
The wife seems to believe in listening to her friends and family's suggestions in choosing a place to eat. She feels that if you risk going somewhere that you know nothing about then it could be a horrible experience, a waste of time, and a waste of money. I want to know I am going to like it before I go, I don't like surprises. Which is very true, she planned her own surprise birthday party last year, just kidding, but not really. She told me, if I know that a restaurant has a type of food I like, and it is very good, then yes I want to experience that as well. She loves to listen to people's suggestions, she is always googling (really a red line under googling, how is this not a word yet?) to get advice from other people. And it does make sense, her theory does make sense, it is just not the way I see it. Her way, you know what you're getting will most likely be really good, you then can report back to the friend that suggested it and that is always fun I guess, and your experience will be simply put, amazing. Just not your amazing.
THE QUESTION I PROPOSED
So now it comes to you, my readers, to answer the question that I asked my wife on that very night. If the same chef made the same exact meal, and he gave it to you at Restaurant A (which you knew about from friends at work who said it was amazing) and then he served it to you at Restaurant B (a place you stumbled upon while driving around on a random night) would they taste the same?
She said it would.
I said it would not.
What do you say?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)