Today is Naomi's 7th borthday. Amazing how quickly time has passed. The celebrations began at her school - Mindy and Fiona brought in fruit treats for her class. We then all went to lunch at one of her favourite places - Qdoba. Mindy baked a cake for the evening and we had a small family celebration at home. She is getting her ears pierced as part of her present, that will probably occur in the next couple of weeks...unless she has 2nd thoughts!
Also today, Tito had to have surgery on his paw. There was a tumor or infection growing there that did not respond to antibiotics...so it had to be removed. He seemed to come through OK but is clearly in some discomfort. We have been carrying him around but when he has tried to walk, he cannot put any pressure on it. However, when some food spilled in the kitchen, he was dragging himself around on it to try and get a few grains of rice! His instinct to be a total pig overrides his instinct for self-preservation apparently!
I am now done with the week and am heading to Philadelphia tomorrow for the cricket festival. Derek Underwood is the festival guest this year and I am hoping for another beer sponsor to chip in a few donations as well. Our team is decent but we are missing a few key players. However, if we play our best we can challenge the other teams I am sure...if not, we will do the best to consume copious amounts of food and drink. In fact, we will do this in any case.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
Dog Day Afternoon
Saturday was the first game of our 2009 cricket season, a friendly match against Yale. I had thought that Yale was a university but judging from how old their players looked, it appeared we were lining up against a number of 15 year olds! I guess I am a part of the old-fart club. So youth or experience, who would triumph? Never in doubt! We batted first and put up 209. I contributed about 15 before getting one of the few good balls they bowled all day I think. In the field, I took a catch, got a run out and took two wickets so it was a good day. The bowling is still a work in progress, hoping I get back in form soon.
The weather was wonderful, warm but not humid, with a nice breeze. Mindy and the kids came along and, as always, 3/4 of the family had a wonderful day! Fiona picked up a splinter and then launched a tirade aginst the township of Greenwich for putting wood chips in the playground - "Why can't they make it grass everywhere?" was shouted angrily in the direction of the offending section.
Sunday was a party with friends to celebrate the First Communion of their eldest daughter. It was blazingly hot so I spent much of the afternoon indoors, drinking Polish and German beer and socializing. It was a lot of fun. I think we developed a loose plot for a movie involving a Honda Civic, a FedEx truck and Kate Winslet. "18 Wheeler" is the working title, coming soon!
Pulled up a little sore after cricket but generally feeling OK. All set for the Philly Festival, starting on Thursday.
The weather was wonderful, warm but not humid, with a nice breeze. Mindy and the kids came along and, as always, 3/4 of the family had a wonderful day! Fiona picked up a splinter and then launched a tirade aginst the township of Greenwich for putting wood chips in the playground - "Why can't they make it grass everywhere?" was shouted angrily in the direction of the offending section.
Sunday was a party with friends to celebrate the First Communion of their eldest daughter. It was blazingly hot so I spent much of the afternoon indoors, drinking Polish and German beer and socializing. It was a lot of fun. I think we developed a loose plot for a movie involving a Honda Civic, a FedEx truck and Kate Winslet. "18 Wheeler" is the working title, coming soon!
Pulled up a little sore after cricket but generally feeling OK. All set for the Philly Festival, starting on Thursday.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Our New Radiant Barrier
In the summer our top floor gets amazingly hot, mainly because of the fact that the attic gets even more amazingly hot. The floor of the attic is insulated but the surfaces get so hot that there is not much it can do. I did some research and found out that a "radiant barrier" might give us some relief. Basically, this is aluminium insulation, stapled to the underside of the roof, intended to reduce the radiant heat transfer between the roof and the rest of the house.
I went to the hardware store with Fiona to get the stuff, figuring that 6 25' x 4' rolls is what I needed. This proved to be JUST enough to make it REALLY awkward to get it out of the store. I was pushing it across the road towards my car when I realized I did not have my wallet. Not being sure if I left it while checking out or dropped it, I tried to go back quickly and of course the insulation was falling all over the place. So I was trying to keep everything in place, pick up the dropped insulation, get back into the store AND stop Fiona from being hit by a car! Eventually I managed to get back and was told that it was in the lost-and-found at he front desk. A nice relief - everything was still there and so we could then get on our way.
I then had to install the stuff. Of course, we have an amazing amount of junk in the attic and so the task was made much more difficult as a result. Also, even though it was not too hot today, the attic was already quite hot. Throw in the dirt / dust in the floor and it was a messy job. The actual installaton was not too bad. Cut to size and staple with a staple gun. However, having to get down low meant getting into the dirt and dust and getting completely filthy. I think by the end, I was getting the attic more dirty when I would sit down. About 5 hours later and I pretty much had finished. I need to swap out one roll for a smaller roll tomorrow and then have probably 30 minutes more work to get it all done. I then had a shower, then a bath, then another shower but now feel human again.
Hopefully it will help. The weather this weekend will test it out - I think we are going straight from winter to summer again. Cricket will be a challenge tomorrow I think...
I went to the hardware store with Fiona to get the stuff, figuring that 6 25' x 4' rolls is what I needed. This proved to be JUST enough to make it REALLY awkward to get it out of the store. I was pushing it across the road towards my car when I realized I did not have my wallet. Not being sure if I left it while checking out or dropped it, I tried to go back quickly and of course the insulation was falling all over the place. So I was trying to keep everything in place, pick up the dropped insulation, get back into the store AND stop Fiona from being hit by a car! Eventually I managed to get back and was told that it was in the lost-and-found at he front desk. A nice relief - everything was still there and so we could then get on our way.
I then had to install the stuff. Of course, we have an amazing amount of junk in the attic and so the task was made much more difficult as a result. Also, even though it was not too hot today, the attic was already quite hot. Throw in the dirt / dust in the floor and it was a messy job. The actual installaton was not too bad. Cut to size and staple with a staple gun. However, having to get down low meant getting into the dirt and dust and getting completely filthy. I think by the end, I was getting the attic more dirty when I would sit down. About 5 hours later and I pretty much had finished. I need to swap out one roll for a smaller roll tomorrow and then have probably 30 minutes more work to get it all done. I then had a shower, then a bath, then another shower but now feel human again.
Hopefully it will help. The weather this weekend will test it out - I think we are going straight from winter to summer again. Cricket will be a challenge tomorrow I think...
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Genius
We have a few dead spots in our lawn, due to some shade issues and a few other assorted causes. Last year I bought two bags of grass seed and being a smart bloke, bought one bag for sunny spots and one for shaded areas. I did not get a chance to throw the seed down last year but jumped on the chance last weekend with the warm weather. I prepared the surface, got the first bag and put it all over the yard (the sunny areas) and left the shaded area for the 2nd bag. As I was getting the second bag I noticed that I had used the shady grass in the sunny spots and was left with the "sunny grass" for our shady section. Genius! In the end I simply threw down the seed there and figured I would see if it takes. What I am expecting is for the shade mix to burn off in the summer and the shady area to get overtaken with moss again...but who knows, perhaps something will stick.
The weekend also brought our final practice before our cricket season kicks off on Saturday. Still quite rusty but looking forward to the challenge! Philly festival is just a few days away, which is pretty much the highlight of the year. Hoping for good weather.
The weekend also brought our final practice before our cricket season kicks off on Saturday. Still quite rusty but looking forward to the challenge! Philly festival is just a few days away, which is pretty much the highlight of the year. Hoping for good weather.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Massive Score
Last night I saw my friend Donough, just back from visiting Ireland with his family. He brought over a souvenir for me - a Munster rugby jersey. Now anyone who knows me will know that my wardrobe is pretty much a collection of sporting jerseys and concert t-shirts and this new addition will certainly be a part of the rotation. So far as jerseys go, Mindy is fine with it. I think the blue and red is an improvement from the various combinations of green/gold; green/yellow; blue/gold; blue/yellow that I normally wear.
Monday, April 13, 2009
An Appropriate Easter
By chance last week, Mindy saw an advertisement for a touring production of Jesus Christ Superstar, playing at the NJ Performing Arts Center. She got tickets for Sunday, then realized that it was Easter Sunday! I guess technically Good Friday might have been more appropriate but this was close I guess.
Starring as Jesus was Ted Neeley, who played the role in the original movie. I am guessing he is about 64 now, so clearly he has changed a bit. A few times he seeemed to struggle to get all of the notes but he still can clearly sing and after 35 years of playing Jesus, had little trouble in slipping into character. Perhaps a little of the God Complex has rubbed off over the years. There were some aspects of the play that were very good and a few that we did not like so much, however, overall we had a good time. We all agreed that the best singer in the cast was the "Mary". The girls really enjoyed it as well. They were quite familiar with the music and were quite interested in watching all that was going on during the show. Fortunately they gave them booster cushions so they had no trouble seeing all of the action.
This was a nice way to end a week off...now back to business as usual.
Yin and Yang
After a relatively "feminine" type day (art museum and Indigo Girls), I took the opportunity to address this situation on Saturday. 10:00am on the dot, secured good seats to AC/DC at Giants Stadium for July 31. Then, jumped in again and got OK seats to see Metallica in November for a newly added show. Especially pumped for AC/DC again but having never seen Metallica in concert, am quite looking forward to that as well.
Life balance restored!
Life balance restored!
Philly Day 2
First thing, tried to get tickets to a Metallica concert at Madison Square Garden. I jumped on as soon as they were onsale and was given two tickets in the top tier. Thinking that this was not satisfactory, I tried again and was told that there were no more tickets available. Somewhat disappointing...
We then all left for a day at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This is a huge museum, made famous by the "Rocky steps" out the front (and perhaps some artwork inside). Mindy and her sister were the drivers for the day and we managed to see a good chunk of the museum before the kids ran out of steam. I had a rant about some of the exhibits in the Modern Art section, one piece was a series of stripes on fabric and was described as being indicative of his technique of using stripes. Are you kidding me? We left in the early afternoon and headed back to the hotel to rest up before the concert that night.
We then all left for a day at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This is a huge museum, made famous by the "Rocky steps" out the front (and perhaps some artwork inside). Mindy and her sister were the drivers for the day and we managed to see a good chunk of the museum before the kids ran out of steam. I had a rant about some of the exhibits in the Modern Art section, one piece was a series of stripes on fabric and was described as being indicative of his technique of using stripes. Are you kidding me? We left in the early afternoon and headed back to the hotel to rest up before the concert that night.
Friday night was pretty much the reason for the detour to Philly...Mindy had tickets for the Indigo Girls. Not exactly my style of music but I don't mind their stuff and their concerts make for great people watching opportunities. Driving to Upper Darby was interesting...to say "not the best area" would be way too kind! At one point Mindy commented "This is like the projects". I corrected her..."No, this IS the projects!". We were glad to find a parking space on a main road, figuring that there was at least a slight possibility that our car would still be there upon our return. The Tower Theatre was actually a really nice venue, once you were inside.
Mindy purchased one of everything from the souvenir stand. Luckily, one of the items was a bag, so she could easily carry everything else. We then sat through the opening act, a moderately entertaining female acoustic guitarist, pretty much what you would expect from their show. Then to thunderous applause, the main act took the stage. Mindy loved the show. A lot of stuff from their new album and of course, their better known songs. They certainly do what they do well and we both enjoyed the night and Mindy especially had a great time. In a real bonus, the care was still there, and we made it home safely to the hotel.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Franklin Institute
Today we went to visit the Franklin Institute, a science museum in Philadelphia. We hit the place as soon as it opened and were able to get through a few of the exhibitions before the crowds got too big. The hit with the kids was the giant heart, so much of a hit that we walked through it 3 times! Going up and down all of the small passages and staircases made for a nice workout.
After this, it was time for our Imax file - Grand Canyon. I thought it was really good, showing soem of the wonderful scenery from that part of the world...but also quite depressing as they spoke of the problems with the river systems out there and how humans are pretty much crapping on the world. Makes me want to give up drinking water to do my part.
We then saw a 3D movie on Sharks (kind of boring actually) and then had to go straight to the Galileo exhibit. I guess this was also in keeping with the Indigo Girls theme of the weekend. The exhibit could have been a bit better I thought but had some cool artifacts from that period. I think we might have enjoyed it more if we did not have to be rushed through by the kids. We then finished up with a sports exhibition before realizing that the kids were at the end of their rope and had to leave.
Food had to be obtained, I thought we should try to grab an authentic Philly Cheesesteak, it seemed the right thing to do. I had heard of both Geno's and Pete's, apparently these are a couple of the more famous cheesesteak restaurants around here. We asked the girls for their opinion...and so we ended up taking a 3rd option - Pizza Hut! Fiona was quite angry in the car - I think she was hungry and tired, a bad combination. She was particularly annoyed by the wrist band from the museum for some reason. Her quote of the day was to shout out: "I hate museums because of these wrist bands. They are not even smart!". A few slices of pizza and some breadsticks really did the trick for her mood. Hopefully we can get a cheesesteak tomorrow.
We then simply went back to the hotel to hang out...watching Judge Judy; Cash Cab etc to pass the time, the kids are making stuff out of modeling clay and everyone is happy. Big day tomorrow at the Art Museum, not sure how long everyone will last but we will give it a go!
After this, it was time for our Imax file - Grand Canyon. I thought it was really good, showing soem of the wonderful scenery from that part of the world...but also quite depressing as they spoke of the problems with the river systems out there and how humans are pretty much crapping on the world. Makes me want to give up drinking water to do my part.
We then saw a 3D movie on Sharks (kind of boring actually) and then had to go straight to the Galileo exhibit. I guess this was also in keeping with the Indigo Girls theme of the weekend. The exhibit could have been a bit better I thought but had some cool artifacts from that period. I think we might have enjoyed it more if we did not have to be rushed through by the kids. We then finished up with a sports exhibition before realizing that the kids were at the end of their rope and had to leave.
Food had to be obtained, I thought we should try to grab an authentic Philly Cheesesteak, it seemed the right thing to do. I had heard of both Geno's and Pete's, apparently these are a couple of the more famous cheesesteak restaurants around here. We asked the girls for their opinion...and so we ended up taking a 3rd option - Pizza Hut! Fiona was quite angry in the car - I think she was hungry and tired, a bad combination. She was particularly annoyed by the wrist band from the museum for some reason. Her quote of the day was to shout out: "I hate museums because of these wrist bands. They are not even smart!". A few slices of pizza and some breadsticks really did the trick for her mood. Hopefully we can get a cheesesteak tomorrow.
We then simply went back to the hotel to hang out...watching Judge Judy; Cash Cab etc to pass the time, the kids are making stuff out of modeling clay and everyone is happy. Big day tomorrow at the Art Museum, not sure how long everyone will last but we will give it a go!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Vacation I
Virginia has been a lot of fun. Spending a lot of time hanging out, relaxing and eating. On Monday night went to a sports bar to watch the college basketball championship game and drink some beer. Success on both counts. Crushing victory for UNC which was the desired resuly. Last night was dinner with Mindy's brother and today we are packing up before our trip to Philly. Still not sure exactly what we are planning to do there (aside from Mindy's concert) but there will certainly be something to do. Mindy's sister is coming with us so there will be plenty of company and a bit of help with the girls.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
All Clear
Got the all clear from my various skin doctors. Nothing sinister in the "stuff" they removed and all stitches are gone. After this, I had a few errands to run and then had to wrap up my works stuff before our vacation. I was still quite exhausted after the NBA evening but we found the time to go to Holly and Gary's for some beer and Indian food.
Saturday was spent hanging out at the house, preparing to travel...and driving to Virginia. We rolled in at about 10:00pm - Mindy spent some time with her family while I watched UNC crush Villanova in the college basketball. The sleeping arrangements are Mindy in with her sister and me on an air mattress with the kids...so I will not be really sleeping that well for the week.
Sunday has been very relaxing. I took a morning nap and we went out to the shops and for lunch. I grabbed a copy of the new Pearl Jam 10 - reissue, with the original disk; a remixed disk containing the album plus 6 bonus tracks and a DVD of their 1992 Unplugged performance. All quite good, as you would expect!
Saturday was spent hanging out at the house, preparing to travel...and driving to Virginia. We rolled in at about 10:00pm - Mindy spent some time with her family while I watched UNC crush Villanova in the college basketball. The sleeping arrangements are Mindy in with her sister and me on an air mattress with the kids...so I will not be really sleeping that well for the week.
Sunday has been very relaxing. I took a morning nap and we went out to the shops and for lunch. I grabbed a copy of the new Pearl Jam 10 - reissue, with the original disk; a remixed disk containing the album plus 6 bonus tracks and a DVD of their 1992 Unplugged performance. All quite good, as you would expect!
Free Beer and Food (and basketball)
On Thursday I had the opportunity to take a free ticket in the SAP box for the Philadelphia 76ers v Milwaukee Bucks NBA basketball game. Getting to see an NBA game for free is certainly a good way to spend an evening, however, the all-you-can-eat and all-you-can-drink catered affair really puts it over the top!
There was a carload going from my current project, we arrived about 6:15 for the 7:00 game and carefully selected a parking space near what we thought would be an exit gate. This was designed to avoid any issues at the end of the game with crowds leaving the venue. Inside the stadium, we were met at the box by our hostess for the night. She directed us to the roast beef; chicken tenders; hot dogs; sandwiches; pretzels; pop corn and cakes on offer...and also, the refrigerator where the beverages were kept. After a quick scan of the brews on offer, a request was placed for some additional selections but we took advantage of what was there for now. The four of us put a nice dent in the food table as well as downing as many beers as we could as quickly as possible...or at least, that was what I was doing!
Eventually the rest of our party arrived and the game started. The seats were quite good but we were all really only 1/2 watching the game, concentrating on socializing and drinking. At half time, they brought the pizza around, like we had not had enough to eat. Towards the end of the game was the dessert cart with cakes, pastries and other sugary things (I selected a fantastic cheese cake slice) and then following this was the ice cream cart where you could build your own sundae. I knew when I had had enough and declined this (and concentrated on the beer). The game ended with a Philly victory so the crowd was happy. Although, not as happy as us when we were told that we could stay and drink for up to an hour after the game ended. I think we were the last people out of the stadium, a brilliant strategic move that avoided any traffic issues! Of course, our car parked by itself n the far side of the parking lot looked a little silly.
The drive home was uneventful and I managed to grab a few hours sleep before being woken up at 5:30 by my lovely daughters!
There was a carload going from my current project, we arrived about 6:15 for the 7:00 game and carefully selected a parking space near what we thought would be an exit gate. This was designed to avoid any issues at the end of the game with crowds leaving the venue. Inside the stadium, we were met at the box by our hostess for the night. She directed us to the roast beef; chicken tenders; hot dogs; sandwiches; pretzels; pop corn and cakes on offer...and also, the refrigerator where the beverages were kept. After a quick scan of the brews on offer, a request was placed for some additional selections but we took advantage of what was there for now. The four of us put a nice dent in the food table as well as downing as many beers as we could as quickly as possible...or at least, that was what I was doing!
Eventually the rest of our party arrived and the game started. The seats were quite good but we were all really only 1/2 watching the game, concentrating on socializing and drinking. At half time, they brought the pizza around, like we had not had enough to eat. Towards the end of the game was the dessert cart with cakes, pastries and other sugary things (I selected a fantastic cheese cake slice) and then following this was the ice cream cart where you could build your own sundae. I knew when I had had enough and declined this (and concentrated on the beer). The game ended with a Philly victory so the crowd was happy. Although, not as happy as us when we were told that we could stay and drink for up to an hour after the game ended. I think we were the last people out of the stadium, a brilliant strategic move that avoided any traffic issues! Of course, our car parked by itself n the far side of the parking lot looked a little silly.
The drive home was uneventful and I managed to grab a few hours sleep before being woken up at 5:30 by my lovely daughters!
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