Party's Over

In a strange turn of events, T's Pub "The Place To Meet" closed their doors on Monday September 22, 2008. On Monday night the staff was informed and what ensued after the last staff meeting was all out debauchery. Michael and I joined the staff and a few treasured regulars to send off T's with a bang.
There were a few tears but mostly there were smiles. Not that anyone is glad to see T's go, mind you, but laughter and crazy times were what made T's Pub what it was. Sure, it got a little expensive and the place was in dire need of a face lift, but the reason we went was not for the decor or to get a cheap drink. Our friends were always there. At any given time on a weekend night The Corner was always full of people that were happy to see us. For 27 years T's has been standing and for 11 of those years Michael has taken the booth on Thursday nights to run trivia. The first time Michael and I danced to "Into the Mystic" (our wedding song) was at T's Pub. We watched history be made on T's Big screen TV in 2004. When we were in Los Angeles for the Patriots first Super Bowl win, our first call was to Mook at T's.

Friendships are stronger than the walls that contain them. We will remain friends with all of the people that we met at T's. It's sad to see it go but what have we really lost? Four walls. Our family is still in tact. We just need to find a new home.

Skin of My Teeth

Week 2 of the football pool was a tough one. I lost an entry with a Bears pick. Ugh. The other pick was the steelers so I'm still alive.

Week 3 I had only one entry to work with so I chose what I thought would be a gimme. Giants over Bengals. Turned out it was a total nail-biter in overtime. Thank god the Giants pulled it off. In seemingly unrelated news here is a picture of a tomato.















You may now continue with your day.

Kitty Torture

Actually we can't really tell if the cats love this thing or hate it. We have a bird feeder that sits in our window like an air conditioner.

















The birds come to have a snack and the cats sit and watch them.

















Occasionally the cats will bat at the glass with their paws but the birds only fly away for a second then they come right back. The cats can't figure out why the birds aren't afraid of them. Hours of entertainment.

What's Wrong With This Picture

I saw this ad on the way to work this morning. Air Tran should fire their marketing firm pronto. What were they thinking comparing a ride in one of their planes to a roller coaster? Roller coasters are exciting. If there is one thing in my life I want to be exceptionally boring it's a plane ride. I want it in no way to resemble a roller coaster. I know the point of this ad is probably to say "hey fly with us and you'll be on a roller coaster in no time!" But that's not what I got from the ad at all and I have been to other blogs that agree.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ezraball/2694774830/

http://realfake.org/blog/2008/07/22/airtran-roller-coaster/

This is not the first Air Tran ad that I found to be a head-scratcher.


Maybe it's just me but this commercial gives me the creeps. What about springing long term babysitting duties on an unsuspecting elderly couple is supposed to make me want to fly Air Tran? "Air Tran: Wicked assholes fly with us!" "Air Tran: Fly with us and feel as though you are plummeting to your death!"

If this is all it takes to make money in marketing, bad ideas that is, sign me up! I have a slew of bad ideas!

I'm just not ready

There was a definite chill in the air today. The sort of chill that isn't a temporary blip. It's fall. Ordinarily I'd be all kinds of excited about the cooler weather; fall wardrobe, the big switch from iced to hot tea, good hair days and the visions of skiing in a few months. All of these are welcome to me in September. I have always valued having a fall birthday. September 30th is a great time of year around here. But...

August was cold. Most of the month was wet and chilly. I found myself wearing a jacket in August. Even in New England that is just absurd. Thus the beginning of autumn is bittersweet. I like the idea of a fire in the fireplace and the cool, crisp, breathable air. But I feel as though I have been robbed of a month of summer.

So, mother nature, if it pleases you please send a few unseasonably warm days our way. Much appreciated.

Dumb Things Amendment

Warm weather scarves are ok now that the weather is cooler.

Football/Gambling Season

Anyone that knows me will attest that I am not much of a gambler. I buy scratch tickets occasionally, maybe play Keno if I'm bored at a bar and I'll buy a power ball ticket when I'm in NH. That's pretty much it. I think that casinos are probably the most unpleasant place one could possibly be. All that clanging and dinging and moaning of tortured souls sitting blindly in front of the slot machines. Shudder

But there is something about football that makes me want to bet, bet, bet my fanny off. For years I have done the pool with the spread and I won once ($300) and split once ($125). Now I've signed on to this office thing called the winner's pool. It seems like it would be easy; pick a team that you think will win. No spread. No selecting fantasy players. I bought two entries because I would have been devastated if I'd have been eliminated the first week. My first week's picks are:

New Orleans (they won but, man, what a nail-biter, and I had to go against my 2nd favorite team Tampa Bay) and Denver. Denver plays Oakland tonight in Oakland. I didn't take into account that they aren't at home but, it's Oakland, they suck. So far so good. Even if Denver loses I'm still alive. Next week I'll get back into the regular pool as well with the spreads and all.

I think my draw to football betting is that it makes Sundays more interesting at a time of the year that can get very depressing in New England. It's gray and cold and it gets dark at 4pm. I love having lots to cheer for. The Pats only play once a week. I have something to cheer for every game!

Michael does fantasy football. He didn't pick Tom Brady this year. Lucky for him. Don't even get me started. Devastating injury.

I'll keep you posted on my gambling efforts. Keep your fingers crossed for me. If you do I'll buy you a beer with the winnings.

US Open

It comes as no surprise that Federer has won the US Open. His opponent was hardly a match for him. In fact I believe that the handshake at the end of the match was not a handshake at all, but Federer actually handing Murray his ass. I'm sure you'll see footage of the handshake on the news. Look closely. You'll see it.

The Wedding Train

Wedding number 3 of the Julie/Michael/Andy/Susan/Eric/Julie wedding train was a fitting wrap up. What a great time!

A Quick Survey

I just checked my email and this is what I saw:

Based on your e-Rewards profile, you are invited to earn e-Rewards Currency for completing a Quick Survey about Plastic Surgery.

What in the wide world of sports is in my profile that would lead them to believe that I'd be any kind of authority on plastic surgery? I don't even color my hair!!

Out of curiosity I clicked on the link and they asked me if I'd had my boobs done or if my lips plumped or my face lifted...

Clearly I checked the wrong box at some point.

God Bless Our Miserable Asses

Only in America do we have an index to measure how miserable we are.
http://www.miseryindex.us/

Here's a picture of a bunny. Sorry this blog post is such a roller coaster of emotion.

Boston is Wicked Cool

Yesterday we went to Boston's North End for the Feast of St. Anthony. Our friends had a party and they live right in the middle of the epi-center of the festival. So much fun! It's the one day in Boston that you can walk around with an adult beverage in your hand and no one says boo. Here are some of the pics I took.

Lost on Blue Hill

Faithful readers that live in the Boston area are saying, "huh? You got lost on Blue Hill?" Yes indeed folks Michael and I lost our path on Blue Hill and had a hell of a time righting ourselves. I wish I could say it's a huge mountain or that it was not well marked but these statements would be lies. We were just too wrapped up in conversation and we missed our turn to stay on the red dot trail.

Why, you must be asking, is this blog worthy? I am not writing about this to draw attention to our stupidity. I just think that it's worth mentioning that Michael and I have been together for 10+ years now and we can still get so engrossed in conversation that we lose our way on a hike together. Now that is love.