This And That

So I start the new job tomorrow. I guess I should be excited, but I'm really quite ambivalent about it. Not entirely sure why either...

I drove down from Maine today and have the following points to make:
1. If you're driving 65 mph, get the heck out of the left lane. You're in my way and going way too slow.
2. People who drive zip cars can not drive. Twice I got cut off (by two different people). One was signaling right and went left and the other was white knuckling it not sure which way to go.
3. People who drive at 10 and 2...well frankly they scare me. I saw a lady today sitting so close to the steering wheel that her elbows were touching the bottom of the wheel while her hands were at 10 and 2. And it wasn't because she was too short to reach the pedals so she had to sit that close. If you sit that close, how can you possibly turn the wheel quick enough if the situation arises? Answer: you can't.
4. People in Maine can be weird sometimes. A lot of people have these stickers on the back of their car windshields (sorta like the college decals people put on) but instead of saying Boston College or University of Maine, they say "In Loving Memory Of.." then have the persons name and date of birth and death. How creepy is that. And what happens when you want to get rid of the car? Do you take the sticker off? Or leave it for the new owner to wonder who this person was?

I picked up my mother in law at the airport tonight after her long four month stay in Venice. While standing in Terminal E at Logan I noticed the following two things. First, Terminal E is a very happy place. Lots of hugging and crying and all that, people excited to see their friends/family returning home (I did some hugging, but no crying this time). Second, I figure that Terminal E has to be the U.S's largest importer of man-pris. We need to put a stop to this immediately. No man should ever ever ever wear capris, I'm sorry, it's just not allowed. Go with the shorts, go with the pants, nothing in between, it's one of the other, no ifs ands or buts about it.

Randomness

• Happy times are here again. Yes folks, in case you missed it, Wipeout is back. For once, a network has made the right decision and brought back a show I actually enjoy for a second season. There's really nothing better than seeing regular people get tossed around like rag dolls for my amusement. Now all I need to do is figure out a way to get on the show..
• Does anyone else out there hate those Geico commercials with the stack of money following people around, as much as I do? They're not amusing in the least...
• Anyone out there want to lend me a couple million? Or better yet, if we win Powerball tonight, I won't need it..
• Only two more days of work for me, before the big job switch...

My New Favorite Channel

Those of you who know me, know that I am a huge fan of tv. Lately, we've been watching a lot of the Food Network (we've kinda moved past TLC and HGTV), but that's slowly getting bumped to the side in favor of the Travel Channel. Since we can't afford to go any of these exotic and exciting places, we might as well see them thru the eyes of the high definition cameras.

Tonight, we caught this show, Extreme. More specifically, Extreme Terror Rides, meaning extreme amusement parks. If you're flicking thru the channels one day and stumble upon this show, I highly recommend it. The wife and I are already planning a road trip to hit as many of these parks as possible. We caught the Extreme Water Parks episode a couple of weeks ago...and again, a road trip is in the works..

I also caught that new Kobe Bryant documentary shot by Spike Lee. If you haven't seen it, but wanted to, I wouldn't even bother. Really really boring voice over by Bryant trying to seem witty and engaging, but he's not even close to hitting the mark. When he tries talking to his teammates you can tell that they have zero interest in discussing anything at all with him. So in that sense, it's actually fascinating to see. This man, one of the best basketball players on the planet, speaks a couple different languages (he has teammates from Spain, Italy, France etc) and can't converse with any of his them.

The Weekend

Very productive, quiet, but really fun weekend all rolled into one. The best part was I played golf three times, which didn't really help me to improve, but it's still fun being out there. I can hit 10 horrible shots in a row, but that one good one, that's the one I remember...

So Saturday the wife and I did yard work. Mowing, weed wacking, etc.. At one point, I'm out back mowing the lawn and the wife comes running out of the shed screaming. What was it that sent our fair maiden into a tizzy you ask? This...

This little teeny itsy bitsy baby mouse. Poor little guy was shaking like a leaf in a twister. He (I'm assuming it was a he at least) was only about an inch long, just really really tiny. I didn't want to kill him or anything (he was probably just lost right?) , so we left him there with a place to hide and some food. An hour or so later, he was gone. I'm hoping he didn't make the acquaintance of any of the neighborhood cats. I'm not terribly worried that he or any of his immediate family will make their way into our house, as we currently have five cats patrolling the interior. If a mouse made it's way in, he wouldn't last very long...

Sunday was spent doing more yard work, errands etc, followed by a cook out at at my uncles house. I don't know what he does, but he makes the best burgers around. I also learned that getting your picture taken with the sun low on the horizon isn't the best of ideas..

Today... golfed some more, washed the cars (inside and out), cleaned my clubs, cleaned the grill, all the while the wife was scraping and repainting the spots around the outside of the house that needed it. While outside, we made a new friend. This kitten from down the street decided that our house was the place to be. So when she wasn't sitting outside the windows tormenting our cats (who are stuck inside), she was outside following Sarah and I around. She just wanted to hang out, be petted and was just generally curious as to what was going on, which was nothing exciting really.
So in the span of two weeks, we've encountered a baby squirrel, a baby mouse and a kitten, all outside our house. Think this is a sign? Add that to the adoptive and foster families weekend we stumbled into two weeks ago and it has to be pointing in the right direction right?

All in all a great weekend, weather was great (except for the two hours when I golfed Sunday and it rained the entire time), got to hang out with friends and family and got a lot done around the house. With the in laws arriving soon, I have to make sure everything is in tip top shape!

Little Bit Of News

So I got a new job! Unfortunately, it's in Massachusetts, which will ultimately bring our stay in Maine to a conclusion. We decided to move back because after the wife got laid off from her job, she just hasn't been able to find anything up here, and it's mostly because there simply isn't anything for her up here.

I start June 1st, which is really soon, but I'm actually looking forward to it. It's basically double the workload I have now, but it's just the next step up the ladder for me...

This, has nothing to do with the above two paragraphs, but I had to post it anyway. If you saw it without the sound, you'd just think it was of a dad playing with his two sons. With the sound though, it's hilarious...

Long Weekend

So Memorial Day weekend is coming up.. couple more days to go. The wife and I don't have any plans, so if anyone out there would like to come up and visit, get a free vacation out of it, you're more than welcome. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, so there will be plenty to do... c'mon up while we still have the house!

Good Times

Nothing like some good old fashioned 1970's scare tatics to warn you about the swine flu...

With A Little Help From Some Friends..

If you're into "feel good" stories, then you should check out this video. It took a while, but the baby squirrel finally figured it out...

On a completely unrelated note, my fine adopted state was recently recognized as both the whitest and the oldest state (population wise) in the country. On the flip side, the state legislature recently ok'd gay marriage. Usually, old and gay marriage don't get along, but thankfully the elected officials recognized that this boiled down to a civil rights issue and not a religious one..

A Sign Or Just A Sign?

Interesting weekend, didn't really do much, which was really needed. Slept in, hung around, played some golf, went for a walk, really nothing exciting..

The interesting part is this though. Saturday, we had someone coming to look at the house so the wife and I had to clear out for a bit. We decided that instead of going and walking around Target for an hour, we'd go for a walk someplace. Well that someplace ended up being Fort Knox, no, not that Fort Knox in Kentucky (obviously) but a Civil War era fort built a couple of towns over.

So we arrive around 11am, park the car and start walking down the hill from the parking lot to the fort itself. We round the corner and here's what we see...


Yeah, apparently there was a huge picnic being held for the adoptive and foster families of Maine. So the wife and I stumbled in on this, and just looked at each other and started laughing. There were kids EVERYWHERE, and it was great to see. Lately with nothing happening on the adoption front, we've been feeling a little distant from the whole subject, but this brought it right back to the front of our minds.

The only odd thing about the day had nothing to do with the picnic, just this guy I saw there with a tattoo of a tiger on his bald head..ouch..

We took some pics, so here you go. First one is of the fort from across the river...
This one is just taken from the fort, looking at the adjacent town of Bucksport. And yes, I do love the panoramic function on the camera...

Me, missing an arm somehow...

The wife doing her darnedest to push the cannon. I wanted to take a funny picture involving the stack of cannon balls in the background, but since there were so many kids around it was decided that I shouldn't be a bad influence.

All in all, it was a quiet but good weekend.

Any Suggestions?

So I'm thinking I need to learn Spanish. Any suggestions on how to go about this? Rosetta Stone is really expensive, but if it works, it might be worth it. I've taken college Spanish classes before and those didn't work out so well, so I don't know if the traditional class route is the way to go...

In my job, it's extremely beneficial to be bilingual, and right now all I can say is "can i have a beer please", "where's the bathroom", "the check please", and "how much?". That's not going to get me very far...

This Is What Happens When You're Bored

So I've been going the gym five or six days a week for the past couple of months now. During the week, I go at the same time every morning before work, so the same people are there pretty much every morning. Now, I've never had a conversation with any of these people, yet while working out my mind tends to wander. So I've given everyone nicknames and personalities. Is that weird?

There's the angry girl. She's in good shape, there almost every morning, but always has this menacing scowl on her face. As Elle Woods once said, "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands. " Yes, this is what the seclusion of Maine has done to me, I'm now quoting Legally Blond. Thanks Sarah.

We have The Cleaners. A husband and wife duo who apparently own the dry cleaner next door. They do a different routine every morning, but don't verbally communicate the entire time. One just follows the other from station to station.

There's the Rabbit. A girl who has her hair pulled back in a pony tail and no matter what she does it swings back and forth at a very high rate of speed. Almost like she bounces when she walks.

And Twig and Berry. Two buddies (they always work out together), in the "before" picture of a typical Revere meat head. Earring, sleeves cut off the t-shirt, spend too much time on their hair. One is short and round and the other is tall and less round, but they don't touch the cardio machines, it's all about weights with these two.

The Hydrant. This guy is short and built just like a fire hydrant. Seems nice enough, about 55 years old , but someone I definitely wouldn't want to mess with.

Then there's me, the creepy guy who sees all these people and makes up little back stories for each of them...does that make me weird?

Weekend

Not much to really report on. Saturday we tried a new restaurant. Well, it was new to us, but apparently it's been there for years. It's in downtown Bangor, which made it super convenient, and all the local Morrissey's attended.

Boy were we surprised. The food was excellent! Service was great. (the lady who runs the place is from New York (as heard thru her extremely thick accent) and was hilarious) It's not a fancy place, which is nice, the food is very affordable, which is nice, and there's even a view of the park across the street where you can watch weird high school kids hang out while trying to figure out just what exactly are they doing over there?

Apparently their pizza is phenomenal, but the wife and I tried some normal food for our first go round. Me the chicken parm, she the meatball sub. I really can't wait to go back..

We also had some people take a second look at the house. My guess is that the wife saw it first without the husband and they were coming back a second time to take a peak at it. We met them, as they were still here when we got back from doing our errands (about 15 minutes after their allotted hour expired). Very nice young couple, with a baby on the way. Loved the house, had some questions, but the wife referred to it as "very homey", and she loved our nursery. That's a good thing right?

Sorry we haven't been more exciting lately. Work's been busy, and we really haven't been going out a whole lot. The weather is finally nice though, so hopefully we'll get out of the house more often. Who knows how much longer we'll have the house, so if you want to come visit, nows the time!

Movie Review: Wolverine

Friday night was movie night here in the Morrissey household. Now half the time, movie night is great, the other half of the time, the wife picks the movie and it's not so great. Well Friday was her turn, and I just new I'd have to go see that new McConaughey movie, which I was dreading.

Turns out, I was completely wrong! When we got the theater, the wife proclaimed that she wanted to see Wolverine. I actually had to ask her again, just to make sure I heard her correctly the first time.

Overall it was an entertaining movie, but as is the case with many "firsts" (with sequels on the way) it's more about setting up upcoming movies rather than concentrating on this one. There's a whole lot of back story, which is all well and good, but not always needed. The action was great though, the story was decent and the cast was excellent. If you liked the other X-Men movies, I'd recommend seeing this one.

Now the question is this... next week when it's my turn to pick... do I see what I want to see (star trek), or do I pay back the favor and pick a chick flick?

Random Thoughts

• I was listening to the radio the other day and callers where calling in about whether or not to tear down Fenway and rebuild. It's a funny issue because people get very defensive about their view very quickly. Personally, I love Fenway. I still remember the first game I went to and I still get a little hop in my step every time I walk out from under the grandstand and see that wall. That being said, tear the beast down. I've been to other parks around the country, new parks. Tradition is a wonderful thing, but so is leg room, non obstructed views and not having to pee in a trough...


• No new news on the adoption or anything. I've spoken with the agency a couple of times and I'm told that "things are picking up". Um ok. Not entirely sure what that means as we just need someone to pick us. Volume doesn't really matter to me. It's weird, it's only been three months since the Akron incident, and four months total (of us being officially in circulation) but it feels so much longer. I absolutely love seeing my friends kids and my godson, etc, but at the same time, each time we see them it's a little reminder that we're still waiting. Breeders... you guys have no idea how easy you have it haha...


• So I forgot to mention this last night. The wife got chased by a baby squirrel yesterday. First off, who out there has actually ever seen a baby squirrel? I hadn't until now, but for those of you who were wondering what it looks like...it looks like a regular squirrel only smaller. Anyway, I saw the squirrel out back thru the window (first hint something was going on, all the cats in two windows staring intently outside). Then when we left to go to Target, it was actually sitting in the driveway. At first we thought it was sick or dead or something because it wasn't moving. But as the wife got closer it started making these tiny baby squirrel chirping noises and began hopping in an irregular pattern, basically freaking out. Within seconds it was gone, into the bushes. When we got back from Target it was gone, so we figured one of two things happened. It either figured out how to climb back up the tree and into it's nest, or....well let's just say there are a lot of neighborhood cats around...

• Lastly, I'm looking for a workout partner. Not a literal partner as you're all really far away, but someone to basically compete with. I'm going to the gym five days a week, but don't really have a goal at this point, which makes things boring. Any ideas?

One Last Thing

So the wife and I tried those new pasta bread bowls from Domino's tonight. Surprisingly, they were quite tasty. They use the same bread they use for their garlic bread sticks and just bake it with the pasta in the center. Pasta was good, sauce was good and the bowl was very good. We still haven't tried their new sandwiches though...

A Walk In The Woods

So for the second time in a week, the wife and I went for a walk in the Bangor City Forest. After a long day at work (where they've decided to change the dress code. I now have to wear a shirt and tie, no more khakis either, only dress pants. booooo), we figured a nice walk would help transition us into the weekend, and it did.

The park's boardwalk opened up Friday so of course we had to try it out. Really just a great place to go for a walk, right outside of the mall etc, but you have no idea when you're out in the trails. The funny part was when we encountered a sign marking the boarder between Bangor and Orono. If you notice in the picture, to mark the line, they cut a strip right down the middle of the forest. Apparently theses two towns are very territorial and don't want their trees touching...

The Good, The Bad And The Absinthe

Weekend.. great...although I can't remember the last time I was this exhausted. Friday night we just hung around the house, and I made the wife sing some karaoke. Always a good time.

Saturday we drove down to Boston for a friends Kentucky Derby party. They have one every year, and I'd have to say that this years was the most fun. New house, a lot more room to mingle and a huge backyard put it over the top. Some of the other guests brought their kids, so the wife and I got our baby fix in too which was nice.

Once the crowd thinned out some after the actual race, the wiffle ball/bat were busted out. Man, I love me some wiffle ball. I love it so much, that our next house has to have a yard big enough for us to play, it's a new rule I just made up just now.

But the real problem started when we ran out of beer. I blame Rick for this. I brought beer, so I can't be held accountable for what happened next. Young Mr. Rick thought it would be a good idea to bust out the absinthe. What's absinthe you ask? Here's your answer... Too words to describe it. Nas Tee. This stuff was just potent as all heck and I'm pretty sure it was radioactive. When we poured it into a paper cup, after about five minutes it actually started to burn it's way thru the cup. Seriously. It was the color of gatorade, only more green, sorta like Ecto cooler for all you children of the 80's. There's a reason the real stuff is illegal. Apparently you're supposed to mix it with ice cold water and a sugar cube. Well, we didn't have any sugar cubes but I did add some water and it didn't make a lick of difference. It still tasted like turpentine.

I learned a very valuable lesson thanks to that stuff. Nothing good ever happens after 3am except sleep...

Celtics Game

Holy crap! Did you watch that game last night? And if you didn't, you can't call yourself a Boston sports fan anymore. Amazing game really. Although at the end of the game it seemed like Pierce was doing everything in his power not to win the game. He shouldn't have been the one taking the shots at the end of regulation and the first OT. That ball should have been in Ray Allen's hands. As hot as he was last night, how could you not?!?!?

It's funny though, the whole Heinrick/Rondo thing...back before Pat Riley's thug Knicks took over the league in the 90's, that would have been a foul and that's it. Now everything is a tech, or a flagrant and reviewed over and over again. No punches were thrown, typical fight where both guys square off, dance around and wait to be separated. It's been just a hard fought, physical series that is one for the ages. Can't wait for Saturday's game 7...

I'm Back!

So I spent the past couple of days in Warwick, RI, for work. Let's just say it helped solidify my disdain for salespeople...

Stayed at an interesting hotel though. The NYLO hotel. It's a little too moderny for my taste. All the floors and ceilings are concrete with exposed ducting everywhere. Sure it looks kinda neat, but in practice it was horrible. We had a group dinner, maybe 35-40 of us in total, and the room we were in was solid concrete. Nothing hanging on the walls or anything to catch the sound, so it sounded like there was actually 150 of us in the room.

I would talk about it more, but it's work, and I really shouldn't... (i still hate salespeople though!)