Merry Christmas!

'Twas the Sunday before Christmas, when all through the condominium,
Not a morsel was eaten, not even a bare minimum.
The stockings were hung on the bureau with care,
In knowledge that the Jennings would soon be there.

The place settings and table were set,
and our appetites were whet.
And Shawn in his corduroys, and I in my sweater,
had just settled down to write this letter.
When out at the door arose such a clatter,
Shawn sprang from the couch to see what was the matter.
Away to the kitchen I ran like a flash,
to grab the potatoes and begin to mash.
The hummus and dips were mixed,
and the vegetable platter was fixed.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
but four Jennings and all their Christmas gear!











Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Snowy Sunday

After Thursday's storm, we had another snowfall on Sunday. I took the liberty to take pictures as Shawn shoveled. We only have one shovel after all.

Wow Shawn. That's so nice of you to clear the whole condo sidewalk like that! You must have been super pumped about the new shovel you bought.

I think these cars are hibernating until spring.

In honor of Clark Griswold, we kicked off our fun old fashion family Christmas by heading out into the country (Rt. 9?) in the old front four wheel drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape and select that most important of Christmas symbols (a ham?).

Seriously, Dora (our four wheel drive sleigh) has been loving the snow. The picture below demonstrates my deep appreciation for her. Please note the figure in the background. That's Shawn and he's still shoveling out his car. I cleared off the hood and windshield, kicked it into 4 wheel and plowed over that snow bank!

P.S. Yes. That's the original bar code sticker on my tire. I left it on to see how long it would last. It's been years now? Now I won't take them off on principle and out of respect for whatever crazy adhesive was used on the stickers. We've bonded. (Ha. Adhesive, stickers, bonded?!)

2.5 Hours

After an early closing, it took 2.5 hours to drive home today. But I can thank my lucky stars because it's took one driver 3 hours to travel 1 mile. Now we just need to figure out how to get Shawn home!

A note to drivers without 4 wheel drive... I understand that you do not have 4 wheel drive or all wheel drive. That's fine. But when you cut off a person in a truck and then get stuck, you look silly.

Off the Grid

That’s my cell phone. He’s in a happier place now. He won’t be dropped off a two story atrium (onto a marble floor), be flung across parking lots or wedged into almost inescapable crevices in the car. He no longer needs to fear suddenly kerplunking into a toilet like his predecessors. Cheers to you cell phone.

This means I’m off the grid. Shawn and I have never had a land line and now I don’t have a cell phone. Sure, I am online at work but after 5 pm, there’s no quick way to contact me. It’s a bit bizarre. I find myself planning ahead, having contingency plans and writing down things to mention to people later. Is this what people did before cell phones?

Instead of spending about $40 to remedy the situation, I’m planning to learn Morse code and start tap, tap, tapping away on this baby!

-... -.-- .

Car Show

Shawn and I took a little trip to the New England Auto Show. We saw some great cars and some disappointments.

Is it odd that I have the same amount of headroom in the XTerra and the Mini?



Shawn and I are well aware that we are amateurs when it comes to car shopping and auto shows, but it was particularly clear when we ran into Rob and Katy. Well, more accurately, when Rob ran past us while shouting a quick hi. Katy talked to us for about 30 seconds before she and Tyler were whisked away onto the showroom floor. It was an emergency after all - they only had 2 1/2 hours to achieve their pre-planned route!

Here are some of our potential purchases:

In the end, we selected this Lamborghini. Please note the sold sticker under the wiper.

Melt in Your Mouth, Not on the T Floor?

I recently received the following text from Jeff:

"I just saw a dude drop an m&m on the platform at park st...look if anyone was looking (i was) then picked it up and ate it...a clear 5 second violation and the guy was not homeless!"

Originally, I assumed that Jeff sent the message out to everyone. Then I found out that I was specifically selected to receive this important information. Was it due to my extraordinary fondness of m&ms? That I might do the same thing? That I have a fondness of arbitrary cleanliness regulations such as the 5 second rule? My fondness for passing quick judgement on complete strangers?

Either which way, Jeff was spot on. I loved it. Cheers to that!

Turkey Day

Since the moment I got engaged my doctor has stated the following phrase numerous times: "people get fat once they're married". She doesn't use try to beat around the bush with words like "might", "may", "sometimes" or anything that gives hope of being an exception to the stats. She doesn't even employ any euphemisms like "plump up a little", "get more relaxed body images", "get cute like the Pillsbury Dough Boy" or "love each other no matter what". No, not my doctor...and this is why I like her. Her lack of sensitivity makes me crack up as I'm stepping on the scale and she's jealously eye-balling my muffin tops.

Anyway, I figured out why my doctor's statement is true. The holidays. Shawn and I enjoyed three Thanksgiving meals this year: the Swanson Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day with Shawn's family and one with mine. Let me tell you, they were all fabulous! In CT, we took a walk which should have burned off maybe one yam worth of calories.

Swanson Thanksgiving

Last week, we attended a Swanson Thanksgiving. Here is the proud chef and one of his two fabulous masterpieces.

The crowd dug into the turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots, rolls, stuffing and gravy. Surprisingly, we weren't required to correctly answer obscure questions about Thanksgiving/pilgrim history to earn the food. Hats off to Josh!

Best for last...some post-meal lethargy while watching BC stomp Clemson.

First Flakes

We enjoyed the first snowfall in Boston today. There wasn't any accumulation but it was a pretty surprise. I happened to have my camera at work so I took a quick grainy video out the office window.



Here are some other snapshots from the day.

MVP

Woohoo! Mike Lowell is here to stay for three more years! Even Curt Schilling posted the great news on his blog. RSN rejoice!

My Muse

Yippee! Yesterday I won a contest. That’s right! I placed first in a fabulous haiku contest hosted by my cousin Amy. The prize is priceless: an original piece of artwork depicting human gas expulsion or the after effects of such. I’m sure our family ties didn’t influence the decision at all. It’s a fact, my haiku was simply genius. Here it is…

Gustados are great
Stop and Shop's imitation
but they were recalled

Apparently many questions were raised about the mysterious Gustados. I’d like to address those here and give thanks to my muse, Gustado Man.


Gustados are Stop and Shop’s imitation of Nacho Cheese Doritos and they are bodacious and beautiful. Sadly, there was a labeling snafu due to "undeclared soy protein isolate" and Gustados were recalled for a short time. But good news Gustados lovers. Gustados are back and better than ever!!

Any more questions?

A Kernel of Truth

I'm corny. It wouldn't be the top word I'd use to describe myself but it definitely makes the unabridged list. Sometimes this slips my mind. Then I download pictures and find gems like this.

I made Shawn take this picture after our trip to the Museum of Science this weekend. Apparently Boston should be warned. There is a dinosaur on the loose. Well, he would be on the loose if he could only figure out how to get around/above/through that pesky little chain surrounding him. But thank goodness for that chain because when chased by a dinosaur, it appears that I don't run, I just stand pigeon-toed.

Tag, I'm It!

I've been tagged and that means I have to post "7 Fun Facts About Me".

1. I have never broken a bone but have cracked my head numerous times.

2. I’m lactose intolerant. I never really loved cheese but it and all its lactose-having friends apparently hate me.

3. I have $7 cable. We receive the networks, the CW, Jewelry TV, BET, 4 PBS Stations, 2 Spanish stations and the Home Shopping Network. Recently we lost, AZN, the “Network for Asian America”. It was a sad day.

4. I love flip-flops.

5. I tested out of the language requirement in college. I then elected to take a class anyway and was placed in with native speakers. ¡Ay, Dios Mío!

6. I called 911 for legitimate reasons and then asked if the call would appear on my phone bill. One afternoon, I was driving with Natalie on I-95 near Norwalk. While travelling in the middle lane, the 1998 Plymouth Voyager minivan with faux wood paneling decided to stop working and wouldn’t start. There was an incline so I couldn’t even scoot the van over to the side as the traffic began to backup. Finally an off-duty firefighter pulled up and asked if we had called the police. Um, no? We've been sitting here giggling nervously for 10 minutes. Heeding his advice, I called 911 told them the situation and then finished the phone call by asking if it would show up on my bill. Those were daytime minutes after all. We’re not entirely sure if the police ever responded because 15 minutes later I turned the key, the engine roared and off we went.

7. Best for last…I was tagged by Amy. She’s my cousin. But once we came dangerously close to not being cousins. When I was little, I had two Ken dolls. One was a brown haired Ken with two legs. But the blonde Ken had only one leg (and those fabulous built-in underwear). In our youthful ignorance, we both wanted the two legged Ken. To make a long story short, an all out war ensued. But somehow in the heat of the battle, Amy and I came to a peaceful resolution. Then Katy and Patrick came in pretending to fight over a GI Joe or something to help us see the light. That was so lame.



I'm suppossed to tag 7 people but I don't have that many bloggin' friends. Instead I tag two.
Josh Swanson - Because you rarely post about personal matters. These can NOT be historical facts.
Vanilla - I'm going out on a limb and tagging Vanilla who doesn't know me. I've been a blog lurker. Amy's lurkers outted themselves and I'm doing the same. Frankly, you had me at half-fast.

A Tribute to Big Yellow...and my Mom

My Mom has a terrific sense of value. She spots good quality items at great prices from miles away. In all honesty, I'm pretty sure she has spidey-sense for deals. This means that the purchases she makes last for a loooong time. It is with great sadness that I deliver the following news. Mom, big yellow is retiring. I really appreciate this purchase. I remember pleading for this yellow and black Colombia beauty. I also remember when you took me to Bob's to buy it. You took me to the coat section and made me close my eyes to keep it "secret" for Christmas while I tried on all of the sizes. Your decision to purchase it multiple sizes too big (a men's medium) ensured that I could comfortably wear it with many layers to this very day. It has certainly stood the test of time. In fact, there's still nothing wrong with the jacket. It's not leaving us since I can't bring myself to throw it out, it's just retiring to the good life.


If you met me anytime between Christmas of 1995 and now, you have probably seen me in big yellow. This large bumblebee coat made me feel like the coolest kid on the block and, boy, did we have some great times. It was there for my first (and last) snowboarding lesson at Ski Sundown, Smuggler's Notch, two trips to Okemo, and Mount Sunapee. Sure, we didn't do that much skiing but we hit the slopes. We even hit a tree once. It kept me warm during four years of high school, four years of college and a masters degree. I am petitioning for big yellow to receive an honorary doctorate for awesomeness.



But Mom, please take some comfort in the fact that big yellow is being replaced by a worthy successor. I even found it at Bob's. While it lacks big yellow's special pizazz, it will make you happy in the deal department. It retailed for $199. It was 30% off due to a cool weather sale. Then I brought out the big guns, a coupon for an additional 25% off. This brought the final cost to $99.75. That's just 25 cents short of being 1/2 price!! Oh, and yes, I did buy it a size larger just in case!