2008 ends in under 6 hours and I’m ready for it. Lushie and I will be spending it at home. She has sparkling juice while I’ll be feasting on the image above. Yes, the gin is in the freezer.
Thank you everyone for your great support this past year as we get ready for the birth of our first child. It has been a bumpy year but all of us survived. Everyone have a safe evening and I’ll see you in 09. I’d sit back and reflect but wait until after I have a couple martinis tonight 
cheers!
“In case you didn’t know I’m Lynn Swann‘s cousin my man!”
I must have heard that 15-20 times yesterday while I was at the Steelers/Browns game with my buddy John. There was a group of 6 behind us who wouldn’t shut up through the entire game. It wasn’t just cheering, it every play “OH NO YOU DI-INT!” “OH SCHNAP!” and my favorite “WHO MAH BOOOYYY!” topped off with constant banter about how sucketh it is to not have Crown Royal available in the 500 level.
Finally at the end of the 1st he added “I called Lynn Swann, my cousin, and told him we were coming to the game and he offered me his box seats but I said we already had tickets.” OK so you’re going to pass up seats in a heated box, which is probably stocked with Crown Royal and other free booze, to sit out in the cold with the rest of us who pay for overpriced beer and food. Yeah, that makes total sense.
Yesterday during the 2nd quarter this happened
For the next 20 minutes while Ben laid knocked the funk out on the field, we listened to “Ben get up! Ben get up!” “Awww Ben just get up and walk around! Come onnnnnnnnnnn Ben”.
Lynn Swann‘s cousin and his group finally left in the 4th quarter leaving myself and John laughing our asses off. I wish I would have gotten his picture to show you but that was a FAIL.
It was my first game in years and I did have a great time at it. It’s one thing to see the games on TV but there is a completely different experience while at the game. It’s the fans who make it a memorable experience. That and my peanut shells that took flight during gusts of wind. Thanks for a great time John!
Oh check out what I won from some txt message conference.
Here are a few more pics from the game
The picture from our Christmas photo shoot at the Mellon Arena that the Pens held for season ticket holders.
This is our last Christmas holiday without the pitter patter of little feet. Jackson will probably be about 8 months old by this time next year. We spent last night at my brother’s house with his family and my mom. While it’s over 50F in Pittsburgh and no snow on the ground it was still a Christmas atmosphere. We ate, we drank, I rocked the ping pong table and then NHL08 with the boys. I brought over a bottle of Southern Tier Choklat which I think is the greatest chocolate beer ever brewed. You can read my review of it here.
This morning was nice and lazy for Lushie and myself. While watching A Christmas Story for the 4th time this season we opened present and munched on Chex Mix she had made earlier this week. Right now the best present of the holiday is the 1st season of Welcome Back Kotter. Quit laughing, I’m a Kotter junkie
I’d like to take a moment and thank everyone for their support this past year. I became better friends with the Yinz Team gang, found out we’re having a baby boy in the new year, watched my podcast reach many milestones, heard the news of my company announcing it’s shutting down and made new friends through social networking. Life is at an interesting crossroads right now and I thank all of you for making 2008 a fun trip.
May all of you have a joyous holiday season and enjoy fine craft beverages!
cheers!
December is usually the slowest month for me with blogging. Holidays, end of year at work, school finals and some other randomness that gets thrown my way.
random thoughts over the next 10 minutes
- I plan on watching A Christmas Story at least 5 time between tomorrow night and Christmas night.
- Side note to the previous, I once hung out with Flick after a Pirates playoff game. He got in front of me for a foul ball. Told him he sucked in The Toy.
- Finished the winter semester with all A’s so I’m pretty stoked about that.
- Lushie had a doc appointment this morning and reports that Teaspoon is in great shape. Measurements are all on course. When she did try to get a picture for us though he turned his back. 22 weeks and already giving attitude.
- I’m not a fan of Christmas (most holidays in general actually) but Lushie is working on me about it.
- For some reason my business thinks it’s OK to run the AC when it’s 10F outside. The vent for said system is directly above me.
- I’m getting back in touch with a lot of friends from pre-Pittsburgh days thanks to social networking.
- Someone I know still thinks new media and podcasting is a fad. Their kids getting into it now makes it hip and someone won’t stop asking me about it. Time to start making shit up.
- Listening to NIN’s Fixed CD (That would be halo 6 to us fans). It is the bad ass. Yes, you read that correctly. 9:09 minute version of Wish.
- I think my feet are frozen. I just dropped a router on it and nothing. Trying to find Dick Hammer and have him stomp on it.
- HP laptops are not waterproof nor lightsabreproof… just sayin.
- The floor above me is being remodeled and the drilling is above my head. jagoffs
- We’re shopping tonight for Christmas dinner between Lushie and myself. We’ll be feasting like rockstars!
- My hands are cold and I need to nuke leftovers.
- Christmas shopping is done. Time to buy the beverages.
cheers!
(that’s right… it’s Europe)
February 20th is the target for my final date of employment. The day before my 33rd birthday. Kick in the nuts eh? Those of you who follow me on the various social networking sites already know this news but for everyone else this is the official notice. I cracked a joke that the slip I was given wan’t even pink. Apparently there was cost involved in colored paper. Couldn’t even humor me. *sheesh*
I could bitch that it happened right before Christmas but everyone knew the first round was coming. Am I bitter? Not really. I think I’m still in denial. Over these last 10 years my coworkers have become family which is why I always loved working here. I’m going to take the holiday to weigh my options and seriously entertain ideas I’ve had for awhile. Heck, I could take the next year off if I wanted to but I don’t think Lushie would be able to tolerate me after the first 2 weeks. Moving out of the area isn’t out of question now if I can find employment elsewhere. I’d like to stay here but honestly, gotta go where the work is. Lushie said she’ll go wherever as long as there is a plane ticket back in case of emergency.
tomorrow we’re supposed to go to Erie for a quick one day trip but if the roads are bad there is no way I’m taking Lushie and our precious load out in any potential harm. If the job thing wasn’t stressful enough, we now have the holidays and all the lovely family drama that comes with it. (reasons why I’m not fond of the holidays coming soon)
Who am i kidding, I could really go for a week in St Lucia.
Here’s Lushie in front of our tree for this season and our first pic of her preggers with Jackson. She always jokes that there are no pics of my mom preggers with me so we’re going to save Jackson from that torment. Hopefully she’ll let me get a photo galley together and some videos but I wont be pushing my luck.
Oh yeah, the other part of the deal is that she wants Ashley Judd’s head shot so who am I to object. It’s win win for me
I’ve been busy job hunting and working on my final project for school (due next week) that I admit my time for blogging this week was non existent. I was averaging 16 hours a day online so I had to shut down at night. I know, I can’t believe I said it either.
One thing that I’ve learned through this pregnancy is that there is a butt load of money to be made on completely useless crap to unknowing first time parents. Check out the gem pictured above. Lushie and I had to hit Motherhood in Monroeville yesterday to do an exchange. While she was trying on new pants I looked around to see if there was a stocking stuffer I could purchase. That’s when I saw it… The Baby Plus Prenatal Education System.
“The BabyPlus curriculum is a series of 16 naturally derived sounds that resemble a mother’s heartbeat. The rhythm of the sounds increases incrementally as the pregnancy progresses. The BabyPlus sonic pattern introduces your child to a sequential learning process, built upon the natural rhythms of their own environment.”
Are you freaking serious? I think the tag line is even better, Your womb, the perfect classroom. We’re into the headphones on the belly thing (I say that so Jackson can rock out to Pearl Jam) and all that jazz but this is hands down ridiculous. If you own one I want to know why and if it has worked for you. Enlighten me. I think what bugs me is the marketing behind it. Jackson will get the best education we can provide but Jesus give kids a chance to be kids. To say the womb is a classroom makes those obsessive competitive parents get excited more than chugging 5 Red Bulls.
This is an Oprah approved item so there’s a good chance that my mom will bring it up. She’s one of those who thinks the big O shits gold and I’ve already heard “Well Oprah says…” more than enough.
In fact after writing this I think I may either need to start a fatherhood blog or start reading more. Guys, have any suggestions?
If you can’t see that, it reads “This label will biodegrade over time, but this container will not. Next time please consider china and reusable service ware when dining with us.”
A few things about this.
- I never asked for this container. The person working gave it to me. I wasn’t aware of options.
- When I asked a cashier about it she said I could get dining plates and leave them in my kitchen area.
- I don’t have a kitchen area at my job. It was ripped out and my “kitchen” is in the mail room.
- China? in a cafeteria? seriously?
A few people asked me about this video over email so I thought I’d post the link to it. The tribute was made by the funeral home and a nun from his parish.
my parents at my wedding reception in 2005
Here is the post I made last year for my dad. I didn’t feel like reposting but instead think back to the good times. I wish he would be around to see the birth of his grandson in a few months but I know he’s watching us. He was always my number one fan no matter what I did and I think he’d like how things have turned out the last few years. Oh you know he would have been on Should I Drink That by now
His favorite snack was peanut M&M’s and shopping at Lowes so we bought a couple bags to have out in the house (which I’m eating as I type this) and picked up a few things at Lowes that we would normally go to Home Depot for. I wish I could drive to Erie and visit his grave today but they’re getting slammed with a foot of snow. I stopped by last weekend when I dropped my mom off and told him about the kid coming. I had to, that’s how our boy is getting his name.
cheers pops!
I had this ungodly long post recapping my last 10 years here but though you’d be sleeping by the second paragraph. Maybe I’ll post various stories throughout the year. Onward with the brevity version!
10 years ago today I packed up the U-haul and left Erie for the last time and made my way down I-79 in my beat up 84 Cavalier with studded snow tires to a new city and new job. Ironically both of which I’m still at… well for a few more months at least (*HA*). I was 22, making stupid choices and living carefree while drinking Franzia with Griff. Yeah, life was good. Now I’m 32, married, my first child on the way and a responsible adult. OK, I try on that last one at least.
Last weekend my mom asked me, as I was driving her home, if I would ever move back to Erie. There have been times I’ve thought about it but the job scene is non existent for my field of work. The cost of living is hella cheaper than Pittsburgh but what is there for me to do? Work retail again? Yeah idontfreakingthinksobob. I’ve had business ideas for Erie but honestly with the little guy coming in a few months entertaining such an idea is crazy insane. Looking back, moving was the best thing I could have done at that time. Sometimes you need to take time away to see how things really are.
I like the city. No, I LOVE this city. When I was moving in at 22 I was all about living in Oakland, going to the bars and house parties with my girlfriend and playing Frisbee. Now my interests are learning the history of the region, tasting the local cuisine, feeding my addiction to the hockey and involvement in the local craft beer and new/social media scene. Pittsburgh has made me who I am today and for that I’m thankful.
Here are random things I’ve learned over the last 10 years:
- How to speak Pittsburghese and what a “gumband” is.
- Fries and slaw are essential for a sandwich
- Pittsburghers may be blue collar and tough people but once there is moisture in the air they freak the hell out.
- People are terrified of driving over bridges or through tunnels unless it’s for work.
- There are still more mullets per square foot here than anywhere below the Mason Dixon line.
- The whole belt system is to screw with the newbies in the area. If you get lost look for the Cathedral of Learning.
- I think most people cheated on their driver’s exam. See this video for proof
- I can now pronounce and spell Monongahela
- WDVE = WRKT. No wonder Randy made an easy transition.
- Plenty of Erie transplants to joke around with about the snow and yinzer inability to drive in it.
- There is no East Side/West Side rivalry. Instead everyone gets along unless they have to drive on your parkway.
- Fireworks will occur on a random Tuesday because someone has a hinkerin for some BOOM BOOM… in the middle of the day.
- Yinzers tailgate EVERYTHING. No kidding, check out this lady at the hospital!
- Gas is always a couple cents more per gallon down here so please quit asking what the price is. It’s also warmer. We have an invisible wall at I-80
- The reason why we pay $5 Miller Lite whereas Erie pays $1.50 at the bar is due to the fact… people are fools. Seriously, $5 for a Miller Lite? Both of you still drink Corona with a lime so we’ll call it a draw. That’s lame, not fashionable and is worthy of a bitchslap. *sigh* tragic
- Cars randomly catch on fire every morning on any parkway.
- Pittsburgh has traffic reporters with 3D maps. Erie has “Peach street is jammed for a 10 minute wait… back to you.”
- Pittsburgh has more hi-tech weather equipment and reporters to tell you there is a quarter of a half of an eighth of rain on the ground. In Erie all we needed to do was look out the window and see if we need to shovel or get the blower. You got in your car and drove.
- Loyalty. No matter where you go, if you say you’re from Pittsburgh you will always find a friend.
Could I give all of this up? Would I?
I dont think so.
