Monday, January 21, 2008
With A Book Book Here And A Book Book There
Since I was pulling the kids pictures off my new toy I decided to snap a few of the bookshelves that I kept promising. So, following are the pictures. Here are the guesses thus far.
Randy - approx 1,350
Matt - 1,500
Elizabeth - 2,012
Susie - 3,000
So, based on the pictures you can either increase or decrease your vote. Keep in mind that these are only the books in the library. This doesn't count books in the living room, kitchen, dining room, Gage's room, or the bedroom. I haven't factored those into the count. And, if you want to be totally exact, add 2 to whatever number you decide upon to accomodate for the books Tom bought me for Christmas that I haven't shelved yet.
Randy - approx 1,350
Matt - 1,500
Elizabeth - 2,012
Susie - 3,000
So, based on the pictures you can either increase or decrease your vote. Keep in mind that these are only the books in the library. This doesn't count books in the living room, kitchen, dining room, Gage's room, or the bedroom. I haven't factored those into the count. And, if you want to be totally exact, add 2 to whatever number you decide upon to accomodate for the books Tom bought me for Christmas that I haven't shelved yet.
With An Ankle Sprain Here And An Ankle Sprain There...
Let's see, Wednesday night into Thursday there was no sleep to be had. Too much work to be done. So, work on Thursday didn't let up at all and it spilled over into Thursday night as well. By the time Friday morning rolled around, I was working on about 7 or 8 hours of sleep between three days. Finally at around 5:50ish on Friday we put the whitewash on the fence and gave up the ghost. I wanted to go straight home to watch the Pens game, but I needed to run a few quick errands. It was 1-0 Tampa Bay when I went into the store. When I came back out, I couldn't get a score because all people were talking about was the fact that Crosby hadn't returned to the ice. That's when the alarm bells started going off in my head. Crosby + Not on ice = bad stuff. Turns out Mr. Crosby, much like Susie had an ankle sprain. Now Susie didn't pick hers up by crashing into the boards during a hockey game, but I'll be it hurts just as much. So, now two games without him, they are a plus 3 points, but it's gonna be a long haul if he's out for too long. Atlanta is quite upset as well. Sidney is not going to be able to play in the All-Star game. That can mean quite the revenue loss for them down there.
Anyway, Saturday rolled around and that enrolled us in babysitting duty. The Warners had relatives visiting and they were up for a dinner out and visiting the new glass exhibit at Phipps Conservatory. That left Terri and I (since Susie had the aforementioned ankle sprain) with 5 children under the age of 5 to babysit. Ok, technically one of those 5 is really under the age, since he/she is now -5 months old. So that one wasn't going to be too much trouble. Then we had Mary who is just a shade over 4 months old. Next came Andrew who just recently turned 2. Then Gage who will be 4 in a couple of months and finally Katie who just turned 4. Terri and I didn't think it would be too much trouble. Hang out, play for a little while, feed the kids some dinner, put Mary down for a nap, plunk the older kids in front of a movie, then get everyone ready for bed. Ah, well laid plans. Mary decided against the nap, opting instead for an alternating method of crying and eating. It's amazing to me how much you take for granted when a child can articulate their needs and wants. You forget little tell-tale signs of a small child's needs. So, it ended up being one of us with the three older children and the other with Mary. Finally, after 3 bottles and just about every song I had in my head (which is quite a few), I got her into a lulled sleep. The older children weren't really any trouble at all beyond the normal trials and tribulations of kids their age. "I don't want to eat my peas." "I want to finish the whole movie before bed." "I want to wait for mommy and daddy before sleeping." So, I'm fairly certain all involved slept well Saturday night. Except maybe Mary :-) Following are some pictures.
Anyway, Saturday rolled around and that enrolled us in babysitting duty. The Warners had relatives visiting and they were up for a dinner out and visiting the new glass exhibit at Phipps Conservatory. That left Terri and I (since Susie had the aforementioned ankle sprain) with 5 children under the age of 5 to babysit. Ok, technically one of those 5 is really under the age, since he/she is now -5 months old. So that one wasn't going to be too much trouble. Then we had Mary who is just a shade over 4 months old. Next came Andrew who just recently turned 2. Then Gage who will be 4 in a couple of months and finally Katie who just turned 4. Terri and I didn't think it would be too much trouble. Hang out, play for a little while, feed the kids some dinner, put Mary down for a nap, plunk the older kids in front of a movie, then get everyone ready for bed. Ah, well laid plans. Mary decided against the nap, opting instead for an alternating method of crying and eating. It's amazing to me how much you take for granted when a child can articulate their needs and wants. You forget little tell-tale signs of a small child's needs. So, it ended up being one of us with the three older children and the other with Mary. Finally, after 3 bottles and just about every song I had in my head (which is quite a few), I got her into a lulled sleep. The older children weren't really any trouble at all beyond the normal trials and tribulations of kids their age. "I don't want to eat my peas." "I want to finish the whole movie before bed." "I want to wait for mommy and daddy before sleeping." So, I'm fairly certain all involved slept well Saturday night. Except maybe Mary :-) Following are some pictures.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Ah, The Sunrise...Now Where Have I Seen That Before
Ok, yes, I shouldn't be taking a break. I still have more left to do, but with less than 2 hours before I have to be showered and in the car on my way to work in the office, I figured I didn't have time for another movie, so I'd add the ones I'd completed. After breaking the seal with Meet the Robinsons last night, I quickly went through, Pittsburgh with Jeff Goldblum and Ed Begley, Jr. With the exception of maybe (and that's a stretch) Jeff Goldblum, there's not one actual real person in this movie who comes off as even remotely normal. I'm not sure how Jeff talked everyone into this, but it wasn't the greatest. After that, I went for one of those movies that everyone assumes I saw, but I never got around to. Road House It was pretty much what I had expected, maybe even a little more violent. Then I put in Nacho Libre. I was most disappointed in this one. It seemed to me like a bad imitation of Napoleon Dynamite. Right down to the dorky mexican-lite sidekick. Then I just finished up Walk the Line. I certainly wasn't expecting anything from this movie. Being a big Johnny Cash fan there isn't really any way to even come close. I did think that Joaquin and Reese did a passable job. It's just very hard to buy anyone as Johnny who doesn't have that completely low voice full of gravel. Having not seen the movie or really paid much attention as to who was in it, I was surprised to see Robert Patrick as Johnny's daddy Ray. Not because it was bad casting, but because this has been playing on satellite recently and he also plays the father role and they are essentially the same character. Anyway, now I'm up to 5.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
To The Light At The End Of The Tunnel, Please Don't Be A Train
Work should begin to lighten up at the end of this week so if I haven't been as responsive to emails, ims, etc. now you know why. I did want to make sure that I quickly got this post in to say that I finally (after 16 days) managed to see a new movie from start to finish. While I've been sitting here working on the computer, Gage has been watching Meet The Robinsons. It's a typically Disney animated movie. I did really like the surprise cameo. That made me laugh out loud. I don't have a full rating scale like Tom does, but I'd certainly watch this again if the opportunity presented itself.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
He's A Pittsburgh What?
So, since I rarely eat lunch and don't feel the need to be tied to my desk for 9 straight hours, I usually go out walking around the local area on my "lunch" break. I go out with Mark and we make a loop that some people in the office swear has to be a mile and a half. We just walk and talk and occasionally shop. Our last stop prior to returning to the office is the GetGo in the area so that Mark can pick up his 44 oz afternoon drink. We know all the cashiers and they all know us. So, Mark is getting his drink and we're talking with the cashier and a huge Hummer pulls up to the gas pump. Out steps an enormous man. He hobbles into the store and he and the cashier also seem to know each other. She asks him about his knee surgery and he explains that he'll be rehabbing in Arizona starting on Monday because they're the best in the business and he'll be ready for next season. At this point, because I'm not a complete idiot, I've gotten the idea based on money, size, and conversation that this man is a Pittsburgh Steeler. However, you could have given me 15 or so guesses and I still probably would not have realized that I had just met and spoke with Max Starks. In fact, even though I had heard the name, I still wouldn't have been able to pull his name out of a hat. Conversely, years ago when I was pulling time at a local fast-food eatery, I recognized Bryan Trottier instantly as soon as he walked through the door and have the autograph to prove it.
Tomorrow night is our company's holiday party from 2007. So, in the midst of a long week, instead of decompressing after work tomorrow, I'll be headed to socialize with everyone. Not that that's a bad thing, there will be an open bar and good food, but I've noticed recently that I've gotten a lot more selfish with how my time is spent. I want time for me, my family, my extended family, and my friends. Beyond that, I'm careful about what I do and where I go. Maybe it has something to do with the impending new addition, maybe I just want to have 10 minutes at home to get settled in and have visitors. Who knows?
Tomorrow night is our company's holiday party from 2007. So, in the midst of a long week, instead of decompressing after work tomorrow, I'll be headed to socialize with everyone. Not that that's a bad thing, there will be an open bar and good food, but I've noticed recently that I've gotten a lot more selfish with how my time is spent. I want time for me, my family, my extended family, and my friends. Beyond that, I'm careful about what I do and where I go. Maybe it has something to do with the impending new addition, maybe I just want to have 10 minutes at home to get settled in and have visitors. Who knows?
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
One Book Two Book Red Book Blue Book
And yes, I have that one too. Well, I didn't get a chance to snap any pictures yet, but they are forthcoming. Guesses ranging from 1,350 to 3,000 which, whether right or wrong still constitute a nice rounded library.
So, when I was shopping prior to the New Year's holiday, I was a little peeved to see small displays of Valentine's Day candy cropping up here and there. That was small potatoes compared to the ire that I felt when I was out picking up a prescription on Monday and they had an Easter Candy display!?! Easter is still more than 2 months away. I know it's considered early when it happens in March, but that's still quite a ways off. Why do holidays have to bleed into one another. We're barely out of Halloween before Christmas takes over and Valentine's Day is sharing with Easter and I imagine that before the Groundhog pops up to announce 6 more weeks of global warming we'll be seeing July 4th fireworks displays.
I ran across this article today while I was working late for a webcast event. It's an interesting premise. It ties together ideas that most would consider counter-intuitive. Sitting long enough to write out three pages of stream of consciousness writing would match the amount of time for a decent gym workout. Most of the rest is fairly common sensical, which is why it isn't applied more often.
Well, I'll get the pictures posted quickly and allow people to modify guesses, if applicable. Then I'll reveal the number.
So, when I was shopping prior to the New Year's holiday, I was a little peeved to see small displays of Valentine's Day candy cropping up here and there. That was small potatoes compared to the ire that I felt when I was out picking up a prescription on Monday and they had an Easter Candy display!?! Easter is still more than 2 months away. I know it's considered early when it happens in March, but that's still quite a ways off. Why do holidays have to bleed into one another. We're barely out of Halloween before Christmas takes over and Valentine's Day is sharing with Easter and I imagine that before the Groundhog pops up to announce 6 more weeks of global warming we'll be seeing July 4th fireworks displays.
I ran across this article today while I was working late for a webcast event. It's an interesting premise. It ties together ideas that most would consider counter-intuitive. Sitting long enough to write out three pages of stream of consciousness writing would match the amount of time for a decent gym workout. Most of the rest is fairly common sensical, which is why it isn't applied more often.
Well, I'll get the pictures posted quickly and allow people to modify guesses, if applicable. Then I'll reveal the number.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
"It Was Firm, It Was Adamant, It Was Resolved."
Well, I guess it's fairly fitting that it's a movie quote to start off the post about resolutions since that will play a part in one of them. I guess I'll just list and exposit as I go.
So, looking back at posts from 2007, I never really set forth an actual list, I was just trying to clear up the list from 2006. This year, I do have an actual list, I guess.
1. Get the new house in shape for both family and baby.
2. Drop another 30 or so lbs. and put a little definition back into the old (and getting older) body.
3. The 5/15/150 prospective.
4. Slowly carve out more time for each family memeber and their pursuits.
5. Try and remember that both children will be unique and a little over 4 years in age difference.
Number one is fairly self-explanatory. We just recently moved and in the midst of packing and moving, found out we were expecting. So, the room in the house where we moved all the extraneous things into is slated to be the nursery. It hasn't quite recovered yet and there are still things strewn about the house. It's slowly taking shape, but it will have to happen a lot quicker to accomodate a late June/early July delivery.
Number two should also be self-explanatory. I've been slowly climbing down back toward the number I have in my head and looking back over the past couple years, I've realized that I've gone down about 10 lbs. each the past two years so it's no longer 50 lbs., but 30. And, though I never had a six-pack set of abs, I'd like to be able to distinguish where the muscles are and my legs, which were, at one time, the body part that was most in shape, are now beginning to lose the tone that they used to have.
Number three deals with my healthy obsession with pop culture. The 150 represents the number of "new" movies that I'd like to view this year. I half-heartedly started this last year, but will be pursuing it a little more firmly this year. Movies only count if I haven't seen them before. That can be a first run release such as Sweeney Todd, National Treasure 2, or the Bucket List or it can be a movie that I wanted to catch, but didn't make the theater such as Waitress, Rush Hour 3, and Eastern Promises. The 15 represents the number of novels that I'd like to read this year. I didn't even come close last year and that was with re-reading 1-6 of the Potter series and adding the 7th. I have several books that I'd like to slot in, but this is the year that I'd like to read all 7 of the Dark Tower series. I'm severely lagging behind in that regard. Ten years ago, I'd be reading the book as I was walking out of the bookstore buying it, but time is hard to come by these days. The 5 is just a little qualifier I recently added after talking to Tom. Tom would have made it through the 150 movies if he could have counted television shows on dvd. So, the 5 is added to accomodate series television on dvd. With what I already own, but haven't seen, I can get almost 40% of the way there on the movies and have enough for the next 7 years tv-wise. As for the 15 novels, I'll talk about that further at the end of this post.
Number 4 is kind of an all overall goal that will only be accomplished by all of us kind of working in tandem. In order for Terri to have time to scrapbook or read or for me to watch movies or build puzzles or write or Gage to learn how to skate or learn how to read, we'll have to keep up with everything else going on in our lives. Cleaning and maintaining the household, looking after the new little one, making sure work doesn't intrude at home, and not falling into the rut of excuses will be main contributing factors toward realizing this goal.
Number 5 is my own personal goal to realize that Gage has been, what I consider to be, the model child in many ways. Yes, I'd love for him to not have my sleep habits, but that can't be helped. This new little one, be it boy or girl, may or may not follow the same paths, but regardless, they will be unconditionally loved and I just need not to project either my own visions of progress or measure against Gage's progress during the formative months and years that lay ahead.
So, there's 2008 in a very ambitious nutshell. And, being almost one week into it and not having even slivered off any of it, well...there's 51 more to go.
Now, as for the 15 novels. When we were moving, Susie seemed appalled at the number of books and said I should count them as I was getting them organized and put away. Well, I have that number. And, for the comments section, I'd like to see guesses on how many books the readers of my blog think I might have. I'll reveal the answer after I see how close or far some of the guesses are. Again, I hope your 2008 is happy, healthy, and productive.
So, looking back at posts from 2007, I never really set forth an actual list, I was just trying to clear up the list from 2006. This year, I do have an actual list, I guess.
1. Get the new house in shape for both family and baby.
2. Drop another 30 or so lbs. and put a little definition back into the old (and getting older) body.
3. The 5/15/150 prospective.
4. Slowly carve out more time for each family memeber and their pursuits.
5. Try and remember that both children will be unique and a little over 4 years in age difference.
Number one is fairly self-explanatory. We just recently moved and in the midst of packing and moving, found out we were expecting. So, the room in the house where we moved all the extraneous things into is slated to be the nursery. It hasn't quite recovered yet and there are still things strewn about the house. It's slowly taking shape, but it will have to happen a lot quicker to accomodate a late June/early July delivery.
Number two should also be self-explanatory. I've been slowly climbing down back toward the number I have in my head and looking back over the past couple years, I've realized that I've gone down about 10 lbs. each the past two years so it's no longer 50 lbs., but 30. And, though I never had a six-pack set of abs, I'd like to be able to distinguish where the muscles are and my legs, which were, at one time, the body part that was most in shape, are now beginning to lose the tone that they used to have.
Number three deals with my healthy obsession with pop culture. The 150 represents the number of "new" movies that I'd like to view this year. I half-heartedly started this last year, but will be pursuing it a little more firmly this year. Movies only count if I haven't seen them before. That can be a first run release such as Sweeney Todd, National Treasure 2, or the Bucket List or it can be a movie that I wanted to catch, but didn't make the theater such as Waitress, Rush Hour 3, and Eastern Promises. The 15 represents the number of novels that I'd like to read this year. I didn't even come close last year and that was with re-reading 1-6 of the Potter series and adding the 7th. I have several books that I'd like to slot in, but this is the year that I'd like to read all 7 of the Dark Tower series. I'm severely lagging behind in that regard. Ten years ago, I'd be reading the book as I was walking out of the bookstore buying it, but time is hard to come by these days. The 5 is just a little qualifier I recently added after talking to Tom. Tom would have made it through the 150 movies if he could have counted television shows on dvd. So, the 5 is added to accomodate series television on dvd. With what I already own, but haven't seen, I can get almost 40% of the way there on the movies and have enough for the next 7 years tv-wise. As for the 15 novels, I'll talk about that further at the end of this post.
Number 4 is kind of an all overall goal that will only be accomplished by all of us kind of working in tandem. In order for Terri to have time to scrapbook or read or for me to watch movies or build puzzles or write or Gage to learn how to skate or learn how to read, we'll have to keep up with everything else going on in our lives. Cleaning and maintaining the household, looking after the new little one, making sure work doesn't intrude at home, and not falling into the rut of excuses will be main contributing factors toward realizing this goal.
Number 5 is my own personal goal to realize that Gage has been, what I consider to be, the model child in many ways. Yes, I'd love for him to not have my sleep habits, but that can't be helped. This new little one, be it boy or girl, may or may not follow the same paths, but regardless, they will be unconditionally loved and I just need not to project either my own visions of progress or measure against Gage's progress during the formative months and years that lay ahead.
So, there's 2008 in a very ambitious nutshell. And, being almost one week into it and not having even slivered off any of it, well...there's 51 more to go.
Now, as for the 15 novels. When we were moving, Susie seemed appalled at the number of books and said I should count them as I was getting them organized and put away. Well, I have that number. And, for the comments section, I'd like to see guesses on how many books the readers of my blog think I might have. I'll reveal the answer after I see how close or far some of the guesses are. Again, I hope your 2008 is happy, healthy, and productive.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
What Were You Doing In Canada?
Well, we made it back from the great white north. The game was, in a word, awesome. The spectacle was all they made it out to be. I'll give a quick travelogue and save the resolution post for tomorrow, I guess.
Monday - Terri went down to her parents to drop off the little man and I headed to work for a half-day. I quickly ran around trying to accomplish everything I needed to have done before leaving and then just as quickly headed back to the house. I hurriedly packed (since I had procrastinated the night before). We got on the road and after an ill-advised stop at the local Barnes and Noble we headed up toward Canadia land. After stopping for dinner and a restroom break or three we arrived at the hotel. We checked in, got to the room, and realized we didn't get what we asked for. Instead of a queen sized bed, we were confronted with two double beds. Annoying. So, I went back to the front desk and asked the woman why I didn't get what I had reserved. Some excuses later and I gave up and hauled in the rest of the luggage. Then I booted up the computer and pulled up the available rooms at the hotel and then called customer service. They looked at the records and found out that I had guaranteed my room with my credit card and absolutely should have gotten what I asked for and had a print out of. So, they said I had three options. Option 1: If the hotel couldn't accomodate me correctly, I could find another hotel in the area and the stay would be on them. Hmmm, tempting but I'm in another country, no clue what's nearby, it's New Year's Eve, and 73,000 people are fluxing in for a hockey game. Not really an option I guess. Option 2: They could see what the hotel could do for me and if that was acceptable it would be finished. Option 3: If it wasn't acceptable, they would file a complaint for me and the service department would review and do something retroactively. I chose option 2. The front desk came back with 10% off the room which was ok. It wasn't dire. Just an annoyance. We could either sleep separately or very very close together. The customer service gentlemen, by the name of Philipe, decided he was going to file a complaint anyway. 1/2 hour later the front desk gave us a student travel rate and basically we ended up with about a free night out of the deal. After all this we opted not to venture out to either the Buffalo celebration or the celebration at the Falls, or the casino celebration. So, I watched Canadia land television (which, by law, incorporated part of Strange Brew) and then we found Dick Clark's rockin' Eve which was done in a split screen with the Buffalo celebration and ball drop. I found out that Buffalo has the second largest ball drop in the United States. Apparently about 40,000 people were there. Terri was asleep by 12:05. I watched some more hockey highlights (which was about the only thing Canadian television was good for) and then went to sleep.
Tuesday - We got up, showered, and got on the road by about 10:15 or so. We got to the border and were singled out and examined both front and back. The question that puzzled us the most in the string of questions was the fourth one. 1. What country are you citizens of? Um, United States. 2. Where do you live? Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3. Why are you traveling here? We're in town for the Winter Classic hockey game. 4. What were you doing in Canada? Um, sleeping? 5. How do you know each other? We're married. 6. Whose car is this? Terri's. Fine, go ahead. I would have thought the fact that we were in town for the game had pretty much answered what we were doing in Canada. After making it through Customs we followed the directions and got within two miles of the stadium and stopped for lunch. We got back on the road quickly, but ended up in a ton of traffic. We sat in traffic for over an hour and were just waiting to park anywhere. A gas station one block from the stadium was waving people in and just before we got there they paused. Then the guy held up his hand for 1 more. We slid in, parked, and basically sprinted to the stadium. We got through security and luckily had walked in the gate right next to our section. We found our seats and were enthralled by the show the NHL put on. I have to give Buffalo credit, they were great hosts. Yes, we had to endure all the chants and horn blasts of "Let's Go Buffalo" and the booing of Sidney Crosby, but the rink was great. Inexplicably they sang "O Canada" and "God Bless America" and then had a Blackhawk helicopter formation fly-over. I'll direct you here for pictures since my camera decided to erase mine (more on that later). The Pens fans were present and even managed to get a sustained chant of "Let's Go Pens" going a couple of times. The weather was great and I'm told the game was excellently translated to the television but I haven't gotten my copy from Tom yet since he won't be in town til the weekend. So, I'll be excited to see the game from the television prospective. Just an aside, I loved the AMP commercial with ex-Pens goalie J. S. Aubin. It's nice to see he's still freezing in clutch situations. I won't rehash the whole game since you can pretty much hit any sports site and get the highlights. But, you have to wonder who Gary Bettman paid off to get a 1-1 tie, sudden death overtime, and a shoot-out that's won by your league's most valuable player. During the overtime I pulled the camera out one last time to get some player pictures. Then I hear the bing of the camera, look down and see it blinking "Disc Error." I put the camera away and finish watching the game. You can click on Section 143 at this site to see the vantage point from our seats. It's taken from row 10 and we were in row 12 so it's close. After the game we headed out to find a souvenir for Gage. We decided on a mini-stick since we knew he'd love that based on Tom's gift from the Phoenix game he attended. Stand 1, sold out. Stand 2, sold out. Stand 3 outside of stadium, sold out. Stand 4, sold out. So, we gave up and headed back to the car. Then we saw one last stand. We walked over and there they were. So, we started making our way to the front. Just as Terri got there the last one got sold. Thankfully she didn't move since they had more on the side that we didn't see right away. So, Gage got his mini-stick and loved it. We got back to the car and ordered sandwiches from the Subway inside the gas station where we parked. Then we asked the attendant for better directions and avoided 80% of the traffic and got back to the hotel pretty quickly. After a quick trip out scouting for snacks we were watching more Canadia land television which included a ton of highlights and clips from the game. I won't get tired of watching Crosby go five-hole on Miller. We turned the camera back on and it said, "Repairing Disc" for about 20 minutes. Then when it was finished we looked at the pictures and the last one shown was taken at our house on Christmas morning. So, all the pictures of my family's Christmas and everything taken leading up to the Winter Classic and all the pics at the Winter Classic are currently gone. I'll see about recovery, but I don't hold my breath. I even had a picture of the two retards that didn't understand the concept of sitting down to watch the game. I imagine it would look something like this.
Wednesday - not much to report. Got up, had breakfast, packed and got in the car. We explored the duty free shop for a little while and I'm curious as to why, if you can only bring about 1 litre back per person all the specials were for 3 mix and match litres on most sales. Other than the sales, I wasn't impressed with the prices there. They weren't all that cheap in my opinion. We stopped for a late lunch in Erie and went to a sports shop and came close to buying a pair of skates for Gage. The salesman recommended getting them fitted, though so we'll have to find a place around here. I'd also like to find a used sports store like Play it Again Sports to pick up a pair for me. We finally got to the in-laws, picked up Gage and then headed out to run some errands making it home fairly late.
So, there's the travelogue. I'm sure there's more detail, but that should suffice. Resolutions and such to follow. Hope everyone's New Years was fun and fulfilling.
Monday - Terri went down to her parents to drop off the little man and I headed to work for a half-day. I quickly ran around trying to accomplish everything I needed to have done before leaving and then just as quickly headed back to the house. I hurriedly packed (since I had procrastinated the night before). We got on the road and after an ill-advised stop at the local Barnes and Noble we headed up toward Canadia land. After stopping for dinner and a restroom break or three we arrived at the hotel. We checked in, got to the room, and realized we didn't get what we asked for. Instead of a queen sized bed, we were confronted with two double beds. Annoying. So, I went back to the front desk and asked the woman why I didn't get what I had reserved. Some excuses later and I gave up and hauled in the rest of the luggage. Then I booted up the computer and pulled up the available rooms at the hotel and then called customer service. They looked at the records and found out that I had guaranteed my room with my credit card and absolutely should have gotten what I asked for and had a print out of. So, they said I had three options. Option 1: If the hotel couldn't accomodate me correctly, I could find another hotel in the area and the stay would be on them. Hmmm, tempting but I'm in another country, no clue what's nearby, it's New Year's Eve, and 73,000 people are fluxing in for a hockey game. Not really an option I guess. Option 2: They could see what the hotel could do for me and if that was acceptable it would be finished. Option 3: If it wasn't acceptable, they would file a complaint for me and the service department would review and do something retroactively. I chose option 2. The front desk came back with 10% off the room which was ok. It wasn't dire. Just an annoyance. We could either sleep separately or very very close together. The customer service gentlemen, by the name of Philipe, decided he was going to file a complaint anyway. 1/2 hour later the front desk gave us a student travel rate and basically we ended up with about a free night out of the deal. After all this we opted not to venture out to either the Buffalo celebration or the celebration at the Falls, or the casino celebration. So, I watched Canadia land television (which, by law, incorporated part of Strange Brew) and then we found Dick Clark's rockin' Eve which was done in a split screen with the Buffalo celebration and ball drop. I found out that Buffalo has the second largest ball drop in the United States. Apparently about 40,000 people were there. Terri was asleep by 12:05. I watched some more hockey highlights (which was about the only thing Canadian television was good for) and then went to sleep.
Tuesday - We got up, showered, and got on the road by about 10:15 or so. We got to the border and were singled out and examined both front and back. The question that puzzled us the most in the string of questions was the fourth one. 1. What country are you citizens of? Um, United States. 2. Where do you live? Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 3. Why are you traveling here? We're in town for the Winter Classic hockey game. 4. What were you doing in Canada? Um, sleeping? 5. How do you know each other? We're married. 6. Whose car is this? Terri's. Fine, go ahead. I would have thought the fact that we were in town for the game had pretty much answered what we were doing in Canada. After making it through Customs we followed the directions and got within two miles of the stadium and stopped for lunch. We got back on the road quickly, but ended up in a ton of traffic. We sat in traffic for over an hour and were just waiting to park anywhere. A gas station one block from the stadium was waving people in and just before we got there they paused. Then the guy held up his hand for 1 more. We slid in, parked, and basically sprinted to the stadium. We got through security and luckily had walked in the gate right next to our section. We found our seats and were enthralled by the show the NHL put on. I have to give Buffalo credit, they were great hosts. Yes, we had to endure all the chants and horn blasts of "Let's Go Buffalo" and the booing of Sidney Crosby, but the rink was great. Inexplicably they sang "O Canada" and "God Bless America" and then had a Blackhawk helicopter formation fly-over. I'll direct you here for pictures since my camera decided to erase mine (more on that later). The Pens fans were present and even managed to get a sustained chant of "Let's Go Pens" going a couple of times. The weather was great and I'm told the game was excellently translated to the television but I haven't gotten my copy from Tom yet since he won't be in town til the weekend. So, I'll be excited to see the game from the television prospective. Just an aside, I loved the AMP commercial with ex-Pens goalie J. S. Aubin. It's nice to see he's still freezing in clutch situations. I won't rehash the whole game since you can pretty much hit any sports site and get the highlights. But, you have to wonder who Gary Bettman paid off to get a 1-1 tie, sudden death overtime, and a shoot-out that's won by your league's most valuable player. During the overtime I pulled the camera out one last time to get some player pictures. Then I hear the bing of the camera, look down and see it blinking "Disc Error." I put the camera away and finish watching the game. You can click on Section 143 at this site to see the vantage point from our seats. It's taken from row 10 and we were in row 12 so it's close. After the game we headed out to find a souvenir for Gage. We decided on a mini-stick since we knew he'd love that based on Tom's gift from the Phoenix game he attended. Stand 1, sold out. Stand 2, sold out. Stand 3 outside of stadium, sold out. Stand 4, sold out. So, we gave up and headed back to the car. Then we saw one last stand. We walked over and there they were. So, we started making our way to the front. Just as Terri got there the last one got sold. Thankfully she didn't move since they had more on the side that we didn't see right away. So, Gage got his mini-stick and loved it. We got back to the car and ordered sandwiches from the Subway inside the gas station where we parked. Then we asked the attendant for better directions and avoided 80% of the traffic and got back to the hotel pretty quickly. After a quick trip out scouting for snacks we were watching more Canadia land television which included a ton of highlights and clips from the game. I won't get tired of watching Crosby go five-hole on Miller. We turned the camera back on and it said, "Repairing Disc" for about 20 minutes. Then when it was finished we looked at the pictures and the last one shown was taken at our house on Christmas morning. So, all the pictures of my family's Christmas and everything taken leading up to the Winter Classic and all the pics at the Winter Classic are currently gone. I'll see about recovery, but I don't hold my breath. I even had a picture of the two retards that didn't understand the concept of sitting down to watch the game. I imagine it would look something like this.
Wednesday - not much to report. Got up, had breakfast, packed and got in the car. We explored the duty free shop for a little while and I'm curious as to why, if you can only bring about 1 litre back per person all the specials were for 3 mix and match litres on most sales. Other than the sales, I wasn't impressed with the prices there. They weren't all that cheap in my opinion. We stopped for a late lunch in Erie and went to a sports shop and came close to buying a pair of skates for Gage. The salesman recommended getting them fitted, though so we'll have to find a place around here. I'd also like to find a used sports store like Play it Again Sports to pick up a pair for me. We finally got to the in-laws, picked up Gage and then headed out to run some errands making it home fairly late.
So, there's the travelogue. I'm sure there's more detail, but that should suffice. Resolutions and such to follow. Hope everyone's New Years was fun and fulfilling.
