Help me understand

I have a question for all you people who feel the need to treat those you deem beneath you like crap. Just what do you get out of being rude and condescending to people working to make an honest living? Seriously. Where's the fun in that?

Case in point - my visit to Big Y tonight. I can honestly say that almost every time I'm in this particular store, I witness some snotty person (male or female) being obnoxious to one of the store's employees. Tonight, it was two biznotches at the deli. The first one, dripping in tons of tacky gold jewelry, looking like she hasn't worked a day in her life, felt the need to give the young man waiting on her a hard time about everything. "Show me the way you're slicing the cheese." "Show me the Italian roast beef." "Throw away the first slice". All said in the most demeaning tone you can imagine. Then, the second one, in her fancy dark-washed Levi's denim shorts and hair out to here. She asked for something - I couldn't hear what - but apparently they were out of the brand she asked for. The young girl waiting on her apologized, and offered her another brand. She huffed and puffed, but agreed. The girl went to open a new package for her, and for God knows what reason, this lady barks out "Forget it. I don't want it." And storms off... The young girl just stood there dazed for a minute.

I reeeeeeally wanted to follow both of these women and get up in their faces to find out what exactly they got out of being so rotten. I mean, you've gotta have some serious issues to take pleasure in harassing high school students working in the grocery store for minimum wage.

Here's the craziest part. You've never seen a nicer group of people than the employees in this store. There's actually a bell near the exit that you can ring if you've received good service. I've felt compelled to ring this bell on my way out on more than one occasion - that's how nice they are. It's a wonder they're still nice with the way they get treated.

OK, end of rant. I'm coming down off my soapbox.

On a completely unrelated note - is it just me, or is Hoosiers one of the best movies of all time? It's on right now, so I must go pay attention. Gotta cheer on the boys from Hickory.

Two cousins turning two

Matthew has two cousins, James and Noah, who were both born on the same day - June 28, 2006. Since James lives out in Nevada, we weren't able to celebrate his birthday with him, but we were able to celebrate Noah's with him today.

The party was a baseball theme, and the weather held out for most of the day - a perfect day for a game. Lisa and Todd, Noah's parents, did a fantastic job decking out the house and yard in Red Sox paraphernalia, complete with a "Yankees Suck" t-shirt. Nice touch, guys!

Here are a few shots from the festivities....

The birthday boy....



...and his brothers....


Tasty treats...


Fun for the kids (the big ones, too!)


Little Sox fan...


Kissing cousins...


On the way out, with Matthew already asleep in the truck, we realized something....



We forgot to pay for parking! Oops!

Thanks for a fun day, Lisa and Todd. You guys throw a mean birthday party!

Goodbye Galley

Today we had breakfast for the very last time at one of our favorite places. It's called The Galley Restaurant, and after 34 years in business, it's closing its doors. Bob, the owner, is moving to Florida, for a well-deserved break. I don't think there's ever been a time we stopped in and he wasn't working behind the counter. We brought Matthew in last weekend for the first time, and when we mentioned to Bob that it was his first visit, he said "And his last....". At first, we didn't know what he meant, so we said "Nahhhh....he'll be back". As we ate our breakfast, we overheard him telling another customer about his plans to head to Florida. On the way out, we noticed a huge sign in the front window saying they'd be closing on June 30th.

It was one of those places...you know...the ones that look kinda scary from the outside.



But, oh, what a little gem. Those who saw past the outdated exterior (and interior, for that matter) were treated to a great meal, cooked fresh to order while you watched, without dropping too many pennies. You would grab a tray, cafeteria style, and slide it on down to place your order with the cook (usually Bob). Two #8's for us - two eggs (over medium), corned beef hash, toast, homefries, and tea (which you fixed for yourself as you moved down the line). Sometimes, like today, we'd add a homemade muffin - really more like a mini loaf of bread - which Bob would split in half lengthwise, butter, and slap on the grill. You'd grab some silverware, napkins off the roll, and a squeeze bottle of ketchup. You'd be handed your plates, and slide on down to the register to pay.

More often than not, Bob would be a one man show - cooking, making coffee, restocking supplies from the fridge, getting fountain drinks, and cashing you out - all the while getting caught up on how you've been and who you've seen since the last time you were in. Amazing he's lasted 34 years - he works his tail off.

Goodbye, Bob, and best of luck to you. We'll miss you and The Galley.

And now, we begin our search for a new old breakfast spot....

I must find these....

Not much happening around here this past week. Matthew has had a cold, with a stuffy nose and a sad little cough. On Thursday evening, he developed a low grade fever, which we were able to keep under control with Tylenol. I stayed home with him on Friday since he can't go to school until he's been fever-free for 24 hours. He really wasn't himself - not terribly interested in eating, although once he'd eat, he'd liven up a bit. He had a tough time sleeping, so we ended up bringing him into bed with us halfway through the night for a couple of nights. Yesterday morning, we woke up around 6:30 and he was really warm - 102.4 degrees taken temporally, 101.6 taken ... ahem ... elsewhere. Oh yeah, he loves that. We called the doctor, and they asked us to bring him in. Fortunately, no ear infection or anything like that - just some sort of viral fever to keep on an eye on. The fever dropped off last night, and he slept much better. Today, he was back to his usual self, so we ventured out.

After doing some shopping, we hit La Friendly's for lunch. My burger came with a free Happy Ending sundae. God forbid I just say "No thank you". Nope - I ordered one. Since Dennis wasn't getting any ice cream, the waitress brought us two spoons. Now, those of you who know me know that I just can't eat ice cream with a teaspoon. I need a sundae spoon, or an iced tea spoon - something long. I asked the waitress if she could bring me one, and she obliged. She explained they didn't have any medium spoons available, so this is what she brought...



Have you ever seen such a long spoon? It was at least 10 inches long! Where has this been all my life? I reeeeeeeally wanted to slip the one she brought for Dennis into my purse. Who would have noticed? But, alas, my husband wouldn't let me. I told him I was going to ask the waitress if I could buy one, but that wasn't gonna fly either. Damn it! He told me I could surely find one online. Well, I've tried...but so far, no luck. Can you believe I can't find something online? I can find anything online. If you happen to see one of these in your travels, could you grab it for me? Cost is no object. I'll even help you out if you decide to pocket one. I know a really good lawyer.....

Happy Father's Day!

To my wonderful husband

The love of my life, my best friend,
and the most amazing father

Happy First Father's Day!

We love you!

So very sad

Sad day today. Our favorite journalist, NBC's Washington Bureau Chief Tim Russert, died of a heart attack today at the age of 58. How sad that a devoted family man in the prime of his life is here one minute, and gone the next. How poetically unjust that this extraordinary political analyst will miss out on the rest of such a historic year in politics.

I can't explain my reaction when Dennis called me this afternoon and said "Did you hear Tim Russert died?" For a minute, I thought I must have heard him wrong. But unfortunately, I did not. I instantly felt like I'd been punched in the gut; like I'd just been told a close friend had died.

How is it that you can feel such sadness at the loss of someone you never even met? Someone you knew only through your television? Strange to feel such strong emotions without ever having had any kind of personal connection. I can't yet comprehend that when we watch Meet the Press this Sunday, there will be no Tim Russert.

Kudos to NBC for dedicating the entire Nightly News broadcast tonight to remembering him. We DVR'd the show, and I doubt we'll ever erase it. They'll also air a special tonight at 10:00 p.m., covering highlights from his career. Can't wait to watch it.

Gettin' saucy!

My Pixie must have read my blog. Here's today - same temperature, livelier swimsuit....

It's not the heat, it's the humidity

After days of technical difficulties, the Weather Pixie has finally returned. For those of you living outside of New England, you may not know that we've been having a heat wave here in the Northeast. It's been crazy hot, especially for early June. As a result, my Weather Pixie has donned an outfit unlike any she's worn since I first added her to my blog. Check her out....


Now, here is my sister's Weather Pixie from today.

Take note of the temperature. Same as mine, no? Same full sun, right? So, what's with the outfit? I really expected to see them wearing similar clothes. I mean, 95 degrees is 95 degrees. Apparently, Pixie is bothered by the humidity, which I'll acknowledge is slightly higher here.

That's it, Pixie. Your outfit's just a little too boring. I'm gonna need to find myself a Pixie who's got a little more going on.

Will you accept this rose?

As my husband knows all too well, I am a reality TV junkie. I know I'm probably dumber for every minute I spend watching such inane drivel, but I can't help myself. At least I balance it out by watching hours and hours of political shows - This Week, Meet the Press, Chris Mathews Show, Hardball, etc., etc., so my brain doesn't completely atrophy.

One of my favorites is The Bachelor (and the corresponding The Bachelorette). I don't know what it is, but I just LOVE watching this show. I love watching 25 women (or men) vie for the attention of the star of the show. I love watching as they go from being friends and trying to get along with each other to stabbing each other in the back at every opportunity. I love picking out who I think will be the winner in the very first episode (my talent for this is uncanny, BTW!), and then watching all the others get eliminated week after week. I know - it's sick...

Early on, Dennis shared my fascination with this show, but now with The Bachelor in its 11th season and The Bachelorette in its 4th, he's understandably grown tired of it. I now DVR the episodes as they air and watch them when he's not home.

Well, Hon, be happy that you're away this weekend. VH1 has been running a marathon of these shows, and I've been glued to them! I'm watching Byron about to propose to Mary right now. Remember Mary? She was one of our favorites! According to this, they're getting married some time this year.

Well, the marathon is over for today. And now, Pulp Fiction is on. Talk about shifting gears. It's going to be a late night.....I'm suddenly craving a Royale with Cheese.

Miss you, Babe.

This is happening too fast for me

OK, who took my baby and replaced him with this little boy????

Chatty Matty

Does it get any better than this??