Not that it's winter...I think it's like 60 degrees here today.
Last night's dinner:
Taco Soup
2 lbs Ground Beef
1 chopped Onion
2-14oz cans diced Tomatoes
1 can Rotell
1 can Corn
1 can Pinto beans
1 can Small Red Beans
1 pouch Taco Seasoning
3 cans Beef Broth
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
1 small jar chopped Jalapenos (optional)
Brown ground beef and onion; drain. Add all other ingredients. Simmer for 30 minutes or more. Sprinkle each bowl with shredded cheese (I used Mexican 4-cheese) and add a small dollop of sour cream.
We were starving by the time 30 minutes had passed, so I served up our bowls and let the rest simmer through dinner and clean-up. Dave liked it so much that he had me invite Matt and Jenna over for dinner tonight so he could have it again. That's 2 dinners last night, 4 dinners tonight, and I expect to have enough left for two or three lunches.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
...How It's Going to End
Well, after six years of Halloween Havoc, it has finally come to an end. We held the party once again this year, but due to our impending move, as well as certain people's behavior, this has definitely been the last one.
The best part of the party was that we took a small amount of our wedding gift money and bought Rich a plane ticket to fly up from Tulsa, OK. We picked him up at the airport on Friday, and he was able to spend the whole weekend with us!
As far as the party itself, I can only really remember the bad parts. Turtle** destroyed Ira's costume, nearly started a fight with a bunch of our friends, and completely trashed our downstairs bathroom, including throwing up in the bathtub (really fun to clean up!) and breaking the shower door handle. Ira sideswiped Rooster's** car on his way out of the driveway. Two groups of people almost got into a fight because someone apparently yelled racial slurs at one of our friends. I finally had to tell the last people to leave, friends of friends that I had never met before, because two of them busted into the guestroom intent on having sex in what was Rich's bed for the weekend. The worst part was that someone stole Dave's iPod, completely disrespecting us and our hospitality.
Every year, the party got a little bit more out of hand, but at least everyone got along and maintained a certain level of respect for our property, as their hosts. It's sad that the people I remember as being the worst behaved were some of my closest friends.
**Gotta love our friends' nicknames!
The best part of the party was that we took a small amount of our wedding gift money and bought Rich a plane ticket to fly up from Tulsa, OK. We picked him up at the airport on Friday, and he was able to spend the whole weekend with us!
As far as the party itself, I can only really remember the bad parts. Turtle** destroyed Ira's costume, nearly started a fight with a bunch of our friends, and completely trashed our downstairs bathroom, including throwing up in the bathtub (really fun to clean up!) and breaking the shower door handle. Ira sideswiped Rooster's** car on his way out of the driveway. Two groups of people almost got into a fight because someone apparently yelled racial slurs at one of our friends. I finally had to tell the last people to leave, friends of friends that I had never met before, because two of them busted into the guestroom intent on having sex in what was Rich's bed for the weekend. The worst part was that someone stole Dave's iPod, completely disrespecting us and our hospitality.
Every year, the party got a little bit more out of hand, but at least everyone got along and maintained a certain level of respect for our property, as their hosts. It's sad that the people I remember as being the worst behaved were some of my closest friends.
**Gotta love our friends' nicknames!
Sunday, November 9, 2008
...Never Enough...
On Thursday, 23 October, Matt, Jenna, Tommy and I headed over to the Fillmore at Irving Plaza in NYC for Bury Your Dead, In This Moment, and Five Finger Death Punch. Haha, gotta love the names of the bands we see! Jenna picked this show, and the rest of us didn't really know the bands very well. Only Matt had ever been to the Filmore before, so between the unknown bands and the unfamiliar venue, we had no idea what we were getting into.
Jenna decided to drive, so after work Tommy drove to her house, then they picked me up at my house, and we all went up to Matt's job to pick him up. From there, we hopped on the Palisades Parkway and headed for the city. We hit traffic at the toll for the George Washington Bridge, as always. There was a dog in the car next to us, so Tommy started barking at it, and got the dog barking, too. Then, we heard another dog answering from our other side. The two dogs just kept going until finally the one next to us got yelled at by his owner. We all felt bad for getting him in trouble, haha.
We finally crossed the George Washington Bridge and headed down the West Side Highway. We all were a little confused with the directions, but finally found the place, and managed to find a parking garage right around the corner.
The Fillmore was built in 1914, and has existed as a ballroom, nightclub, boxing venue, Polish dance hall, veterans' club, and who knows what else. There is a bar and lounge area on the first floor, along with the restrooms, but the main venue is on the second floor. A stage dominates one end, with a bar along the opposite wall, and a large open area in between. Up another set of stairs is another bar with lounge area, and a balcony that overlooks the second floor. Overall, the Fillmore feels small and intimate, but not cramped. We had no problem moving through the crowd, and there were many great vantage points.
We arrived just as Bury Your Dead was taking the stage. I had never heard of the band, but they were high energy and engaging, and we liked them before they even played a note. The music was heavy, the vocals were screaming, but mostly understandable. The lead singer climbed speakers and stood on high platforms, playing for the balcony crowd as well as the main floor.
In This Moment was a little disappointing. They are Jenna's favorite band, and while they were tight, I found the lead singer a bit whiny. This wasn't very surprising, as I believe that's the main reason why there aren't many female metal singers out there. Matt and Jenna moved up front, but Tommy and I hung out in the back.
Finally, Five Finger Death Punch came on. The crowd went berserk, and the entire floor became a gigantic circle pit. We were able to stay right on the edge of it and have a clear view of the stage without getting hit by anyone. At one point, two friends in front of us got into an argument, and the one guy threw his friend right into the pit, where he immediately got clobbered. Five Finger was excellent, heavy and deep, growling at us. We all really enjoyed the show, and definitely wanted more when it was over. On the way home, we all agreed the the Fillmore was our new favorite venue.
Jenna decided to drive, so after work Tommy drove to her house, then they picked me up at my house, and we all went up to Matt's job to pick him up. From there, we hopped on the Palisades Parkway and headed for the city. We hit traffic at the toll for the George Washington Bridge, as always. There was a dog in the car next to us, so Tommy started barking at it, and got the dog barking, too. Then, we heard another dog answering from our other side. The two dogs just kept going until finally the one next to us got yelled at by his owner. We all felt bad for getting him in trouble, haha.
We finally crossed the George Washington Bridge and headed down the West Side Highway. We all were a little confused with the directions, but finally found the place, and managed to find a parking garage right around the corner.
The Fillmore was built in 1914, and has existed as a ballroom, nightclub, boxing venue, Polish dance hall, veterans' club, and who knows what else. There is a bar and lounge area on the first floor, along with the restrooms, but the main venue is on the second floor. A stage dominates one end, with a bar along the opposite wall, and a large open area in between. Up another set of stairs is another bar with lounge area, and a balcony that overlooks the second floor. Overall, the Fillmore feels small and intimate, but not cramped. We had no problem moving through the crowd, and there were many great vantage points.
We arrived just as Bury Your Dead was taking the stage. I had never heard of the band, but they were high energy and engaging, and we liked them before they even played a note. The music was heavy, the vocals were screaming, but mostly understandable. The lead singer climbed speakers and stood on high platforms, playing for the balcony crowd as well as the main floor.
In This Moment was a little disappointing. They are Jenna's favorite band, and while they were tight, I found the lead singer a bit whiny. This wasn't very surprising, as I believe that's the main reason why there aren't many female metal singers out there. Matt and Jenna moved up front, but Tommy and I hung out in the back.
Finally, Five Finger Death Punch came on. The crowd went berserk, and the entire floor became a gigantic circle pit. We were able to stay right on the edge of it and have a clear view of the stage without getting hit by anyone. At one point, two friends in front of us got into an argument, and the one guy threw his friend right into the pit, where he immediately got clobbered. Five Finger was excellent, heavy and deep, growling at us. We all really enjoyed the show, and definitely wanted more when it was over. On the way home, we all agreed the the Fillmore was our new favorite venue.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
...We've Had Some Times...
We got back from our honeymoon in Curacao on Saturday night, relaxed on Sunday, went to work on Monday, and then had tickets for a concert Monday night. Matt, Jenna, Tommy, Dave and I met up after work and headed over to Roseland Ballroom to see Thrice, Alkaline Trio, and Rise Against.
We were all looking forward to seeing Thrice, and were slightly disappointed by their set list. Almost everything they played was new, and though Tommy, Matt, and I knew the songs, they weren't what we would have preferred to hear. They were tight and technical, just as we expected, and Dave said he enjoyed it very much.
Alkaline Trio was probably the worst band I have ever heard perform live. When making that statement, I'm including cover bands, teenage bands on tiny stages at Warped Tour, and random original bands playing in dive bars for ten drunks. The lead-singer was completely off-key, and all of the instruments seemed to be out of tune. Jenna was literally covering her ears during their set.
Rise Against was amazing. They played a long set, probably forty-five minutes or so, and we heard nearly every song that we wanted to. The high point of the night was when they did "Swing Life Away." How many couples can say they heard their wedding song performed live? How many of those people saw it just over a week after their wedding? It was great. I'm really glad Dave decided to come to that show with us. It's rare that he goes to our concerts, since the music is not at all what he's in to.
We were all looking forward to seeing Thrice, and were slightly disappointed by their set list. Almost everything they played was new, and though Tommy, Matt, and I knew the songs, they weren't what we would have preferred to hear. They were tight and technical, just as we expected, and Dave said he enjoyed it very much.
Alkaline Trio was probably the worst band I have ever heard perform live. When making that statement, I'm including cover bands, teenage bands on tiny stages at Warped Tour, and random original bands playing in dive bars for ten drunks. The lead-singer was completely off-key, and all of the instruments seemed to be out of tune. Jenna was literally covering her ears during their set.
Rise Against was amazing. They played a long set, probably forty-five minutes or so, and we heard nearly every song that we wanted to. The high point of the night was when they did "Swing Life Away." How many couples can say they heard their wedding song performed live? How many of those people saw it just over a week after their wedding? It was great. I'm really glad Dave decided to come to that show with us. It's rare that he goes to our concerts, since the music is not at all what he's in to.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
...Spend Some Time Together...
Monday morning, Dave's dad picked up Dave and I and drove us to JFK airport. The flight to Miami was on a very large plane, and was completely packed. We had a couple of hour layover where we wandered around the terminal and ate some excellent Pizza Hut from an airport stand. The airline had overbooked the flight to Curacao and were offering huge deals to stay in Miami until the following day, but our stay had already been paid for so we couldn't wait. We arrived in Curacao just after dark and were loaded up onto a bus to the resort, along with many other honeymooning couples. We could barely see anything through the bus'** windows, and so didn't have any idea of the layout or scenery of the island.
When we arrived at the hotel, we approached the counter to check in, unsure of the language that would be spoken here. I have a good enough grasp of Spanish to get by, but Curacao is a Dutch island, a language I know nothing about. It turned out that nearly every employee of the hotel spoke English, Spanish, and Dutch, and it was no problem communicating to get checked in. We paid the extra fee for a room safe, and deposited our wallets and passports there. I think I only carried my wallet with me one other time during the entire trip. The room was clean, but felt rather bare, with white tile floors, a queen-sized bed, and a small couch and chair set. It was also an efficiency room, with a little stove and refrigerator, and built in table with chairs. We had paid a little bit extra to have an ocean-front room, and that's exactly what we were given, except that there was a giant trapeze net between the balcony and the actual ocean. It didn't allow for a great view, but at least there was somewhere of our own to sit outside. The bathroom was rather large, with a big shower that could easily fit more than one person (wink). We were starving after a long day of traveling with very little food, so we dropped our bags and headed to the dinner buffet.
At first, we were hesitant to try the food. Everything was scary looking, and it included many items that weren't labeled or that we had never heard of. We both ate only a little bit that night, but every single thing was very good, and we agreed to try everything they had the next day. We picked up a couple of drinks from the bar next to the main pool, crowded with drinkers and children, and went for a walk around the resort. It consisted of many smaller buildings, with many rooms setup motel-style, centrally located around a courtyard with no balconies or ocean views. There were cages sprinkled throughout the grounds filled with large tropical birds and turtles. A breakwater of huge stones and coral had been made around a large area of beach, creating a calm lagoon between the sand and the actual ocean. The beach was deserted, so we lounged around on the chairs for a little while, staring up at the moon and chatting. Then we continued our tour, and found another hotel building at the opposite end of the resort. It was three stories high and u-shaped, with a large rectangular swimming pool in the center. The pool was also deserted, and we agreed to go get our bathing suits on and go for a swim. It took longer to walk back and get changed than we had anticipated, but there was still no one at the pool when we returned. We had a leisurely swim together in the warm water, then headed back to our room and collapsed for the night.
On Tuesday morning, I woke up with a full-blown sinus infection. We were on our honeymoon in a foreign country where the weather was gorgeous, and I was miserable. Over the next four days, we lounged on the beautiful beach, went for many swims in the crystal clear pool and even warmer ocean, kayaked, ate and drank. It's all basically a blur of congestion, heat, and sun. At one point, we walked a ways to a sea aquarium, which was fun, and one afternoon we took a cab to the nearby city of Willemstad to look around. Otherwise, we just hung around at the hotel and relaxed. I tried so hard to stay upbeat, but it was difficult when I felt so terrible. Dave told me over and over again that he didn't mind; he had only planned to relax anyway. :-(
**I actually had to look up whether the possessive of bus should be bus' or bus's. In the end, there is disagreement over which is actually correct, so they are both accepted.
When we arrived at the hotel, we approached the counter to check in, unsure of the language that would be spoken here. I have a good enough grasp of Spanish to get by, but Curacao is a Dutch island, a language I know nothing about. It turned out that nearly every employee of the hotel spoke English, Spanish, and Dutch, and it was no problem communicating to get checked in. We paid the extra fee for a room safe, and deposited our wallets and passports there. I think I only carried my wallet with me one other time during the entire trip. The room was clean, but felt rather bare, with white tile floors, a queen-sized bed, and a small couch and chair set. It was also an efficiency room, with a little stove and refrigerator, and built in table with chairs. We had paid a little bit extra to have an ocean-front room, and that's exactly what we were given, except that there was a giant trapeze net between the balcony and the actual ocean. It didn't allow for a great view, but at least there was somewhere of our own to sit outside. The bathroom was rather large, with a big shower that could easily fit more than one person (wink). We were starving after a long day of traveling with very little food, so we dropped our bags and headed to the dinner buffet.
At first, we were hesitant to try the food. Everything was scary looking, and it included many items that weren't labeled or that we had never heard of. We both ate only a little bit that night, but every single thing was very good, and we agreed to try everything they had the next day. We picked up a couple of drinks from the bar next to the main pool, crowded with drinkers and children, and went for a walk around the resort. It consisted of many smaller buildings, with many rooms setup motel-style, centrally located around a courtyard with no balconies or ocean views. There were cages sprinkled throughout the grounds filled with large tropical birds and turtles. A breakwater of huge stones and coral had been made around a large area of beach, creating a calm lagoon between the sand and the actual ocean. The beach was deserted, so we lounged around on the chairs for a little while, staring up at the moon and chatting. Then we continued our tour, and found another hotel building at the opposite end of the resort. It was three stories high and u-shaped, with a large rectangular swimming pool in the center. The pool was also deserted, and we agreed to go get our bathing suits on and go for a swim. It took longer to walk back and get changed than we had anticipated, but there was still no one at the pool when we returned. We had a leisurely swim together in the warm water, then headed back to our room and collapsed for the night.
On Tuesday morning, I woke up with a full-blown sinus infection. We were on our honeymoon in a foreign country where the weather was gorgeous, and I was miserable. Over the next four days, we lounged on the beautiful beach, went for many swims in the crystal clear pool and even warmer ocean, kayaked, ate and drank. It's all basically a blur of congestion, heat, and sun. At one point, we walked a ways to a sea aquarium, which was fun, and one afternoon we took a cab to the nearby city of Willemstad to look around. Otherwise, we just hung around at the hotel and relaxed. I tried so hard to stay upbeat, but it was difficult when I felt so terrible. Dave told me over and over again that he didn't mind; he had only planned to relax anyway. :-(
**I actually had to look up whether the possessive of bus should be bus' or bus's. In the end, there is disagreement over which is actually correct, so they are both accepted.
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