Sadly, my grandmother passed away last week at the ripe age of 90 years old. It was a weird feeling because she has been in a rough state for some time now. I have actually wished she would pass away for a few years now because it killed me to see her in the state she has been. She stopped recognizing me a few years ago and really didn't understand what was going on. It was torture to go to the nursing home and see her like that when I went home to visit.
When I got the news that she was on her last few days, it hurt a lot, yet it was oddly relieving. When I got the actual news she died from my uncle, I cried because I realized that she would never get to meet Quinlan. I always wished my grandparents could meet a child of mine because they would have made awesome great grandparents. But sadly, they did not, but I get to know that there are too people looking after little Hope in the afterlife.
My Grandmother's death caused my mother and me to scramble to see if we could get a flight to Boston within a day or two. I guess the airlines do not care anymore about a death in the family. US Air and Delta do not offer bereavement fairs and Northwest offers a fair of $565 (even though you could book it normally for $550). I ended up having enough miles to fly for free with a higher rate (35,000 points versus the normal 25,000). My mother was also able to get a flight through her Delta miles. We did not have to pay for our flight which was a HUGE bonus. My mother and I took off Wednesday on the same flight, but different sections of the plane.
We rented a car that cost $380, ouch. They really pork you now-a-days for those rental cars. I prepaid the gas because I figured my mother wouldn't pull over for gas at 4:30 in the morning on Monday when she would be going in on her own. She ended up getting a flight out on Saturday and IU never used up the tank of gas. The car was super efficient and I mostly drove around Beverly the whole week.
It was weird, I was home for my Grandmother's funeral, but it almost felt like a mini-vacation. I stayed with my friends John and Melissa every night but Saturday Night. They are about as good of friends as anyone could ask for. They never hesitate to lend me the bedroom and they are a ton of fun to hang out with. They also love Nick's Roast Beef, so all I have to do is buy them some Nick's (and of course myself some) and I am all set. What a deal. It was also great to meet their little guy, Ray, who is 11 months old. He was a real cutie and extremely friendly. Very smiley and not scared of me at all. We plan on seeing him again in October and hopefully, he can meet Quinlan.
The planning of my Grandmother's funeral was pretty easy. My mother and Uncle did most of the work and we had to meet the minister on Thursday. He was a very nice guy, but GOD could he talk. He kept hitting these weird tangents that included old people he knew in the church and the history of his great grandfather. I am here for my grandmother's funeral, who gives a shit about your great grandfather????? He also was apparently drinking a lot of fruit punch because he mouth was completely red. It looked like he ate a small puppy before we came in. It was creepy. Fortunately, he did a bang-up job for my grandmother's funeral at the grave site. I was very pleased.
The week included me eating terribly. I miss the great food out there so much. Our 1st stop after the airport on Wednesday was to stop at Kowloon's on Route 1 in Saugus. BEST Chinese food in the country. My mother never tried it (I have no clue why not) and loved it. That says a lot because she can get shee shee poo poo with her Chinese food. We got chicken fingers, pork lo mien and a scallion pie. The chicken fingers are very lightly battered, so when you bit into it, it is mostly chicken unlike other places where it is all breading with a marble of meat. The lo mien is with thick noodles, a bunch of veggies and a thick sauce. It was absolute heaven. The only way it could have been better was if I was sucking down a scorpion bowl, but I had to drive.
I also got to eat Nick's Roast Beef twice. I miss a real roast beef sandwich. You can not get that in the Midwest. All they have is Arby's and I'd rather eat my cat's shit. I also got a Steak and Cheese sub at Super Sub in Beverly. They put on raw meat and cook it fresh. They also give you a ton of meat (unlike Subway). You know there is a lot of meat when they give you a fork with it. I also drank at least 10 Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffees and 5 Chocolate Glazed donuts over the course of the week. Again, you can not get that out here. I love the Midwest, but their food options blow…….except for my mother in law's cooking.
Another pleasure of the week was I got to see the kid my mother used to baby sit from the age of 1 to about 8 or 9, Brian. I hadn't seen him in a few years and that was the 1st time in a few years. He is now on the verge of turning 16 and I kind of worried that he would be a typical teenage snot. He wasn't. He was an extremely good kid and is well on his way to being a good guy. We didn't get to talk a whole lot, but he was very outgoing and willing to laugh at my stupid jokes. I had a lot of fun talking to him for the brief amount of time I was around him and wished I got to hang out with him longer. It did make me feel old because I met him when he was one and we were "buddies." Now, he is as tall as I am and could probably kick my butt.
The final night was a blast. A bunch of the college buddies caught up at Sluggo's house in Waltham for poker. I had won $30 the night before at John's and I was hoping to have the run continue. It did and I took home and extra $80. It was also a blast because most of the guys came out (Matty, Jay, Jeff, Sean and Kevin). There was a ton of inappropriate jokes and tons of laughing. It was like old times. I ended up going to sleep after 4 or 5 rum and cokes at 1:45 and woke up at 3:30 to head into the airport for my 6:00 a.m. flight. That was pretty rough, but at least it was first class and I was able to see my buddy (Quinlan) at the airport.
To be honest, if it wasn't for the food and the friends, I wouldn't miss Boston at all. I hated the driving. I forgot how stupidly aggressive they can be on the road. I also forgot how tight and windy the roads are. But, I can not wait to spend over a week out there in October when I have to travel for work.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Updates
Baby
It feels like eternity since I last posted. I guess life as a Dad can be a bit busy. With Quinlan, work, comedy and school, it can be hard to find the time or desire to sit down and ramble with my keyboard.
Quinlan is doing really good. He has gotten over the colic so he does not cry near as much as he used to, which is a huge relief. He is still a bit on the fussy side, but it is not near as bad as it used to be. He is getting big; he was 11.5 pounds 3 weeks ago, so he has to be pushing 13 pounds by now. He is getting cuter and cuter by the day. He smiles on occasion, more for Mommy than for me. He is pretty mellow in general. He just mostly just looks at me as if to say, "Who is this crazy man?" When he does smile, it is for a little bit.
He can actually stand with help which is pretty impressive. He sleeps through most of the night, but puts up a good fight in the beginning. Holly has gotten awesome with figuring out how to get him to relax enough to go to sleep. A LOVES the bath tube. I don't think he ever cries when he is in there, though he cries the minute he comes out.
He hates the car though. Either the car or the car seat, we are not sure which. He usually starts crying when you tighten the straps of the car seat, and then continues for most of the ride. It is pretty stressful for Holly because she wants to get out of the house, but she is scared to go out for fear of him freaking out so she stays in probably more than she should. We ended up going out and buying him a new car seat, one that he would use for a long time anyways to see if he likes it better, but we haven't tried it yet. Not sure if it will make any difference. I think Holly just needs to get out more with him and have him get used to the car in general.
I am still loving the fact that Holly is staying home with him. It is worth the lack of 2nd income and cooler cars. I can't describe the feeling of knowing that a parent is around your child at all times. I really feel bad for people who have to have both parents work, but I understand why many do. It is hard to get by on one income. I think we can because we live in Wisconsin and we live within our means. We do not drive new cars, we have a modest home and we do not carry credit card debt. I couldn't be happier with our situation.
Comedy
Comedy has been a little slow this summer, but that is because summer is slow in general and I wasn't really beating down bookers doors for work. I was content with spending time with my new little guy. I will continue to do comedy on the weekends, but the travel radius will get a little tighter and I will try to do the better gigs as opposed to the weaker ones with not all that hot pay.
One cool thing is I get to work with Michael Winslow this weekend. He is the guy that made the funny sounds in the Police Academy movies. I get to open for him at a casino in northern Iowa. Hopefully he is an OK guy. I worry that he is one of those grumpy comics because people recognize him for the movies he did 20 years ago. But then again, I hear is doing quite well for himself, so he could one of those comics who is just glad to be able to make a wonderful living telling jokes. We will soon find out.
Boston
I get to go back to Boston for a week in October for a Trade Show in Boston and then a friend of ours wedding the following weekend. Holly and I are in a big debate on what to do with her and Quinlan. She doesn't want to lave him behind and come out to Boston without him. This is because she is scared about losing her milk supply as well as not being able to be away from him for any period of time. She is also worried about bringing him because he could be miserable the whole trip. She is worried that he will be a mess the whole time out there and it won't be fair for him. We are torn. Hopefully we figure it out because I would love to have her out there with me. It will be weird being away from them for that long. I could potentially be gone for over a week. While I love the idea of being back in Boston for a week, I will miss those two a great deal.
Boston Sports
Well the Celtics make a blockbuster deal. They acquired Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves this past week. He is one of the top players in the NBA, but he is 31 years old and is in the twilight of his career. I still think he has plenty left in the tank. It is an interesting trade because it essentially involves 7 players (5 actual players and two draft picks) for one player, but one REALLY good player. When they had the draft, the Celtics traded the 5 pick and other players for Ray Allen, who is a top scorer, but he is 32. I was blown away with the Celtics that they were obviously giving away their future for an over the hill scorer. But with Pierce, Allen and Garnett, this all of a sudden is an interesting team. They will have three big time players, but no one else. I am curious how this season will pan out. I think they are obviously better, and they are obviously a playoff team, but I am not ready to put them into the Finals just yet. We need to make sure that these guys can co-exist (they seem unselfish). Make sure they can stay healthy (all are 30+) and we need to figure out who is going to bring the ball up court (is there even a point guard on the roster?). Whether they are a championship caliber team or not, they achieved the main goal they were trying to achieve……create interest among Celtics fans. I am interested.
The Patriots have started training camp and I am excited. I love football; I have even started the process of getting in touch with DirecTV to get the football package. I got to have it, even though I know I will miss a lot of games because of my trips and all the nieces' birthdays in the fall. I have no clue why my sisters in laws love to torment me and have the birthday parties on Sunday. I thought I was in "Packer Country." How can they let this happen? Holly offers to let me stay home, but I feel like a real shit doing that. Maybe I can get DVR when I get cable and record the games. We'll see.
Moss is already hurt for the Patriots. Allegedly it is a hamstring, but it doesn't sound serious, but the Moss haters are finding any excuse to worry about him. I still think he will be fine. He will not be the beast he once was, but he will still put up good numbers. Something 1,000 to 1,100 yards and 8 or 9 TD's. The Patriots are under the microscope this year and there are a lot of people secretly rooting against them. God I would love to see them win the title again with guys like Moss, Stallworth and Merriweather. If they do, I think Belichick is gone the following year. What else is there for him to do? Hopefully fatherhood doesn't hurt Brady.
The Red Sox are currently 8 games up on the Yankees. That is all I can say for fear of jinxing it.
It feels like eternity since I last posted. I guess life as a Dad can be a bit busy. With Quinlan, work, comedy and school, it can be hard to find the time or desire to sit down and ramble with my keyboard.
Quinlan is doing really good. He has gotten over the colic so he does not cry near as much as he used to, which is a huge relief. He is still a bit on the fussy side, but it is not near as bad as it used to be. He is getting big; he was 11.5 pounds 3 weeks ago, so he has to be pushing 13 pounds by now. He is getting cuter and cuter by the day. He smiles on occasion, more for Mommy than for me. He is pretty mellow in general. He just mostly just looks at me as if to say, "Who is this crazy man?" When he does smile, it is for a little bit.
He can actually stand with help which is pretty impressive. He sleeps through most of the night, but puts up a good fight in the beginning. Holly has gotten awesome with figuring out how to get him to relax enough to go to sleep. A LOVES the bath tube. I don't think he ever cries when he is in there, though he cries the minute he comes out.
He hates the car though. Either the car or the car seat, we are not sure which. He usually starts crying when you tighten the straps of the car seat, and then continues for most of the ride. It is pretty stressful for Holly because she wants to get out of the house, but she is scared to go out for fear of him freaking out so she stays in probably more than she should. We ended up going out and buying him a new car seat, one that he would use for a long time anyways to see if he likes it better, but we haven't tried it yet. Not sure if it will make any difference. I think Holly just needs to get out more with him and have him get used to the car in general.
I am still loving the fact that Holly is staying home with him. It is worth the lack of 2nd income and cooler cars. I can't describe the feeling of knowing that a parent is around your child at all times. I really feel bad for people who have to have both parents work, but I understand why many do. It is hard to get by on one income. I think we can because we live in Wisconsin and we live within our means. We do not drive new cars, we have a modest home and we do not carry credit card debt. I couldn't be happier with our situation.
Comedy
Comedy has been a little slow this summer, but that is because summer is slow in general and I wasn't really beating down bookers doors for work. I was content with spending time with my new little guy. I will continue to do comedy on the weekends, but the travel radius will get a little tighter and I will try to do the better gigs as opposed to the weaker ones with not all that hot pay.
One cool thing is I get to work with Michael Winslow this weekend. He is the guy that made the funny sounds in the Police Academy movies. I get to open for him at a casino in northern Iowa. Hopefully he is an OK guy. I worry that he is one of those grumpy comics because people recognize him for the movies he did 20 years ago. But then again, I hear is doing quite well for himself, so he could one of those comics who is just glad to be able to make a wonderful living telling jokes. We will soon find out.
Boston
I get to go back to Boston for a week in October for a Trade Show in Boston and then a friend of ours wedding the following weekend. Holly and I are in a big debate on what to do with her and Quinlan. She doesn't want to lave him behind and come out to Boston without him. This is because she is scared about losing her milk supply as well as not being able to be away from him for any period of time. She is also worried about bringing him because he could be miserable the whole trip. She is worried that he will be a mess the whole time out there and it won't be fair for him. We are torn. Hopefully we figure it out because I would love to have her out there with me. It will be weird being away from them for that long. I could potentially be gone for over a week. While I love the idea of being back in Boston for a week, I will miss those two a great deal.
Boston Sports
Well the Celtics make a blockbuster deal. They acquired Kevin Garnett from the Timberwolves this past week. He is one of the top players in the NBA, but he is 31 years old and is in the twilight of his career. I still think he has plenty left in the tank. It is an interesting trade because it essentially involves 7 players (5 actual players and two draft picks) for one player, but one REALLY good player. When they had the draft, the Celtics traded the 5 pick and other players for Ray Allen, who is a top scorer, but he is 32. I was blown away with the Celtics that they were obviously giving away their future for an over the hill scorer. But with Pierce, Allen and Garnett, this all of a sudden is an interesting team. They will have three big time players, but no one else. I am curious how this season will pan out. I think they are obviously better, and they are obviously a playoff team, but I am not ready to put them into the Finals just yet. We need to make sure that these guys can co-exist (they seem unselfish). Make sure they can stay healthy (all are 30+) and we need to figure out who is going to bring the ball up court (is there even a point guard on the roster?). Whether they are a championship caliber team or not, they achieved the main goal they were trying to achieve……create interest among Celtics fans. I am interested.
The Patriots have started training camp and I am excited. I love football; I have even started the process of getting in touch with DirecTV to get the football package. I got to have it, even though I know I will miss a lot of games because of my trips and all the nieces' birthdays in the fall. I have no clue why my sisters in laws love to torment me and have the birthday parties on Sunday. I thought I was in "Packer Country." How can they let this happen? Holly offers to let me stay home, but I feel like a real shit doing that. Maybe I can get DVR when I get cable and record the games. We'll see.
Moss is already hurt for the Patriots. Allegedly it is a hamstring, but it doesn't sound serious, but the Moss haters are finding any excuse to worry about him. I still think he will be fine. He will not be the beast he once was, but he will still put up good numbers. Something 1,000 to 1,100 yards and 8 or 9 TD's. The Patriots are under the microscope this year and there are a lot of people secretly rooting against them. God I would love to see them win the title again with guys like Moss, Stallworth and Merriweather. If they do, I think Belichick is gone the following year. What else is there for him to do? Hopefully fatherhood doesn't hurt Brady.
The Red Sox are currently 8 games up on the Yankees. That is all I can say for fear of jinxing it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
