Dear Friends,
Linda left the house a little before 1 PM, and I left a little after 1 PM. I was in bed by the time that she came home for her adventurous day which included recreational shopping and dinner out with some girlfriends. I spent the afternoon, and part of the evening with my UNICO brothers and sisters preparing a meal for Ad-Lib clients and their helpers. We made a salad, and a main dish of Chicken Parm, Eggplant Parm, rice, and a vegetable. For dessert we made a fresh apple crisp and put on a dollop of vanilla ice cream. We peeled so many apples that I wish that Linda had bought me one of those apple peelers which I saw on QVC. At one point we had three to four workers peeling apples. We were so glad when the last apple got peeled.
There was much food, fun, and merriment in the kitchen before the night ended.
They had an article, with pictures, in today's Berkshire Eagle about the Ad-Lib dinner. They didn't even mention that UNICO prepared the meal. Oh Darn!
I don't have time to write a long winded e-mail this morning. I have Therapy at 7:30 AM, and a bunch of errands to take care before heading off to a 1 PM Pizza Party with my golfing buddies. Even though I haven't played golf with them since June 28, 2011, I was still invited to participate in the after golf party today.
I know that Linda has to make a grocery run today. She is cooking for one of the two book clubs which she belongs to. She will be hosting the event which takes place on Monday evening. I might be grilling some vegetables for the ladies.
I will be watching Monday Night Football in my Man Cave while they eat, and then settle down to discuss the book which they all read.
Today is supposed to be okay weather wise, but bursts of rain will be coming in for the rest of the weekend. This won't be good news for the Saturday Oktoberfest which takes place in a large parking lot in downtown Pittsfield.
Well, I have to get ready for my Therapy appointment.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Hello on Thursday
Dear Friends,
Well, I can put away my Red Sox tee shirts, sweat shirts, and shorts for another year. I don't want to watch, listen, hear, or read about the monumental collapse of the Red Sox for the 2011 season. It was so sad to watch the closer for the Red Sox not being able to hold a one run lead as the home team came up in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Tampa Rays game on the other hand was more exciting to watch as this team overcame a 7 run deficit, and they eventually won their extra inning game.
This is another case where a small market and small payroll team showed that money can't necessarily put a winning team on the field. Oh Darn!
Linda's cold is getting better, but she was a little off on Wednesday. I do hope that she is feeling better when she wakes up today. Her social calendar appears to be a full one today. Linda and a girlfriend have already made plans to do a whole bunch of recreational shopping during the day. This evening she will be going out with a couple more girlfriends for supper.
I will be working a UNICO prepared dinner for an organization called Ad-Lib at the ITAM.
Kitchen workers are scheduled to arrive during the early afternoon while servers while be arriving closer to 4 PM.
If either of us were free, we would have attended a Mayoral fundraiser for the candidate who we are supporting at the Italian American Club.
My day went as planned on Wednesday. My scheduled visit at the Federal Building to officially apply for Medicare went well. If all the paperwork goes through, I should be on Medicare as of December 1, 2011. I must sign up for a supplement program through the City of Pittsfield when my application gets accepted.
During my visit at the Pittsfield City Hall, I found out that they were giving Flu Shots to current and retired City Employees. I got my free of charge flu shot yesterday too. I didn't know about the Flu shots because the City of Pittsfield doesn't send out notification in any form to us retirees. I did get some other dates and times when they would be given so I sent out an e-mail to some retired City of Pittsfield friends. I am hoping that they pass on the information to other retirees.
Speaking of the Federal Building, every time that I go in the waiting room, I see a very interesting group of people. I did see a friend that I used to caddie with at the Stockbridge Country Club when I was the 14 to 15 year old range. He was doing what I was doing, signing up for Medicare as he and I both near the age of 65. There is another group of people that are always in the waiting room too. This is the able body looking people who are young, some have a child or two, and they are on some kind of assistance, or are seeking to be put on some program. For these people I always ask myself, how can you take from a system that you haven't even put into? A friend once told me that the staff at Federal Building had to call security and escort him out the building because he was making these comments out loud.
I always take a look at Linda's Facebook everyday, which I am not allowed go on because I might get myself in trouble. Linda is correct that I should stay away from Facebook. From the daily stuff that I see on there, I would love to "zing" a few people with my comments. I am not a psychologist, but through what I read on Facebook, I would interpret there are some unhappy people out there. They definitely would not be part of the "Life is Good" club / philosophy that I try to live my life by. Sometimes life isn't so good, but I always try to get through / over the bumps in the road, and dwell on the positive things in life. After a while, the "Whoa is me" type of attitude becomes a way of life. I better stop right here before I get myself in trouble.
My lawn is looking the best that it has all summer. I am going to give it a trim within the next couple of days. I like cut the lawn during the week so that lawn cutting doesn't become a weekend activity. When you are working, taking care of the stuff around the outside of the house always became part of what you did on the weekends.
Moose pictures - Two friends did say that the friends who took Moose pictures without the photo chip in their camera still might have pictures inside their camera. You hook the camera up to a computer to get the pictures out of the camera. I am looking forward to seeing the Moose pictures. Some people were asking where the moose was prancing around. Our friends the Christoplis' own a home tucked into the woods just outside of Pittsfield. They have seen all kinds of creatures including bears in their yard in the past.
Why would anyone want to give up multiple seasons and go South, and miss a chance at seeing Mother Nature at its finest?
Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and do some quiet activities.
I am going to squeeze in a noontime nap so that I can make it through the UNICO function today. Linda will be on her own having a fun during day and evening with girlfriends.
Have a great Thursday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Well, I can put away my Red Sox tee shirts, sweat shirts, and shorts for another year. I don't want to watch, listen, hear, or read about the monumental collapse of the Red Sox for the 2011 season. It was so sad to watch the closer for the Red Sox not being able to hold a one run lead as the home team came up in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Tampa Rays game on the other hand was more exciting to watch as this team overcame a 7 run deficit, and they eventually won their extra inning game.
This is another case where a small market and small payroll team showed that money can't necessarily put a winning team on the field. Oh Darn!
Linda's cold is getting better, but she was a little off on Wednesday. I do hope that she is feeling better when she wakes up today. Her social calendar appears to be a full one today. Linda and a girlfriend have already made plans to do a whole bunch of recreational shopping during the day. This evening she will be going out with a couple more girlfriends for supper.
I will be working a UNICO prepared dinner for an organization called Ad-Lib at the ITAM.
Kitchen workers are scheduled to arrive during the early afternoon while servers while be arriving closer to 4 PM.
If either of us were free, we would have attended a Mayoral fundraiser for the candidate who we are supporting at the Italian American Club.
My day went as planned on Wednesday. My scheduled visit at the Federal Building to officially apply for Medicare went well. If all the paperwork goes through, I should be on Medicare as of December 1, 2011. I must sign up for a supplement program through the City of Pittsfield when my application gets accepted.
During my visit at the Pittsfield City Hall, I found out that they were giving Flu Shots to current and retired City Employees. I got my free of charge flu shot yesterday too. I didn't know about the Flu shots because the City of Pittsfield doesn't send out notification in any form to us retirees. I did get some other dates and times when they would be given so I sent out an e-mail to some retired City of Pittsfield friends. I am hoping that they pass on the information to other retirees.
Speaking of the Federal Building, every time that I go in the waiting room, I see a very interesting group of people. I did see a friend that I used to caddie with at the Stockbridge Country Club when I was the 14 to 15 year old range. He was doing what I was doing, signing up for Medicare as he and I both near the age of 65. There is another group of people that are always in the waiting room too. This is the able body looking people who are young, some have a child or two, and they are on some kind of assistance, or are seeking to be put on some program. For these people I always ask myself, how can you take from a system that you haven't even put into? A friend once told me that the staff at Federal Building had to call security and escort him out the building because he was making these comments out loud.
I always take a look at Linda's Facebook everyday, which I am not allowed go on because I might get myself in trouble. Linda is correct that I should stay away from Facebook. From the daily stuff that I see on there, I would love to "zing" a few people with my comments. I am not a psychologist, but through what I read on Facebook, I would interpret there are some unhappy people out there. They definitely would not be part of the "Life is Good" club / philosophy that I try to live my life by. Sometimes life isn't so good, but I always try to get through / over the bumps in the road, and dwell on the positive things in life. After a while, the "Whoa is me" type of attitude becomes a way of life. I better stop right here before I get myself in trouble.
My lawn is looking the best that it has all summer. I am going to give it a trim within the next couple of days. I like cut the lawn during the week so that lawn cutting doesn't become a weekend activity. When you are working, taking care of the stuff around the outside of the house always became part of what you did on the weekends.
Moose pictures - Two friends did say that the friends who took Moose pictures without the photo chip in their camera still might have pictures inside their camera. You hook the camera up to a computer to get the pictures out of the camera. I am looking forward to seeing the Moose pictures. Some people were asking where the moose was prancing around. Our friends the Christoplis' own a home tucked into the woods just outside of Pittsfield. They have seen all kinds of creatures including bears in their yard in the past.
Why would anyone want to give up multiple seasons and go South, and miss a chance at seeing Mother Nature at its finest?
Well, I have to read the local newspaper, and do some quiet activities.
I am going to squeeze in a noontime nap so that I can make it through the UNICO function today. Linda will be on her own having a fun during day and evening with girlfriends.
Have a great Thursday!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Hello on Wednesday
Dear Friends,
Our primaries are over in Pittsfield, and the mayoral candidate whom we are supporting will be on the final ballot in October. Only 24 % of the eligible voters did come out and vote which is a sad but almost a normal percentage. Our candidate came in second, and he has to make up 671 votes which was the winning margin. Our candidate has less than a month to overcome this deficit. The candidates are both of Italian heritages. The winner was a former city councilor, and the candidate which we supported is a current city councilor. If you listen or read to both of their campaign advertisements, they both say the same things. I think some of the vote was what will happen during a national election; incumbents will be in trouble! If you are a politician at any level, the public blames you for every ill which is going on in the United States. Even my radio show host friend, who has a three hour talk show, has been advocating voting against every incumbent at every level of government. The few that he would keep in their political office don't do anything special for me.
Linda and I didn't attend the post election party for our candidate. The effects of us sitting across from the guy who blew his nose during the bus trip to and from Buffalo finally got to Linda. I was sitting closest to the guy, but the germs jumped over me and are attacking Linda as I type this e-mail. She was overdosing on any kind of cold remedy and orange juice that she could get her hands on as I was watching the game in my Man Cave! I didn't feel that I should abandon her while she was in this state of weakness.
I did stay up and watch the entire Red Sox game last evening.
Tonight's game is the final game of the regular season for both teams vying for a playoff spot. If the Red Sox lose and Tampa Bay wins their game, the Red Sox season will come to an end. Both teams have the same record after last night's game: 90 wins and 71 loses. One month ago, the Red Sox had a 9 game lead over this team. Last night's win for the Red Sox was a nail biter, but it didn't have to be. The Sox went into the bottom of the eighth inning in Baltimore with an 8 to 4 lead. They ended up winning by an 8 to 7 margin. The losing team was one hit away from tying the game in the bottom of the 9th inning.
I did for get to mention an article which was in our month old AARP Newsletter. If there is a way that a person can't take advantage of a system in place, there will always be a person to engage in fraudulent enterprises. I am referring to the Maryland Podiatrist who got caught billing Medicare for procedures that were never done. "The straw which broke the Camel's Back" was when the Podiatrist billed Medicare for feet care on a person who was a double amputee.
Speaking of systems, Linda and I have an appointment at 10 AM at the local Federal Building in Pittsfield. I am signing up for Medicare today which will not begin until my 65th birthday which occurs in late December of this year. A supplement to take care of things which Medicare doesn't cover is offered (which we pay for) for us retirees through the City of Pittsfield. This means that our next stop will be the Pittsfield City Hall to speak with the treasurer to tell her which supplement plan that I will be signing up for. I also have to prove that I have signed up officially for the Medicare program. We have two more places to go in City Hall: one is to find out when Flu shots will be given to current and retired employees, and the other stop will be voter registration to sign up for an absentee ballot. I hope that Linda is feeling better when she wakes up because I have her running ragged for most of the morning until about noon time.
This evening is her Knitting Group gathering at Panera Bread at 6 PM. She really looks forward to this every Wednesday gathering. Maybe we could take an afternoon nap together.
Linda wants me to stop "painting" a scary picture of what our son is going through in Afghanistan. Well to me it is scary. This is no video game where it is you and against the bad guys. If you get shot in the video game you can hit the "reset button" or hit the "play another" game button. In a real life war zones, there are no such buttons.
Weather -- I detect a little coolness in this morning temperatures. Could fall be finally arriving for us in the Berkshires?
Speaking of fall, several maple trees have already lost their leaves. The leaves have looked sickly for the past couple of months. While in Buffalo, I turned the television on, and a plant expert showed exactly the kind of blight that our maple trees are experiencing in the Berkshires. He said that the unusual amount of moisture has caused the problem, and that trees will not die. The excessive moisture caused an imbalance in the tree system. If we have the normal amount of rain next year, the maple trees will return to their natural beauty.
Well, today is garbage collection day, and the recyclables will be bottles and cans.
I am going to read the local newspaper, and do some quiet activities before I have to go and wake up Linda.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Our primaries are over in Pittsfield, and the mayoral candidate whom we are supporting will be on the final ballot in October. Only 24 % of the eligible voters did come out and vote which is a sad but almost a normal percentage. Our candidate came in second, and he has to make up 671 votes which was the winning margin. Our candidate has less than a month to overcome this deficit. The candidates are both of Italian heritages. The winner was a former city councilor, and the candidate which we supported is a current city councilor. If you listen or read to both of their campaign advertisements, they both say the same things. I think some of the vote was what will happen during a national election; incumbents will be in trouble! If you are a politician at any level, the public blames you for every ill which is going on in the United States. Even my radio show host friend, who has a three hour talk show, has been advocating voting against every incumbent at every level of government. The few that he would keep in their political office don't do anything special for me.
Linda and I didn't attend the post election party for our candidate. The effects of us sitting across from the guy who blew his nose during the bus trip to and from Buffalo finally got to Linda. I was sitting closest to the guy, but the germs jumped over me and are attacking Linda as I type this e-mail. She was overdosing on any kind of cold remedy and orange juice that she could get her hands on as I was watching the game in my Man Cave! I didn't feel that I should abandon her while she was in this state of weakness.
I did stay up and watch the entire Red Sox game last evening.
Tonight's game is the final game of the regular season for both teams vying for a playoff spot. If the Red Sox lose and Tampa Bay wins their game, the Red Sox season will come to an end. Both teams have the same record after last night's game: 90 wins and 71 loses. One month ago, the Red Sox had a 9 game lead over this team. Last night's win for the Red Sox was a nail biter, but it didn't have to be. The Sox went into the bottom of the eighth inning in Baltimore with an 8 to 4 lead. They ended up winning by an 8 to 7 margin. The losing team was one hit away from tying the game in the bottom of the 9th inning.
I did for get to mention an article which was in our month old AARP Newsletter. If there is a way that a person can't take advantage of a system in place, there will always be a person to engage in fraudulent enterprises. I am referring to the Maryland Podiatrist who got caught billing Medicare for procedures that were never done. "The straw which broke the Camel's Back" was when the Podiatrist billed Medicare for feet care on a person who was a double amputee.
Speaking of systems, Linda and I have an appointment at 10 AM at the local Federal Building in Pittsfield. I am signing up for Medicare today which will not begin until my 65th birthday which occurs in late December of this year. A supplement to take care of things which Medicare doesn't cover is offered (which we pay for) for us retirees through the City of Pittsfield. This means that our next stop will be the Pittsfield City Hall to speak with the treasurer to tell her which supplement plan that I will be signing up for. I also have to prove that I have signed up officially for the Medicare program. We have two more places to go in City Hall: one is to find out when Flu shots will be given to current and retired employees, and the other stop will be voter registration to sign up for an absentee ballot. I hope that Linda is feeling better when she wakes up because I have her running ragged for most of the morning until about noon time.
This evening is her Knitting Group gathering at Panera Bread at 6 PM. She really looks forward to this every Wednesday gathering. Maybe we could take an afternoon nap together.
Linda wants me to stop "painting" a scary picture of what our son is going through in Afghanistan. Well to me it is scary. This is no video game where it is you and against the bad guys. If you get shot in the video game you can hit the "reset button" or hit the "play another" game button. In a real life war zones, there are no such buttons.
Weather -- I detect a little coolness in this morning temperatures. Could fall be finally arriving for us in the Berkshires?
Speaking of fall, several maple trees have already lost their leaves. The leaves have looked sickly for the past couple of months. While in Buffalo, I turned the television on, and a plant expert showed exactly the kind of blight that our maple trees are experiencing in the Berkshires. He said that the unusual amount of moisture has caused the problem, and that trees will not die. The excessive moisture caused an imbalance in the tree system. If we have the normal amount of rain next year, the maple trees will return to their natural beauty.
Well, today is garbage collection day, and the recyclables will be bottles and cans.
I am going to read the local newspaper, and do some quiet activities before I have to go and wake up Linda.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Hello on Tuesday Morning
Dear Friends,
Today is primary voting day in Pittsfield. You can never estimate the number of eligible voters who will come out and vote. The last vote for State Representative had 4000 of the 24000 registered voters show up at their polling places. This was a very dismal showing of the citizens of Pittsfield who need to elect someone to represent most of the citizens of Pittsfield in the StateHouse of Massachusetts.
Hopefully, today there will be more people interested in voting since we have 5 people vying for a shot at becoming our next mayor. The two people getting the most votes will be on the final ballot. The vote for city councilors, council at larger, mayor, State Representative, school committee, etc., and any ballot questions will take place in the middle of October. We also have some ward races which have more than three people running for office, and that number has to be to reduced to two.
Linda has her usual Tuesday Mah Jongg session at a friend's home while I have a bunch of outdoor projects to take care of. I might postpone my activities until cooler weather arrives, and the mosquito population starts to die off. When I washed both cars yesterday, I did so during two different time periods because the mosquitoes and me were fighting each other. The mosquitoes used to come out around dusk, but now they attack at all times of the day. One even got into my Man Cave as I watched some sporting contest last evening.
Speaking of sports, I had to turn off the Red Sox game because I couldn't bear to watch them go down to defeat. The Monday Night Football Game wasn't much better so I watched some police type programs using the "On Demand" choices that Warner Cable has to offer.
We are hoping that our candidate becomes one of the top two vote getters for the position of Mayor. We will party with the rest of his supporters if all goes as planned this evening after the polls close. I don't know how that you can get people to come out and vote. There are so many people who take the attitude that their one vote doesn't really matter. Ask the people who lost an election by a couple of votes if you don't think voting is that important? I believe that a person has no right to complain about the people who win an election unless you came out to vote.
Our military son continues to fly daily missions into enemy territory in Afghanistan even though he is on the night shift. I do send him a daily email to check on how things are going, but sometimes he is so busy that he is not able to respond until a day or two later. His family and Linda and I are hoping that his tour of duty ends soon so that we all can be together when we visit them in Southern Georgia during mid October.
The firm (Stoneturn) that our daughter-in-law, Kyla, works for in Boston opened an office in New York City last week. The firm celebrated by going out to eat at Per Se (Hells Kitchen) in New York City. That must have been some evening!
Her husband posted a picture on Facebook over the weekend of a headless rabbit. Their cat goes out hunting every day, and brings back trophies such as field mice, moles, chipmunks, etc., of the hunt. A good number of people were grossed out by the headless rabbit, but some of their friends want to hire out the cat to get rid of unwanted rodents in their yards.
Linda and I can't wait for some fall like weather, frost on the ground, etc. It is times for the summer flowers to die, and for us to purchase some mums. Some of our neighbors have already purchased fall flowers. It got so hot yesterday that I had to us an air conditioner for my afternoon nap. Our wishes of cooler weather will arrive this weekend.
News -- Nothing really jumped out at me as I skimmed the CNN News on line. I am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing.
Speaking of news, has the printed newspaper become an obsolete item?
The younger generation pretty much does everything on line. This baby boomer likes to hold a newspaper in his hands, but the daily newspaper might go the way of the Dinosaurs pretty soon.
As an example, in yesterday's daily blog I talked about the wonderful biscuits that we had at the Bob Evans restaurant in the Niagara Falls area. I went on line and found their recipe for the biscuits. As the weather gets cool, I will try and make them, and I will let you know if they come out the same as the ones which we had for breakfast on Sunday morning in the restaurant.
If there are any voting issues or people running for office required in your part of the country, then get out and vote. There are no excuses because most of the candidates in our area have telephone numbers to call if you need a ride to and from the polls. My sister actually has been working at the polls in her neighborhood / ward for years. Her picture was in the paper when we the polls were open for the State Representative primary. She will be working the polls once again today.
Have a great day at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Today is primary voting day in Pittsfield. You can never estimate the number of eligible voters who will come out and vote. The last vote for State Representative had 4000 of the 24000 registered voters show up at their polling places. This was a very dismal showing of the citizens of Pittsfield who need to elect someone to represent most of the citizens of Pittsfield in the StateHouse of Massachusetts.
Hopefully, today there will be more people interested in voting since we have 5 people vying for a shot at becoming our next mayor. The two people getting the most votes will be on the final ballot. The vote for city councilors, council at larger, mayor, State Representative, school committee, etc., and any ballot questions will take place in the middle of October. We also have some ward races which have more than three people running for office, and that number has to be to reduced to two.
Linda has her usual Tuesday Mah Jongg session at a friend's home while I have a bunch of outdoor projects to take care of. I might postpone my activities until cooler weather arrives, and the mosquito population starts to die off. When I washed both cars yesterday, I did so during two different time periods because the mosquitoes and me were fighting each other. The mosquitoes used to come out around dusk, but now they attack at all times of the day. One even got into my Man Cave as I watched some sporting contest last evening.
Speaking of sports, I had to turn off the Red Sox game because I couldn't bear to watch them go down to defeat. The Monday Night Football Game wasn't much better so I watched some police type programs using the "On Demand" choices that Warner Cable has to offer.
We are hoping that our candidate becomes one of the top two vote getters for the position of Mayor. We will party with the rest of his supporters if all goes as planned this evening after the polls close. I don't know how that you can get people to come out and vote. There are so many people who take the attitude that their one vote doesn't really matter. Ask the people who lost an election by a couple of votes if you don't think voting is that important? I believe that a person has no right to complain about the people who win an election unless you came out to vote.
Our military son continues to fly daily missions into enemy territory in Afghanistan even though he is on the night shift. I do send him a daily email to check on how things are going, but sometimes he is so busy that he is not able to respond until a day or two later. His family and Linda and I are hoping that his tour of duty ends soon so that we all can be together when we visit them in Southern Georgia during mid October.
The firm (Stoneturn) that our daughter-in-law, Kyla, works for in Boston opened an office in New York City last week. The firm celebrated by going out to eat at Per Se (Hells Kitchen) in New York City. That must have been some evening!
Her husband posted a picture on Facebook over the weekend of a headless rabbit. Their cat goes out hunting every day, and brings back trophies such as field mice, moles, chipmunks, etc., of the hunt. A good number of people were grossed out by the headless rabbit, but some of their friends want to hire out the cat to get rid of unwanted rodents in their yards.
Linda and I can't wait for some fall like weather, frost on the ground, etc. It is times for the summer flowers to die, and for us to purchase some mums. Some of our neighbors have already purchased fall flowers. It got so hot yesterday that I had to us an air conditioner for my afternoon nap. Our wishes of cooler weather will arrive this weekend.
News -- Nothing really jumped out at me as I skimmed the CNN News on line. I am not sure if this is a good or a bad thing.
Speaking of news, has the printed newspaper become an obsolete item?
The younger generation pretty much does everything on line. This baby boomer likes to hold a newspaper in his hands, but the daily newspaper might go the way of the Dinosaurs pretty soon.
As an example, in yesterday's daily blog I talked about the wonderful biscuits that we had at the Bob Evans restaurant in the Niagara Falls area. I went on line and found their recipe for the biscuits. As the weather gets cool, I will try and make them, and I will let you know if they come out the same as the ones which we had for breakfast on Sunday morning in the restaurant.
If there are any voting issues or people running for office required in your part of the country, then get out and vote. There are no excuses because most of the candidates in our area have telephone numbers to call if you need a ride to and from the polls. My sister actually has been working at the polls in her neighborhood / ward for years. Her picture was in the paper when we the polls were open for the State Representative primary. She will be working the polls once again today.
Have a great day at work or play!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Monday, September 26, 2011
Hello on Monday
Dear Friends,
The bus trip to the Patriots vs Buffalo game was a great deal of fun. There is no way that I could have driven to and from the game in Buffalo, New York. I was tired just from sitting on my butt for the 6 hour plus ride to get to our destination.
We arrived at the Motel 6 and were all checked in by almost 4 PM. At 6 PM, the bus took any of us who wanted to go to Niagara Falls. Since this was the first time that either of us went to Niagara Falls, we were in awe.
The bus remained in the area so that some of us who wanted to try our luck at the Seneca (an Indian Casino) Casino, located about four blocks from the Falls, could have some fun. The bus took us back to our Motel at 11 PM. The Casino was okay, but smoke filled. We couldn't wait to get back outside to breath in some fresh air. The Casino did take the few bucks that we played at the slot machines.
The Casino was absolutely packed. Any of the best restaurants had an hour and one half waiting time unless you had made reservations.
If you were at this Casino this past Saturday evening, you wouldn't believe that there was any problem with the economy. Many of the people at the Casino were from Canada since the border between our two countries is so close. If we had more time, we would have crossed the border into Canada. We did bring our passports with us.
The next morning we met at the bus at 8 AM, and we went off to a chain restaurant called "Bob Evans" which originated in Ohio. The food was great especially their biscuits. Linda ordered toast with her breakfast, and I ordered biscuits. When I let Linda taste my biscuits, she had no desire to eat her sour dough toast. The biscuits were so light and fluffy that she ordered some extra for herself. We wanted to have the recipe for the biscuits since they were so good. There are no Bob Evans restaurants located in the Northeast. I think that Linda is going to go on line to see if she can find the recipe for those biscuits.
You might be thinking what was the makeup of the people on the bus trip? The first young adult we met had a tee shirt with a shield symbol which said "If you see da police, then warn da brother." He was a Buffalo Bills fan, and when the Bills beat the Patriots, he let us know multiple times on the bus that the Bills won the game. There was a mixture of people our age, and a group of "20 somethings". One of the members of this group bought a roll of shop style paper towels, and he blew his nose on the trip during the whole bus trip to and from the game. He also brought some face cloths, and wiped his brow during the whole type too because he was sweating so profusely.
Some of his friends were in the middle of taking physical fitness tests because they wanted to become correctional officers in prisons throughout the State of Massachusetts. Actually, there weren't many people from Pittsfield on the bus. Many were from North and South County.
When the bus driver parks his bus at the Stadium, every organizer of the bus trip brings out their tailgating grills, food, and beverages for all of us on the bus. We had so much food, fun and merriment for a couple hours before we walked into the Stadium.
Our seats were in the nose bleed section with the sun blaring in our faces for the whole game. Linda got an unplanned suntan, and some sunburn too.
It is so difficult when your team loses in opponent's stadium. All of us Patriot fans were surrounded by a stadium filled with Buffalo fans. We couldn't wait to get back on the bus as the Buffalo fans celebrated their victory. We did have several Buffalo fans on our bus, but the majority of people on our bus were Patriot fans.
There was a no smoking policy in the Stadium. One of the youngsters on the bus got caught smoking. Security escorted him to the front gates, and he missed most of the game. The security at the game was on top of rowdy fans in a heartbeat. Beer sales stopped when the second half of the game started. I was in a beer line when security came over and shut the beer stand down. We bought two waters instead. Oh Darn!
We sat on metal benches with a back to them. I am thinking that those metal benches might be cold when the winter finally arrives in Buffalo, New York.
The Buffalo Bills Stadium is not as nice as Gillette. It is smaller than Gillette. The parking lots were not as nice as the ones at Gillette. It doesn't compare to what Gillette Stadium has to offer us Patriot fans.
Would we go on a bus trip like this again? I would say yes, but Linda might need a couple of girlfriends to go with. Linda didn't have a chance to do any recreational shopping at all. Actually, we didn't have much free time to do so.
I am guessing that Linda might sleep a long time this morning unless the telephone rings. My head hit the pillow at midnight, but Linda chose to stay up for a while.
I have a 10:30 AM Physical Therapy session. Linda has BONCO at a friend's home at 7 PM. The rest of the week right into the weekend has been booked in. There was a change in Saturday's social calendar. We were supposed to attend a Pig Roast / Birthday party on Saturday afternoon for a former student of mine who is turning 37 years old, but this party got postponed.
Well, I have to read the Sunday newspapers, and today's local newspaper before going off to Therapy.
While Linda is at BONCO, I will be watching the Red Sox limp along during the first of the last three games of the regular season in Baltimore. They are still holding onto a 1 game lead while in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Have a great day at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
The bus trip to the Patriots vs Buffalo game was a great deal of fun. There is no way that I could have driven to and from the game in Buffalo, New York. I was tired just from sitting on my butt for the 6 hour plus ride to get to our destination.
We arrived at the Motel 6 and were all checked in by almost 4 PM. At 6 PM, the bus took any of us who wanted to go to Niagara Falls. Since this was the first time that either of us went to Niagara Falls, we were in awe.
The bus remained in the area so that some of us who wanted to try our luck at the Seneca (an Indian Casino) Casino, located about four blocks from the Falls, could have some fun. The bus took us back to our Motel at 11 PM. The Casino was okay, but smoke filled. We couldn't wait to get back outside to breath in some fresh air. The Casino did take the few bucks that we played at the slot machines.
The Casino was absolutely packed. Any of the best restaurants had an hour and one half waiting time unless you had made reservations.
If you were at this Casino this past Saturday evening, you wouldn't believe that there was any problem with the economy. Many of the people at the Casino were from Canada since the border between our two countries is so close. If we had more time, we would have crossed the border into Canada. We did bring our passports with us.
The next morning we met at the bus at 8 AM, and we went off to a chain restaurant called "Bob Evans" which originated in Ohio. The food was great especially their biscuits. Linda ordered toast with her breakfast, and I ordered biscuits. When I let Linda taste my biscuits, she had no desire to eat her sour dough toast. The biscuits were so light and fluffy that she ordered some extra for herself. We wanted to have the recipe for the biscuits since they were so good. There are no Bob Evans restaurants located in the Northeast. I think that Linda is going to go on line to see if she can find the recipe for those biscuits.
You might be thinking what was the makeup of the people on the bus trip? The first young adult we met had a tee shirt with a shield symbol which said "If you see da police, then warn da brother." He was a Buffalo Bills fan, and when the Bills beat the Patriots, he let us know multiple times on the bus that the Bills won the game. There was a mixture of people our age, and a group of "20 somethings". One of the members of this group bought a roll of shop style paper towels, and he blew his nose on the trip during the whole bus trip to and from the game. He also brought some face cloths, and wiped his brow during the whole type too because he was sweating so profusely.
Some of his friends were in the middle of taking physical fitness tests because they wanted to become correctional officers in prisons throughout the State of Massachusetts. Actually, there weren't many people from Pittsfield on the bus. Many were from North and South County.
When the bus driver parks his bus at the Stadium, every organizer of the bus trip brings out their tailgating grills, food, and beverages for all of us on the bus. We had so much food, fun and merriment for a couple hours before we walked into the Stadium.
Our seats were in the nose bleed section with the sun blaring in our faces for the whole game. Linda got an unplanned suntan, and some sunburn too.
It is so difficult when your team loses in opponent's stadium. All of us Patriot fans were surrounded by a stadium filled with Buffalo fans. We couldn't wait to get back on the bus as the Buffalo fans celebrated their victory. We did have several Buffalo fans on our bus, but the majority of people on our bus were Patriot fans.
There was a no smoking policy in the Stadium. One of the youngsters on the bus got caught smoking. Security escorted him to the front gates, and he missed most of the game. The security at the game was on top of rowdy fans in a heartbeat. Beer sales stopped when the second half of the game started. I was in a beer line when security came over and shut the beer stand down. We bought two waters instead. Oh Darn!
We sat on metal benches with a back to them. I am thinking that those metal benches might be cold when the winter finally arrives in Buffalo, New York.
The Buffalo Bills Stadium is not as nice as Gillette. It is smaller than Gillette. The parking lots were not as nice as the ones at Gillette. It doesn't compare to what Gillette Stadium has to offer us Patriot fans.
Would we go on a bus trip like this again? I would say yes, but Linda might need a couple of girlfriends to go with. Linda didn't have a chance to do any recreational shopping at all. Actually, we didn't have much free time to do so.
I am guessing that Linda might sleep a long time this morning unless the telephone rings. My head hit the pillow at midnight, but Linda chose to stay up for a while.
I have a 10:30 AM Physical Therapy session. Linda has BONCO at a friend's home at 7 PM. The rest of the week right into the weekend has been booked in. There was a change in Saturday's social calendar. We were supposed to attend a Pig Roast / Birthday party on Saturday afternoon for a former student of mine who is turning 37 years old, but this party got postponed.
Well, I have to read the Sunday newspapers, and today's local newspaper before going off to Therapy.
While Linda is at BONCO, I will be watching the Red Sox limp along during the first of the last three games of the regular season in Baltimore. They are still holding onto a 1 game lead while in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Have a great day at work or play.
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Hello on Saturday
Dear Friends,
Our Friday went as planned. We had lunch at Berkshire Hills before heading off to the Beacon Cinema to see the just released film called "Moneyball"
starring Brad Pitt. We both thought the movie was great. To get an idea of what it is about you can read this week's Sport's Illustrated. Brad Pitt is on the cover of the magazine, and there is a story inside about the essence of the movie as well as a joint article about the brains of the Red Sox, Theo Epstein. When you see the movie, the articles in Sports Illustrated will both make sense.
We ended up at the Shamrock for some food, fun, and merriment, and some games of Keno. I messed up playing one game, but my $10 mistake turned out okay. I filled out the form incorrectly, and chose 1 number instead of three. Every time your one number comes up you collect $2.50 for every dollar you bet. Well, my quick pick lucky number "77" came up 7 times during my 10 games. Even after we stopped playing and sat down to eat, the number kept on coming up. Linda had several games where two out of three numbers came up (you win $2.50 for two numbers) so we just about made enough money to pay for our supper.
We did meet some interesting people at the Shamrock. There is this couple who we always see in the Shamrock on Friday nights. They call us by our first names, but we don't know there names. Well, the husband gave us a business card, so we now know their names. We started chatting about children. They like the Curley's have two children. One of their grown children works for a company called "Covidien". This company provides medical supplies to hospitals and medical facilities. If you get to watch a Red Sox game, and the Green Monster is in the picture, you might see a sign on the Green Monster with the words "Covidien". The son of this nice couple is the CEO of the company.
In a couple hours, we will be heading off to the local bus terminal to get on the tour bus heading for Buffalo, New York. The ride will take about five hours if all goes well. We will check in, and take a cab to Niagara Falls.
We want to stay there during the daylight and evening hours (when it is all lit up) before we head off to the Hard Rock Casino. We are figuring midnight before our heads hit the pillows in the motel. We catch the bus at 9 AM on Sunday and head off to the Buffalo Bills Football Stadium for some tailgating before we go into watch the game which starts at 1 PM. We are in the higher regions of the Stadium, but it will be fun just to be there, and cheer for the Patriots. As I mentioned before, Sunday is Linda's birthday.
This should be a birthday to remember.
I did give the lawn a trim yesterday before the rains came in. The mosquitoes were fierce while I was cutting our lawn and my neighbor's lawn.
I just killed a mosquito a minute ago which bit me why I was typing away. I killed the little bugger, and a smear of my blood and the dead mosquito are on now on the wall next to me. I am not going to clean the wall up as a reminder of how much I dislike mosquitoes.
We are not bringing any computer devices with us on our weekend trip so you won't hear from me until Monday morning. We have another busy week coming up next week, and I don't think that there is a free day on our calendar. I still can't believe some of our retired friends who are bored in retirement as we have trouble finding a day with nothing on our social calendar.
Have to go and put some cream cheese on some bagels for our trip. I then will make sure we have everything for our trip. Partial sun and mid 70's weather is back in the forecast for Sunday in Buffalo. I am taking out some long sleeve shirts that I put in my travel bag.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Our Friday went as planned. We had lunch at Berkshire Hills before heading off to the Beacon Cinema to see the just released film called "Moneyball"
starring Brad Pitt. We both thought the movie was great. To get an idea of what it is about you can read this week's Sport's Illustrated. Brad Pitt is on the cover of the magazine, and there is a story inside about the essence of the movie as well as a joint article about the brains of the Red Sox, Theo Epstein. When you see the movie, the articles in Sports Illustrated will both make sense.
We ended up at the Shamrock for some food, fun, and merriment, and some games of Keno. I messed up playing one game, but my $10 mistake turned out okay. I filled out the form incorrectly, and chose 1 number instead of three. Every time your one number comes up you collect $2.50 for every dollar you bet. Well, my quick pick lucky number "77" came up 7 times during my 10 games. Even after we stopped playing and sat down to eat, the number kept on coming up. Linda had several games where two out of three numbers came up (you win $2.50 for two numbers) so we just about made enough money to pay for our supper.
We did meet some interesting people at the Shamrock. There is this couple who we always see in the Shamrock on Friday nights. They call us by our first names, but we don't know there names. Well, the husband gave us a business card, so we now know their names. We started chatting about children. They like the Curley's have two children. One of their grown children works for a company called "Covidien". This company provides medical supplies to hospitals and medical facilities. If you get to watch a Red Sox game, and the Green Monster is in the picture, you might see a sign on the Green Monster with the words "Covidien". The son of this nice couple is the CEO of the company.
In a couple hours, we will be heading off to the local bus terminal to get on the tour bus heading for Buffalo, New York. The ride will take about five hours if all goes well. We will check in, and take a cab to Niagara Falls.
We want to stay there during the daylight and evening hours (when it is all lit up) before we head off to the Hard Rock Casino. We are figuring midnight before our heads hit the pillows in the motel. We catch the bus at 9 AM on Sunday and head off to the Buffalo Bills Football Stadium for some tailgating before we go into watch the game which starts at 1 PM. We are in the higher regions of the Stadium, but it will be fun just to be there, and cheer for the Patriots. As I mentioned before, Sunday is Linda's birthday.
This should be a birthday to remember.
I did give the lawn a trim yesterday before the rains came in. The mosquitoes were fierce while I was cutting our lawn and my neighbor's lawn.
I just killed a mosquito a minute ago which bit me why I was typing away. I killed the little bugger, and a smear of my blood and the dead mosquito are on now on the wall next to me. I am not going to clean the wall up as a reminder of how much I dislike mosquitoes.
We are not bringing any computer devices with us on our weekend trip so you won't hear from me until Monday morning. We have another busy week coming up next week, and I don't think that there is a free day on our calendar. I still can't believe some of our retired friends who are bored in retirement as we have trouble finding a day with nothing on our social calendar.
Have to go and put some cream cheese on some bagels for our trip. I then will make sure we have everything for our trip. Partial sun and mid 70's weather is back in the forecast for Sunday in Buffalo. I am taking out some long sleeve shirts that I put in my travel bag.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Hello on Saturday
Dear Friends,
Our Friday went as planned. We had lunch at Berkshire Hills before heading off to the Beacon Cinema to see the just released film called "Moneyball"
starring Brad Pitt. We both thought the movie was great. To get an idea of what it is about you can read this week's Sport's Illustrated. Brad Pitt is on the cover of the magazine, and there is a story inside about the essence of the movie as well as a joint article about the brains of the Red Sox, Theo Epstein. When you see the movie, the articles in Sports Illustrated will both make sense.
We ended up at the Shamrock for some food, fun, and merriment, and some games of Keno. I messed up playing one game, but my $10 mistake turned out okay. I filled out the form incorrectly, and chose 1 number instead of three. Every time your one number comes up you collect $2.50 for every dollar you bet. Well, my quick pick lucky number "77" came up 7 times during my 10 games. Even after we stopped playing and sat down to eat, the number kept on coming up. Linda had several games where two out of three numbers came up (you win $2.50 for two numbers) so we just about made enough money to pay for our supper.
We did meet some interesting people at the Shamrock. There is this couple who we always see in the Shamrock on Friday nights. They call us by our first names, but we don't know there names. Well, the husband gave us a business card, so we now know their names. We started chatting about children. They like the Curley's have two children. One of their grown children works for a company called "Covidien". This company provides medical supplies to hospitals and medical facilities. If you get to watch a Red Sox game, and the Green Monster is in the picture, you might see a sign on the Green Monster with the words "Covidien". The son of this nice couple is the CEO of the company.
In a couple hours, we will be heading off to the local bus terminal to get on the tour bus heading for Buffalo, New York. The ride will take about five hours if all goes well. We will check in, and take a cab to Niagara Falls.
We want to stay there during the daylight and evening hours (when it is all lit up) before we head off to the Hard Rock Casino. We are figuring midnight before our heads hit the pillows in the motel. We catch the bus at 9 AM on Sunday and head off to the Buffalo Bills Football Stadium for some tailgating before we go into watch the game which starts at 1 PM. We are in the higher regions of the Stadium, but it will be fun just to be there, and cheer for the Patriots. As I mentioned before, Sunday is Linda's birthday.
This should be a birthday to remember.
I did give the lawn a trim yesterday before the rains came in. The mosquitoes were fierce while I was cutting our lawn and my neighbor's lawn.
I just killed a mosquito a minute ago which bit me why I was typing away. I killed the little bugger, and a smear of my blood and the dead mosquito are on now on the wall next to me. I am not going to clean the wall up as a reminder of how much I dislike mosquitoes.
We are not bringing any computer devices with us on our weekend trip so you won't hear from me until Monday morning. We have another busy week coming up next week, and I don't think that there is a free day on our calendar. I still can't believe some of our retired friends who are bored in retirement as we have trouble finding a day with nothing on our social calendar.
Have to go and put some cream cheese on some bagels for our trip. I then will make sure we have everything for our trip. Partial sun and mid 70's weather is back in the forecast for Sunday in Buffalo. I am taking out some long sleeve shirts that I put in my travel bag.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
Our Friday went as planned. We had lunch at Berkshire Hills before heading off to the Beacon Cinema to see the just released film called "Moneyball"
starring Brad Pitt. We both thought the movie was great. To get an idea of what it is about you can read this week's Sport's Illustrated. Brad Pitt is on the cover of the magazine, and there is a story inside about the essence of the movie as well as a joint article about the brains of the Red Sox, Theo Epstein. When you see the movie, the articles in Sports Illustrated will both make sense.
We ended up at the Shamrock for some food, fun, and merriment, and some games of Keno. I messed up playing one game, but my $10 mistake turned out okay. I filled out the form incorrectly, and chose 1 number instead of three. Every time your one number comes up you collect $2.50 for every dollar you bet. Well, my quick pick lucky number "77" came up 7 times during my 10 games. Even after we stopped playing and sat down to eat, the number kept on coming up. Linda had several games where two out of three numbers came up (you win $2.50 for two numbers) so we just about made enough money to pay for our supper.
We did meet some interesting people at the Shamrock. There is this couple who we always see in the Shamrock on Friday nights. They call us by our first names, but we don't know there names. Well, the husband gave us a business card, so we now know their names. We started chatting about children. They like the Curley's have two children. One of their grown children works for a company called "Covidien". This company provides medical supplies to hospitals and medical facilities. If you get to watch a Red Sox game, and the Green Monster is in the picture, you might see a sign on the Green Monster with the words "Covidien". The son of this nice couple is the CEO of the company.
In a couple hours, we will be heading off to the local bus terminal to get on the tour bus heading for Buffalo, New York. The ride will take about five hours if all goes well. We will check in, and take a cab to Niagara Falls.
We want to stay there during the daylight and evening hours (when it is all lit up) before we head off to the Hard Rock Casino. We are figuring midnight before our heads hit the pillows in the motel. We catch the bus at 9 AM on Sunday and head off to the Buffalo Bills Football Stadium for some tailgating before we go into watch the game which starts at 1 PM. We are in the higher regions of the Stadium, but it will be fun just to be there, and cheer for the Patriots. As I mentioned before, Sunday is Linda's birthday.
This should be a birthday to remember.
I did give the lawn a trim yesterday before the rains came in. The mosquitoes were fierce while I was cutting our lawn and my neighbor's lawn.
I just killed a mosquito a minute ago which bit me why I was typing away. I killed the little bugger, and a smear of my blood and the dead mosquito are on now on the wall next to me. I am not going to clean the wall up as a reminder of how much I dislike mosquitoes.
We are not bringing any computer devices with us on our weekend trip so you won't hear from me until Monday morning. We have another busy week coming up next week, and I don't think that there is a free day on our calendar. I still can't believe some of our retired friends who are bored in retirement as we have trouble finding a day with nothing on our social calendar.
Have to go and put some cream cheese on some bagels for our trip. I then will make sure we have everything for our trip. Partial sun and mid 70's weather is back in the forecast for Sunday in Buffalo. I am taking out some long sleeve shirts that I put in my travel bag.
Have a great weekend!
Talk to you soon. The Curley Lad
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