Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Yeah whatever

There was no training again this morning as the tendon was still a bit tight. Took a bit of a longer shower hoping the steam would help then used quite a bit of Icy Hot.

The bus was nice again this morning- I seem to be on a roll. Gray sweater- really frackin' cute in a repressed preppy sort of way.

Whoa- apparently someone at S&P is starting to think maybe the whole Greece issue aint contained. They are now seeing a problem in Spain. At least they are trying to be forward looking but I'll wait until they drop the hammer on France and/or the U.K.

Last night while I was writing I hear the husband guffawing like there was no tomorrow. I asked him what was so funny (I like to write in the living room as it prevents his wandering hands from distracting me). He was watching Glee. I finished up and and watched the rest of the episode with him. It was pretty damn funny.

I watched this youtube called I Go To Darden Bitch and the guy who made it is pretty cute and has nice guns. It was on dealbreaker and have no idea what it was about.

I was supposed to have a business dinner tomorrow evening but my date left a v-mail cancelling so I am going to hit the dojo- sweep the leg!- instead.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Now we know that GS really does hire the smartest people around

The bus ride this morning was full of hotties. White Pants was on there and I have not seen him in a while but he is still smokin' hot!

I did not train this morning. Last night when I hit the dojo- sweep the leg!- I knew afterwards that something was off. I think I strained a ligament on the back outside of my left knee. I know exactly when it happened too- when I was grappling with Mr. Miagi. I did get to grapple with Shaman though- the guy is still hot. His hair is longer too and when we were engaged in drills I kept catching my hand in it.

When I woke this morning with all good intentions of hitting the bike I knew right away it wasn't happening. My knee joint was so tight and a bit sore I said screw the bike.

I- along with most of the rest of the desk- was enthralled with the GS hearings today. I think the first panel of the GS guys did a great job. The Senators- with all due respect- came across as a bunch of blowhards who were pandering to the pitch forks and torches crowd. they proved once again that asking the right questions is the most important thing and came close to proving me wrong that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Seriously- am I the only one who thought Josh Birnbaum was hot?? That guy is definitely getting laid tonight after his performance. He took no shit from any of the inquisitors and went right back at them. If I were single I'd definitely be on the Acela right now to DC looking for that boy.

S&P is still driving looking in the rear view mirror. Apparently they are seeing some signs that there may be some issues in Greece and downgraded their (the Greeks) sovereign debt. If S&P really wanted to be forward looking and preemptive they downgrade Spain now and put France on the negative watch list. Hell they might even grow a pair and put the U.K. on the negative watch list as well.

I made dinner for the husband and myself tonight. I got the recipe off epicurious. I love that site! It was this chicken dish with asparagus, shallots and capers. First off the amount of shallots they recommended was way too much (I will have stinky breath all night and tomorrow morning as well) and the Dijon/lemon juice sauce was not enough. I'll modify it a bit next time I make it.

Warning to Mr. Barrett- stop reading now.

The husband is off to the house tomorrow morning. He is taking a bunch of stuff down and spending the day stripping all of the hideous floral wall paper. He is planning on spending the night across the street at ST and PJ's place. He is taking the kids too so I will be a bachelor tomorrow night after the dojo- Kobra Kai never die!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Just scream Pedro

Playa del Carmen was awesome! The flight down was uneventful thankfully. We got to our hotel around 9 PM. We went to the local restaurant that JP said was the best, El Fogon, and he was right. After that we of course had some margaritas.

Our first full day there we were minding our own business and relaxing on the big beds the hotel had on the beach. We decided to take a dip in the pool. There was a lady with a cast on her forearm also taking a dip. Of course the husband decided to be chatty Cathy. She was from New York, worked in fashion and was there on her own because her flight got cancelled to Milan due to the Icelandic problem- no not Bjork, the volcanic ash cloud.

We hung out with her for the day, having a few too many drinks. I of course told everyone that it was the husband's birthday. I kept using the phrase feliz cumpleanos (close to the extent of my high school Spanish which is sad since I did get a 4 on the AP). She was drinking an interesting drink called a machulata. I decided to go get one and she said no just scream Pedro and a waiter will come over here. I thought the better of that and went and got me own.

The husband got tickets to Weezer at the Borgata and I bought him some Birkenstocks down in Mexico since he was complaining about the lack of support from his flip flops.

Our new friend joined us for birthday dinner and proceeded to spill champagne all over me. She also convinced us to go in on taking a boat out to go snorkeling the next day.

It was a blast actually. We got a bit drunk. We went snorkeling and the husband and I followed a few sea turtles around. We also got to observe a sanote. That was cool. Our new friend and the first mate then decided to celebrate 4/20. For dinner that night we went to an authentic Mexican restaurant around the corner from the hotel that a Canadian couple at the beach hotel recommended. It was really good.

Thursday we again took JP's advice and took the local bus down to the ruins at Tulum. It was pretty amazing. We hit the beach there too which was interesting as we just hopped into the bushes and changed into our trunks. That night we went to a restaurant that served authentic Mayan cuisine and it was really good as well. We then hit the lounge at the Deseo Hotel JP recommended- holy shit the bartenders there are smokin'!

Friday we actually got up and did a run along the main drag. It was very early and still relatively cool. The humidity was just starting up. It was neat to see all the cocks (as in male chickens- get your minds out of the gutter) early in the morning walking freely. I also was amazed at all the stray dogs that just roam around that early in the morning.

That day we spent out on the beach on the beds. There were tons of Texan there and at our hotel. Seriously, Texas chicks are nearly as loud and verbose as Jersey chicks. After a while the husband and decided we'd had enough of their incessant chatter and went and took a nap.

That night we hit the hotel restaurant and it was an excellent meal.

The only intelligence we got from JP- and I think we were just off on our timing- was the local gay bar in town. It wasn't bad but it was not as hopping for us as it was for him when he was there.

The flight back was eventful as we flew into Hotlanta even with us somehow scoring business class seat. One of the stewardesses remembered us from our flight down and she of course made sure out drinks were full the entire time as the husband got all chatty Cathy again. We flew through a thunderstorm and there was some serious lightning and they were pretty damn close. We hit a bar and had a quick burger and some booze. The flight to Newark was fine up until the point were the snotty stewardess asked me if I was dipping and I said yes. Well that is not allowed on flights you'll have to get rid of it. WTF? That was the first time I was told that but I complied as I had no desire to be arrested by Air Marshalls or anyone else.

The following part should not be read by Mr. Barrett if he is actually reading this. Sunday we got our asses up early, drove down to the house with the intention of installing the invisible fence for the kids. The pouring rain made us think twice and then when we realized the power and cable lines are buried we nixed that idea. Instead we ripped up all the ugly, old carpeting in the foyer, living room and dining room. Then our friends who are currently looking for a house stopped by to see our recent purchase. It was fun because we got to take them on a walk through the whole property and it is neat! The woods are awesome and the boys will have fun there.

I really am not liking Warren Buffet more and more especially now that he will get an exemption from any derivatives ban. I guess that is one of the positives of being a good Democrat. Funny how he called derivatives WMDs but they are fine and dandy if he has them but no one else can. Welcome to Corporatist America which is also a plutocracy.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Adios

Yesterday was kind of busy closing down the storage space and moving it to the house. I got to nap briefly but not enough. The husband and I went and saw Kick-Ass and I have to say it was pretty damn good. I cannot stand Nicholas Cage but he was good in the role. Hit Girl was awesome. Definitely a movie worth seeing.

Today I got up and went down to central Jersey. I dropped some more things off at the house and then went and picked up the boys for a lunch to celebrate my oldest son's birthday and give him his gifts- the one I got him and the one my parents got him. He loved his Droid. Mom and Dad got him something called Mind Flex. Apparently it is a device that allows you move marbles around with your mind waves- freaky. He was actually really excited when he opened it.

Son number one got to pick where we went for lunch. Earlier in the week I had expressed my distaste for Olive Garden. He suggested the local sushi restaurant. Of course it was not open. I suggested the local pizza place next to the wireless store so we could stop by afterwards and get his contacts and pictures moved over fro his old phone. That too was not open. So by default we ended up at Olive Garden and then went to the wireless store next to it and got his contacts and pictures moved over. We also picked up those films that cover the touch screen to protect them from scratches and whatnot. I also picked up a car charger and an additional wall charger for my new phone. The guy at the counter told me that my new phone and the Droid can use the same chargers.

I got home and then the husband and I were off to the city to have some drinks and food with TK. JB dropped by as well and it was good to catch up with him.

TGT now sells groceries and fresh produce. It is pretty cool.

We are packing tonight as tomorrow the husband and I are off to Playa del Carmen for the week. I am totally psyched to relax and do nothing. I did tell the husband though that I would go to the ruins at Tullum.

Friday, April 16, 2010

"No Bars In More Places" no more

Last night the husband and I had drinks and some grub with PF and DR. We had not seen them since they got back form their grand tour of Asia and we ended up celebrating DR's 40th birthday (belatedly) and the closing on our house. As usual when we go out with them we ended up drinking a wee bit too much. Hence no gym this morning.

The husband did the walk through and called me to let me know the good widow left the chest freezer (woo hoo- no more burying the bodies!) and the antique fridge. She also left all the shelving in the basement and of course the hideous drapes that are probably the originals from when she and her husband built the place.

The tape was a bit interesting today. It was not all that strong as the whole Greek non-activation activation of the non-bailout bailout is still an ongoing drachma- I mean drama. Yesterday's increase in jobless claims did not help either. Speaking of the jobless claims number I cannot believe that the BLS is now actively spinning the numbers (that job is usually reserved for the Administration in power) and they had the nerve to blame it on Caesar Chavez Day. Seriously? I guess most people were wising up to blaming it on weather, or el nino or Y2K.

Then came the big bomb- GS getting accused of civil fraud by the SEC. That definitely did not help the tape at all. It also may just be the excuse everyone who is scared of how far the markets have come to sell and take some of the table.

I went to the store and switched cell phone service providers. I got the Storm 2 and he got the Droid. I won't be seeing him until Sunday for lunch so he will be phoneless for an entire day tomorrow.

I am pretty damn proud of myself. I plugged my old crackberry into the laptop and took all the pictures I had on there, transferred them to the laptop then plugged in my Storm 2 and put all the pictures I had on to that- woo hoo! I also tried to do it with my ring tones but that did not work as they are protected files. So I had to go and buy the frackin' things again. Oh well.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Catching up so simmer down any bene gessirt witches out there...

Yes I have been remiss on writing but this has been a busy month so far and it aint letting up at any time.

Easter weekend we had the boys with us. I picked them up early the morning of Good Friday. The weather was awesome so we picked up some lunch from the grocery store and headed over to the park in Hoboken. We had a pseudo picnic then tossed the pigskin around while the husband caught up on his reading for his two book clubs. Friday night we went and saw How To Train Your Dragon in the new Clearview Cinema in Hoboken. The movie was actually pretty good. Both the boys had read the book and even though it diverged dramatically from the book they liked it too.

Saturday I hit the dojo- sweep the leg!- in the morning. Then we did the traditional dyeing of the eggs in celebration of Zombie Jesus Day. We then went and saw the remake of The Clash of the Titans. Three of us were disappointed but my youngest thought it was good. The husband, I and my oldest all thought the original was better- hell at least it had a script and plot.

That night after everyone went to bed the Easter Bunny actually stopped by and left a lot of candy even though I have been utterly sacrilegious in my approach to Zombie Jesus Day. The husband's parents and older sister joined us for dinner. The husband made a great ham, carrots and asparagus. I took a page out of mom's book and made a bunny cake for dessert. It was a huge hit.

Tuesday mom and dad came to town. They came to babysit the kids for us as we were off to Vegas to celebrate PJ's birthday.

The husband flew out Wednesday morning. I took a later flight and left work around 2:30. I took the shuttle bus from the P.A. to Newark and it was pretty easy and not that expensive. I made my usual stop at the President's Club for my free vodkas, wine and beers to get ready for the flight.

Thursday I and the husband had to suffer through the Liberace Strip Mall- I mean Museum- again. This time the world's largest rhinestone had at least been dusted and our guide was actually more informative and engaging. I had warned our friend NB about how the sincerity of the employees there was and he did not believe me until after the first 5minutes.

We did a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon Friday. That was really frackin' cool! I got some pretty good pics and posted them on my tome of mugs profile. We also spent some time with one the husband's girlfriends who was out there for a school reunion.

We actually had no time to gamble. ST had planned the entire trip with activities.

We got home Saturday evening and spent time with mom and dad. They were staying with us until this morning since they had planned to go to AC today.

Sunday we went to the Newark Museum. Yes there actually is one! It is actually a pretty nice museum according to the husband. The best part though was the two smokin' hot cops at the PATH station in Newark on the way home!

Last night we took mom and dad out for dinner to celebrate their 48th anniversary.

Friday is my oldest son's birthday and I will officially be entering hell as he will be a teenager. Friday is also the day I am dumping my cell phone service provider (the No Bars In More Places one) and getting a new phone with the Yes I Can Frackin' Hear You Now. The reason is the oldest asked for a new phone for his birthday and he wants the Droid. It's on sale and I am moving to the Storm 2. He is having a sleep over so I am just going to take him to lunch Sunday and give him his new phone then.

Tomorrow the husband and I become home owners. We close on the house; the widow did what free markets make people do- she cut the price. That means Saturday we will be closing down the rental storage space we have in Hoboken and moving it to the basement.

Monday we are off on vacation to Playa del Carmen!

I forgot how handsome Mike Santoli from Barrons was until I saw him on BBRG this morning.