Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Weekend Update with Pahkcah02
Friday, August 24, 2007
We're Going Bowling Tonight
Personality-wise, I do a really good job hiding my inner-nerd. Unprovoked, I'll point my finger and laugh at Star-Wars-watching-Harry-Potter-reading-Apple-technology-obsessed geeks in order to hide who I truly am deep down inside: a girl who is obsessed with candlepin bowling.
Ok, I said it - I love candlepin bowling. If I had the opportunity I would play every day and twice on Sundays - I even watch it on the NH channel on Saturdays. For the life of me I can't understand why people in other parts of the country insist on duckpin or 10 pin when candelpin is such a far superior game.
Last night Anthony Michael Hall and I went to Westgate Lanes in Brockton to play a couple of strings and it probably wasn't the best date idea. I'm ok with being social while playing games that I completely suck at (billiards being the best example) but I become super competitive when strategizing a frame of candlepin. Despite the fact that I'm no candlepin superstar, a feeling of tunnel vision comes over me everytime I cradle that ball. Even when it's not my turn I find it very difficult to concentrate on anything other than knocking down every pin at the end of the alley.
Oddly, I'm a little superstitious when playing the game. I could go into further details, but after an ode to candelpin entry y'all probably think I'm a big enough whack job as it is.
I'd love to make bowling a regular social event but the truth is that I'll probably just end up ignoring everyone in order to concentrate on the game. However, recognizing that a buzzed Brockton is a happy Brockton, Westgate Lanes recently lifted their ban of beer in the alley which means after a few drinks I may change my tune. Therefore, if you're brave enough to brave Brockton, I'm down for a little candlepin action this Fall.
If you were not fortunate enough to grow up in eastern New England or the Canadian Maritimes, you can brush up on the game by going here. Don't get me started on the oddities of 10 pin.....
Ok, I said it - I love candlepin bowling. If I had the opportunity I would play every day and twice on Sundays - I even watch it on the NH channel on Saturdays. For the life of me I can't understand why people in other parts of the country insist on duckpin or 10 pin when candelpin is such a far superior game.
Last night Anthony Michael Hall and I went to Westgate Lanes in Brockton to play a couple of strings and it probably wasn't the best date idea. I'm ok with being social while playing games that I completely suck at (billiards being the best example) but I become super competitive when strategizing a frame of candlepin. Despite the fact that I'm no candlepin superstar, a feeling of tunnel vision comes over me everytime I cradle that ball. Even when it's not my turn I find it very difficult to concentrate on anything other than knocking down every pin at the end of the alley.
Oddly, I'm a little superstitious when playing the game. I could go into further details, but after an ode to candelpin entry y'all probably think I'm a big enough whack job as it is.
I'd love to make bowling a regular social event but the truth is that I'll probably just end up ignoring everyone in order to concentrate on the game. However, recognizing that a buzzed Brockton is a happy Brockton, Westgate Lanes recently lifted their ban of beer in the alley which means after a few drinks I may change my tune. Therefore, if you're brave enough to brave Brockton, I'm down for a little candlepin action this Fall.
If you were not fortunate enough to grow up in eastern New England or the Canadian Maritimes, you can brush up on the game by going here. Don't get me started on the oddities of 10 pin.....
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Restaurant Review #6 - Chardonnay's
Restaurant: Chardonnay's
Address: 393 Taunton Ave, Seekonk, MA
Website: www.chardonnays.cc
Rating: A
Craving a little South Coast townie action? Ever had the desire to walk into a bar full of patrons who have at least 30 years on you? Even if you can't answer yes to either question, the happy hour specials alone are enough to convince you to check out Chardonnay's should you happen to be in area. Bored with our usual upscale happy hour haunt in Providence, Tash and I ventured to Seekonk, which is located just down the street from the East Providence office where we used to work.
Tash was a little late so the first thing I did was grab a bar stool and a Sam Adams draft ($3.75). Before I could even set my beer down I got into a minor altercation with a particularly fiesty 60 year old woman who tried to snag the bar stool I was saving for Tash (I love, love, LOVE Fall River people). After studying the happy hour menu as if I was preparing to take a midterm on it, I decided on the shrimp scampi pizza ($6.50); Tash got the grilled clams ($6).
The food knocked my socks off. I was expecting a greasy, soggy, Town Spa-style bar pizza - what I received was a gourmet grilled pizza, topped with garlic, olive oil, two types of cheese, and over a dozen shrimp. Tash's clams were presented in a specially designed clam rack and proved to be excellent as well. After washing it all down with another Sam Adams, I walked out of there happy, stuffed, and compelled to blog about my experience. The hit to my bank account for such an exciting Seekonk evening: less than $20.
Chardonny's may be a bit unsophisticated (shhh...don't tell the townies) but they've got the happy hour thing down pat. After a long day's work I want to catch up with good friends, eat good food, and have a few beers with as little drama as possible. After being spoiled by upscale Boston bars for a half decade, Chardonnay's reminds me why I enjoy happy hour so much in the first place.
Chardonnay's is located on Taunton Avenue (Route 44) in Seekonk, MA. Seekonk is in the middle of nowhere (read: an hour south of Boston) but if you happen to be in the area it's a dining experience you'll likely smile fondly upon everytime an image of the Braga Bridge pops into your head. Naturally, there's tons of glorious free parking.
Address: 393 Taunton Ave, Seekonk, MA
Website: www.chardonnays.cc
Rating: A
Craving a little South Coast townie action? Ever had the desire to walk into a bar full of patrons who have at least 30 years on you? Even if you can't answer yes to either question, the happy hour specials alone are enough to convince you to check out Chardonnay's should you happen to be in area. Bored with our usual upscale happy hour haunt in Providence, Tash and I ventured to Seekonk, which is located just down the street from the East Providence office where we used to work.
Tash was a little late so the first thing I did was grab a bar stool and a Sam Adams draft ($3.75). Before I could even set my beer down I got into a minor altercation with a particularly fiesty 60 year old woman who tried to snag the bar stool I was saving for Tash (I love, love, LOVE Fall River people). After studying the happy hour menu as if I was preparing to take a midterm on it, I decided on the shrimp scampi pizza ($6.50); Tash got the grilled clams ($6).
The food knocked my socks off. I was expecting a greasy, soggy, Town Spa-style bar pizza - what I received was a gourmet grilled pizza, topped with garlic, olive oil, two types of cheese, and over a dozen shrimp. Tash's clams were presented in a specially designed clam rack and proved to be excellent as well. After washing it all down with another Sam Adams, I walked out of there happy, stuffed, and compelled to blog about my experience. The hit to my bank account for such an exciting Seekonk evening: less than $20.
Chardonny's may be a bit unsophisticated (shhh...don't tell the townies) but they've got the happy hour thing down pat. After a long day's work I want to catch up with good friends, eat good food, and have a few beers with as little drama as possible. After being spoiled by upscale Boston bars for a half decade, Chardonnay's reminds me why I enjoy happy hour so much in the first place.
Chardonnay's is located on Taunton Avenue (Route 44) in Seekonk, MA. Seekonk is in the middle of nowhere (read: an hour south of Boston) but if you happen to be in the area it's a dining experience you'll likely smile fondly upon everytime an image of the Braga Bridge pops into your head. Naturally, there's tons of glorious free parking.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Adding more fiber optics to my diet
It turns out that my condo complex is getting wired for Verizon FiOS TV service. One might think that consumers would benefit from having two cable companies go head to head for their business, but that of course would be incorrect. I currently spend $145 a month for digital cable, HBO, DVR, High Def, and Internet. A similar package from Verizon isn't any cheaper. Why should it be? The only motivation people have to switch is the fact that Comcast has been a monopoly for so long that they likely have pissed off scores of people who are only too happy to take their business elsewhere.
I actually don't mind paying the eqivalent of an IRA contribution to Comcast each month. According to a recent survey by MSN Money, Americans overwhelmingly agreed that if money got tight, cable would be the first luxury to be axed. Incidentally, people rarely cancel their cable subscriptions due to financial woes. I for one have become so used to having over 300 channels plus on Demand to entertain my emotional, spiritual, and social curiosities that I couldn't imagine life under rabbit ears.
The Direct TV people reward you for having an ugly satellite dish on your roof by giving you cheap television. If Verizon seriously expects me to switch to their service, not to mention put in the effort to memorize a completely new channel line up, they're going to have to make it worth my while. Otherwise, what's the point of switching? Competition or not, Comcast has set the bar for cable television in this state and it looks an awful lot like a three digit utility bill. It doesn't get any more Comcastic than that, folks.
I actually don't mind paying the eqivalent of an IRA contribution to Comcast each month. According to a recent survey by MSN Money, Americans overwhelmingly agreed that if money got tight, cable would be the first luxury to be axed. Incidentally, people rarely cancel their cable subscriptions due to financial woes. I for one have become so used to having over 300 channels plus on Demand to entertain my emotional, spiritual, and social curiosities that I couldn't imagine life under rabbit ears.
The Direct TV people reward you for having an ugly satellite dish on your roof by giving you cheap television. If Verizon seriously expects me to switch to their service, not to mention put in the effort to memorize a completely new channel line up, they're going to have to make it worth my while. Otherwise, what's the point of switching? Competition or not, Comcast has set the bar for cable television in this state and it looks an awful lot like a three digit utility bill. It doesn't get any more Comcastic than that, folks.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Pulling the wool over our eyes
I recently came across this video on The Queen Dee's blog. It was a video shot of former MA governor and presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney. Mitt's been barnstorming in New Hampshire to tout his Massachusetts Health Insurance Reform Bill, which he sees as a blueprint for the nation's healthcare woes. I for one would be jumping for joy over this new health care initiative, if it was actually a plan that was meant to help people.
As a whole, we basically got it in the behind by Mitt Romney without even the courtesy of a reach around. This plan forces working class people who were previously uninsured to buy "affordable" health insurance plans (a family of 4 making under $62k would pay about $600 per month) and does absolutely nothing to help defray health insurance costs for people above that income threshold.
I've met with hundreds of small business owners and health insurance is a really big deal. People that manage to get good jobs at big companies (or even better, the government) generally fare ok as far as health benefits are concerned. However, the majority of this state's population works for small business owners who either don't offer health insurance at all or who do offer health insurance but don't contribute a significant amount towards it. It's not unusual to see families paying $1200 a month towards health insurance premiums. Even for families making $100k, that's a tremendous burden.
So really, all Romney's done is forced a group of people who were getting free care via the ER to pony up for sub-par insurance and has done absolutely nothing for the rest of us. How is that ground-breaking? How is that making health insurance more affordable to the average citizen?
Here's a couple of other "ground-breaking" things that we could be doing to drive down health insurance costs:
1. When I go to the doctor for something minor (eg: ear infection), the first thing the nurse does is take my blood pressure and listen to my heart beat. They do that so they can call it an "examination" instead of a "visit" which means they can charge the insurance company more.
2. Why do I need to see an actual MD if I have an ear infection? Not to insult their intelligence but I'm pretty certain that one doesn't need to attend medical school for 10 years to identify acute illnesses such as the flu, strep throat, or ear infections. Minuteclinic is a national health clinic (not in MA yet) that specializes on diagnosing and treating routine illnesses without the cost of going to an MD. The Troll has been to one in Maryland and she reports that it was one of the least aggrevating medical experiences of her life.
3. Wal-Mart is offering $4 generic prescriptions. No, $4 is not the co-pay, it's what the drug actually costs. Enough said.
4. Right now we're paying school nurses to apply band-aids and give out medication. Why not give them the power, training, and authority to diagnose acute illnesses? Life would certainly by easier (and less expensive) for everyone if a parent didn't have to skip out of work to take their child to the doctor for something minor when the school system is already paying a registered nurse.
Maybe if Mitt Romney had actually spent his time running this state instead of passing half-assed health insurance initiaves he wouldn't sound like a complete dill weed when asked about rising health insurance costs. It's pretty obvious that not a single candidate running for president actually has anything significant to contribute to the health insurance debate, which is ridiculous since if they simply read this blog they'd be all set. Instead, I'll just sit back and wait for the baby boomers to become the straw that broke the camel's back on our nation's health care. I can hardly wait for the day that I'll have to take a plane to India in order to get some amoxicillian.
As a whole, we basically got it in the behind by Mitt Romney without even the courtesy of a reach around. This plan forces working class people who were previously uninsured to buy "affordable" health insurance plans (a family of 4 making under $62k would pay about $600 per month) and does absolutely nothing to help defray health insurance costs for people above that income threshold.
I've met with hundreds of small business owners and health insurance is a really big deal. People that manage to get good jobs at big companies (or even better, the government) generally fare ok as far as health benefits are concerned. However, the majority of this state's population works for small business owners who either don't offer health insurance at all or who do offer health insurance but don't contribute a significant amount towards it. It's not unusual to see families paying $1200 a month towards health insurance premiums. Even for families making $100k, that's a tremendous burden.
So really, all Romney's done is forced a group of people who were getting free care via the ER to pony up for sub-par insurance and has done absolutely nothing for the rest of us. How is that ground-breaking? How is that making health insurance more affordable to the average citizen?
Here's a couple of other "ground-breaking" things that we could be doing to drive down health insurance costs:
1. When I go to the doctor for something minor (eg: ear infection), the first thing the nurse does is take my blood pressure and listen to my heart beat. They do that so they can call it an "examination" instead of a "visit" which means they can charge the insurance company more.
2. Why do I need to see an actual MD if I have an ear infection? Not to insult their intelligence but I'm pretty certain that one doesn't need to attend medical school for 10 years to identify acute illnesses such as the flu, strep throat, or ear infections. Minuteclinic is a national health clinic (not in MA yet) that specializes on diagnosing and treating routine illnesses without the cost of going to an MD. The Troll has been to one in Maryland and she reports that it was one of the least aggrevating medical experiences of her life.
3. Wal-Mart is offering $4 generic prescriptions. No, $4 is not the co-pay, it's what the drug actually costs. Enough said.
4. Right now we're paying school nurses to apply band-aids and give out medication. Why not give them the power, training, and authority to diagnose acute illnesses? Life would certainly by easier (and less expensive) for everyone if a parent didn't have to skip out of work to take their child to the doctor for something minor when the school system is already paying a registered nurse.
Maybe if Mitt Romney had actually spent his time running this state instead of passing half-assed health insurance initiaves he wouldn't sound like a complete dill weed when asked about rising health insurance costs. It's pretty obvious that not a single candidate running for president actually has anything significant to contribute to the health insurance debate, which is ridiculous since if they simply read this blog they'd be all set. Instead, I'll just sit back and wait for the baby boomers to become the straw that broke the camel's back on our nation's health care. I can hardly wait for the day that I'll have to take a plane to India in order to get some amoxicillian.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Run of the Bridal Mill
As far as life hazing experiences go, there are two items that are always at the top of the agenda: 1. At 11 my mom unilaterally decided that it was time that I got my first bra. Rather than take me to Jordan Marsh and make it a non-traumatic experience, she took me to Lady Grace, where I was felt up and measured by a 90 year old woman who thought nothing of barging in on me while I was still topless and announcing "sweetie, it's nothing to be ashamed of, every girl's got' em!". 2. Going to David's Bridal.
I have nothing against David's Bridal, per se, I was just extremely spoiled by my last bridesmaid experience where I went to Michael's of Boston and was waited on by Michael himself. The man knew dresses, fabrics, and stitches inside and out. After having an intense 45 minute conversation with my mother about serger sewing machines, I was convinced that my mom secretly wished that she had given birth to a gay son instead of a straight daughter.
However, that $350 experience was worth it, since the bride, in her ultimate wisdom, decided to let us all wear a dress of our choosing so long as it was black. You know how brides like to convince you that you can wear your bridesmaids dress again? Well, this time it was completely true, so it turned out to be smart investment. Not so when you have to wear a formal ballgown in a color called "apple".
Per the bride's orders Dee and I went to David's Bridal last night to pick out our dresses for an upcoming wedding. After being there for about 40 minutes, and almost getting stuck in a gown (seriously, David's Bridal, maybe you should clearly mark your dresses as "junior bridesmaid" before I envison spending the rest of my life stuck inside a dress that I can't get off), a lady came over to help us. 15 minutes later I found a dress that fit, that I looked hot in (well, as hot as one can look in a bridesmaid dress), and doesn't need too many alterations. Best of all, they had my size and color in stock so I could bring it home with me which I was pleasantly surprised about.
David's Bridal wasn't the over-the-top traumatic experience I was expecting. Sure, the service at an upscale bridal boutique is a billion times better but for a dress that you're really only going to wear once, it's a brilliant alternative. Oh, and because David's Bridal is a national chain, there appears to be a fairly brisk market for used bridesmaid dresses on eBay. I'll likely be posting my apple-tastic dress on there, thus saving another non girly-girl from the David's Bridal experience.
I have nothing against David's Bridal, per se, I was just extremely spoiled by my last bridesmaid experience where I went to Michael's of Boston and was waited on by Michael himself. The man knew dresses, fabrics, and stitches inside and out. After having an intense 45 minute conversation with my mother about serger sewing machines, I was convinced that my mom secretly wished that she had given birth to a gay son instead of a straight daughter.
However, that $350 experience was worth it, since the bride, in her ultimate wisdom, decided to let us all wear a dress of our choosing so long as it was black. You know how brides like to convince you that you can wear your bridesmaids dress again? Well, this time it was completely true, so it turned out to be smart investment. Not so when you have to wear a formal ballgown in a color called "apple".
Per the bride's orders Dee and I went to David's Bridal last night to pick out our dresses for an upcoming wedding. After being there for about 40 minutes, and almost getting stuck in a gown (seriously, David's Bridal, maybe you should clearly mark your dresses as "junior bridesmaid" before I envison spending the rest of my life stuck inside a dress that I can't get off), a lady came over to help us. 15 minutes later I found a dress that fit, that I looked hot in (well, as hot as one can look in a bridesmaid dress), and doesn't need too many alterations. Best of all, they had my size and color in stock so I could bring it home with me which I was pleasantly surprised about.
David's Bridal wasn't the over-the-top traumatic experience I was expecting. Sure, the service at an upscale bridal boutique is a billion times better but for a dress that you're really only going to wear once, it's a brilliant alternative. Oh, and because David's Bridal is a national chain, there appears to be a fairly brisk market for used bridesmaid dresses on eBay. I'll likely be posting my apple-tastic dress on there, thus saving another non girly-girl from the David's Bridal experience.
Monday, August 13, 2007
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