If Only Mr. Peabody Was Still Around

While I was away in Salem, MA, my wife and I thought we would look around the Peabody Essex Museum. We like to explore art museums while we are on vacations, and had some time to kill before the wedding we were going to. Unfortunately, the museum had other plans.
We were traveling with our 9 month old son, and naturally, we had a diaper bag with us. Somehow, the museum has decided that diaper bags should be outlawed. They would not let us bring the bag in with us. We explained its purpose to the guards (and showed them that all it contained was some diapers, wipes, diaper cream, some toys and a change of clothes for our son) but they were unimpressed. They said it was museum policy that no bags could be brought inside, and that included diaper bags.
What was really amazing was how they were all shocked when we decided not to go in. Somehow, everything got turned around and we were the unreasonable ones who were acting all crazy by not wanting to pay the $13.00 each to get into this museum and not be able to bring our baby's diaper bag in.

So, during my trip to Salem, I learned that the Peabody Essex Museum sucks and they are unfriendly to children and families. Spread the word.


NP: Available Light, Rush

You've Got Your Banana In My Cola

I went to Salem, MA this weekend for a good friend's wedding... there will be more on that later. We're still settling into the apartment after being away for more than a few days. I hate going back to work after being away. It sucks.
Right before we left for our trip, I saw a can of this Rola Cola Banana Cola in the store. It sort of grossed me out the second I saw it, but it was only 25 cents a can. Can't really turn that down, can you? So... I got one. I have to say, it wasn't that bad. I don't know if I'm going to be hunting down every store that sells Rola Cola or even saying that I would buy it again, but it wasn't gross. You could definitely taste the banana flavoring, and it didn't make me vomit. In fact, it was okay. I guess it would be like melting a banana Now and Later in your Coke and drinking it up.

NP: Nice To Meet You, Dramagods

Can You Feel The Vibrations?

I went to the video store the other day looking for something to pass the time. Summer television programming seems to suck harder than I remember, and we haven't had something interesting to watch on our DVR in weeks. Of course, there really wasn't a single thing I was interested in renting (well... I still have this urge to check out Rocky Balboa, but I know my wife won't watch it). Then, the shop owner said, "How about Shooter? Everyone seems to like it."
I am really glad he suggested this movie. It kind of came and went out of the theaters (what movie doesn't these days - it's like the theater is some formality to get out of the way to make room for the DVD cash) and I forgot it even existed. Well, it was really entertaining. And somehow, you can't help but like Marky Mark's character even while he's shooting everyone in the head.
It's a good flick. Check it out.

NP: Richard Hung Himself, D.I.

Did You Say Free?

I enjoy my coffee. So, I naturally jumped at the chance to get a free pod coffee maker from Senseo. I had read about this freebie online before, but never seemed to be able to get it to work for me. This time, I received an e-mail from the company to see if I qualified for a free machine.
Finally, success!
I got the e-mail asking me to pay for shipping ($15.00), and a free Senseo coffee maker (and some coffee) would be mine. (Okay, so maybe it's not exactly free, but $15 bucks for this machine which goes for $65-$75 in the store isn't too shabby.)
My initial plan was to bring this machine into work, so that I could easily make myself a cup of joe during my overnight shifts. First, however, I needed to try out the machine. If it was crap, what was the point?
That first night, we cracked open the box and set up the machine for some after-dinner coffee. Personally, I'm much more of a fan of the espresso based drinks, and that's usually what I drink at home (and from the coffee-shop). Unfortunately, my Breville machine is too loud to use once the baby is asleep, so we've been using a French-Press as an alternative. Well, the Senseo actually made a nice cup of coffee. And it's quiet, so we can use it at night. Yes, I'm still looking for a way to get a cup of coffee at work once everything else has closed, but I like having this at home.
Besides, everything is better when it's free.

NP: All Right Now, Free

Long Time No Post

Life really catches up with you sometimes...
As a family, we've been really busy lately. There have been birthdays, anniversaries, conferences, a lot of working, and preparing for the big move (more on that at a later time). Mix that in with trying to get some quality time as a family really leaves you with no time for the little things. So, I haven't posted in a really long time. I've got a bunch of things to catch up on, but first I'll talk about yesterday.
We finally had a weekend day off together, so we packed up the kid and headed downtown to the Lower East Side (Alphabet City to be exact) to have some beers and sausages at Zum Schneider Restaurant & Biergarten. We sat outside, enjoyed the weather and ate some damn good food and enjoyed some beers. I had a couple 0.5L mugs of Hacker Pschorr, while my wife had a 0.3L glass of Aventinus, which is a double bock wheat beer. They were out of our favorite, the Spaten Optimator, but what can you do? This is a terrific place to go hang out with your friends and just relax with some beers. It's also a lot of fun for Oktoberfest. Food-wise, we shared some potato pancakes (Reiberdatschi) and then split the homemade spätzle with cheese, caramelized onions & bacon (Käsespätzle), which, incidentally, is listed as a vegetarian dish on the menu, and the sausage platter, which comes with 3 Bavarian sausages, sauerkraut & potato salad.
After lunch, we walked off the beer by going over to the Laboratorio del Gelato. We never seemed to find ourselves down there when it was a good time for some gelato. But today worked out well, and I was finally able to try this place. I got 2 flavors - Mexican cinnamon and dark chocolate. My wife got milk chocolate malt and dulche de leche. All were terrific.

NP: Eternal Life, Jeff Buckley