Wednesday, December 26, 2012

A Christmas Story


I hope you had a very, merry Christmas! This year, I spent the day with Roy, my brother and cousins in Eastern Pennsylvania. After a nice breakfast with Roy at our local diner and opening a few gifts, my cousins came over and we were ready to start our journey for the day. First, we drove about an hour and half to Bethlehem to meet my brother. We met him at the Sands Casino.


This is what the entrance looks like but this is the miniature version taken from the master plan for the venue and nearby areas. They are planning to transform the defunct steel mill into one big entertainment super center. The casino was packed on this day, mostly with people of Asian descent. Even the shops were open. We ate some yummy noodle soup and some fried rice.

After lunch we headed to my brother's place which is about 30 minutes north of Bethlehem. I don't know the exact town name but it's somewhere around Bangor, PA. I was bracing myself for what I was going to see at his place, because with him you never know. When we got there I was surprised, somewhat pleasantly. I was expecting worse. Men living alone can be a scary thing sometimes.

At my brothers place, we built gingerbread houses and played the girls' favorite game, Monopoly, while my cousin watched Bridesmaids. 

Angela's House

Gingerbread Man recovering on the couch

Jessica's House

We ate some of Angela's house after it started collapsing. Jessica's house stayed together and we were able to take it with us. After Monopoly and showing the girls the scene at the wedding shop from Bridesmaids, we headed out for dinner. 

We arrived at Mohegan Sun in Wilkes-Barre around 7 o'clock. The girls were getting a casino tour of Eastern PA on Christmas, ha. The reason being is that my brother, the avid gambler that he is, has accumulated some comp dollars at these casinos and he wanted to use them on us. Plus, we never visit him where he lives, so it was nice to make the trip. We ate dinner at Rustic Kitchen, a ritzy Italian joint. They had homemade pasta which was absolutely divine. The total cost to us ended up being $9.19, so we were all pretty happy about that. The girls encouraged my brother to gamble some more and then invite us up again.

We didn't get back until late, but I think it was a pretty fun trip, full of good surprises. The girls are always fun to be around. They are always so cheerful and bubbly. Maybe it's the frequent napping that keeps them so energetic. I love them to pieces.



Here's a shot of Roy that my cousin took with an iPad Mini at the Apple store in the casino (which I want, BTW). He looks good in his new North Face jacket, don't you think? 


I guess that is my Xmas present for him. He's not big into Christmas as far as the hoopla of decorations, music, and buying presents are concerned. My official gift to him was the Entourage Season 8 DVD. I had no idea what he was getting me and I was very surprised when he brought it out Christmas morning.


It's a KAYAK! I couldn't even get the whole thing in the photo. He says he'll get one in the summer and we'll go kayaking together on the river. Aww, so sweet. Doing things together makes me very happy. Thanks, baby! I love you to pieces, too.

Three more days of work and it's the weekend again.  MD Reunion Time!  Stay tuned.

Friday, December 21, 2012

The End of the World Facebook


I did it!  I was contemplating leaving Facebook at the end of the year but I actually pulled the plug a little early and did it yesterday.  I feel liberated!  Liberated from all the ads, memes, posts on political issues, rants and gripes about everything, and flippant remarks.  Don't get me wrong, there was a lot of funny, interesting, and heartwarming posts and photos that I truly appreciated and will miss on Facebook but they were mixed in with all the crap and nonsense that overpowered the positive.  And after awhile, you start to feel like you've seen everything there is to see.  Why not just scale back, you ask?  "I have an addiction, sir!"

What also bothered me was that Facebook controlled mostly what I got to see and I wasn't seeing everyone's posts and not everyone could see mine unless it reached a certain level of popularity. It never used to be like this.  Plus, every other post is an ad.  I know, I'm complaining about a free service that I was using voluntarily, but things change and rather than filling my brain with the content spewed on Facebook, I am choosing to fill it with content chosen and filtered by me instead (what I have control of, anyway).  There's nothing I'd love more than to fill my time with classes but that, unfortunately, is NOT free.

I'm not saying Facebook is bad for everyone and not everyone behaves badly. It's how I'm perceiving it lately.  For me, as a visual person, what I read affects me more than what I hear and my perception thinking tends to go into overdrive.   Do I really want to judge or know a person solely by what they've contributed on Facebook? Not really. It's not natural.  But when someone becomes unlikable on Facebook, when you know you like them in real life, something is off-kilter. What's causing this? Maybe it's the posts that reveal inner thoughts and prejudices that most people wouldn't say out loud (at least not to everyone they know) or the ones that you don't necessarily want to read about - like about everyday stresses, politics, daily activities, how much you hate people who dot dot dot. There's are good things to read also, but when negative things are easier to see than the positive, it's time to change the view.

TEAM BLOGGER.  I'd oftentimes find myself asking, "how will people take this?" after publishing a post on Facebook. Am I being ignorant? Boastful? Polarizing? It's hard to convey tone without writing a paragraph or two and no one wants to read that much on Facebook.  I think this is why I prefer blogging because you tend to go deeper into what you are trying to express (as in topic + support) and you can edit as much as you want.  I need a buffer to minimize misinterpretation because there's been more than enough times in my life when my words have been taken the wrong way and I never got a chance to explain.  Also, instead of content being thrust upon the reader, the reader seeks you out (or stumbles upon you) and stays with you if what you are writing about resonates with them in a positive way. Team Blogger all the way!

But the number one reason I left Facebook is because my closest friends in (real) life use Facebook rarely, if at all, and isn't that the true purpose of using Facebook? To "help you connect and share with the people in your life?"  I do love me some Coach handbags but they are definitely not my peoples.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Sandy Hook


Today is marked with tragedy.  An event that should never occur but we are unfortunately all too familiar with - another mass shooting - happened, this time at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. My sympathies go out to all the families who, at this very moment, are experiencing the greatest pain that has ever been put upon them.  I can't imagine what the children must be feeling also, to have witnessed and endured such horror.

As impossible as it always seems and as the feeling of utter disbelief subsides, we must pick up the pieces and put forth effort and action in preventing such horrific acts of violence.

Thursday, December 13, 2012

What's for Lunch?

    Today for lunch I'm eating pretzel chips and a homemade muenster cheese dip.  I got the dip idea from Roy's sister, Karen, and it is one of those dips that you can't stop eating!   I've heard muenster is supposed to be really stinky but I don't think it is.


Here's how you make the dip:
Buy a small block of muenster cheese (runs about $4 and change - not sure exactly what the weight is).   Grate the entire block with a cheese grater.  Add about a 1/3 cup of Ranch dressing, and about 4-6 cloves of minced garlic (more or less depending on how much you like either ingredient).  It's meant to be very garlicky but I reduce the garlic to save myself and others from having dragon breath.  Add a half cup of shredded cheddar (for color).  Mix well and that's it!

I like to eat it with these pretzel crisps:


My favorite is the Everything flavor, but I get plain because Roy has a very sensitive flavor palate (a.k.a. picky eater syndrome).  I just got two huge bags from Costco.  The grocery store sizes are not enough and I always run out before the dip is gone.

Lunch time is over, boo.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Basil Pesto


I went to a Pampered Chef party for the first time last weekend and the appetizer the consultant made were mini pesto pizzas.  They were so good I made sure to pick up a jar of basil pesto at Costco.  Last night I added it in my Chicken Alfredo Bowtie Pasta dish and it was molto delizioso!   I know it's nothing new but it's one of those things that make food instantly taste better and it's so easy. I like easy :)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Grand Re-Opening Post


       Lately I've been feeling like I need to go back to blogging or find something to replace wasting spending my time on Facebook.   I really think it's making me emotionally and intellectually retarded or rather, a victim of groupthink.  Plus, there's been studies that show that Facebook users tend to spend more money (source) and that's something I seriously need to curb in the next year or two.

      So, my first tentative resolution for 2013 is get off Facebook for a year (or permanently?).   Think I can do it?  I have 20 days left to change my mind!
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