Friday, October 31, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Friends in Philly
So I got an on-site job interview in Philly (Cherry Hill, NJ) last week, and remembered that I had some good friends that just moved out there, the Paynes. I emailed David to see if they wouldn't mind getting together. Here's a snippet of our email conversation...
Well my polite reply was that my Heroscape gear would require a second suitcase, and then I'd have to pay those ridiculous check-in baggage fees, so I wouldn't be bringing it. Well, they weren't kidding when they said it would affect the decision.
Worst. Trip. Ever.
They decided to show me the town. The company gave me a rental car, so I was able to drive out to my hotel and get settled before I met up with them. Why didn't David warn me there's a toll to come from NJ into Philly? $4! Luckily I had $5 cash on hand. David told me to meet them at the 30th street Train Station. They usually have good parking available. I parked in short-term parking, which was expensive. I figured we'd only be out 1-2 hours, so I didn't mind paying $12 or so.
We started our evening outing with a crazy-long drive through the ghetto of Philly to the other side of the city to have some cheesesteaks. What? They sell those EVERYWHERE! Why did we need to drive for 40 minutes to go to this particular restaurant? Ok. It's supposed to be the best. We got there, and had some fun eating and talking. The food was pretty decent, especially the pickle.
From there we headed back to the city center to check out the famous Rocky steps. They made me run all the way up those steps! At least they were kind enough to take my picture with Rocky.
Their daughter Angelique was hilarious. She was jumping around at the top singing the Rocky songs.
After our Rocky retreat, we drove around some more trying to find a creepy jail/museum. Now they had a GPS device, but I think David was intentionally ignoring it. We drove around for 10 minutes just to wind up back at the Rocky steps. Then we took a left and 1 minute later there was the jail. Sheesh. It was a pretty cool looking penitentiary. It was all old and brick and towered. Fun stuff.
We finished off the night with the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. It took forever to find parking on the street. But I was stoked to see the Bell. We get there and I start asking about its history. IT'S NOT EVEN FAMOUS FOR ANYTHING! They used to ring it. That's it! People rang it once upon a time. I'm pretty sure lots of bells are like that. Do we find cracked bells that entertaining? Independence Hall was pretty cool, too. I tried to salvage the evening with another great picture. We tried to look philosophical, but I don't think it worked. (Thanks a lot David)
So to top off the evening, they dropped me off 3 hours and 10 minutes later to my parked car. Did I forget to mention it was in short-term parking? Well, 3 hours is only $20. I could have swallowed that and been fine. The extra ten minutes you ask? That cost me $12 more! So $32 dollars later I sulkily drive my way back to NJ.
The interview went pretty well I think. I certainly enjoyed myself, and the job sounds amazing. We'll hear about it in a few weeks. The final part of my trip ended in hysteria. Remember how I only brought $5 cash with me? Well, I haven't remembered my Debit Card pin since I opened my account. I never use cash anyways. Who does anymore? Oh yeah, TOLL BRIDGES do! So I ended up begging at a gas station for $3. A nice lady gave me the money and said she knew where her blessings came from. Amen sister. I was praying for a kind soul just like you.
I'm hopeful for the job. It'll be interesting working there and living on the east coast again. And at least if we move there, I'll have my Heroscape stuff close at hand. That way we can still be friends with the Paynes.
That would be awesome! I usually take Tuesday evenings off anyway.
I’ll talk to Bethany about it and I’ll give you a call tonight.
I forgot to ask…Will you be bringing HeroScape? It does affect the decision...
Well my polite reply was that my Heroscape gear would require a second suitcase, and then I'd have to pay those ridiculous check-in baggage fees, so I wouldn't be bringing it. Well, they weren't kidding when they said it would affect the decision.
Worst. Trip. Ever.
They decided to show me the town. The company gave me a rental car, so I was able to drive out to my hotel and get settled before I met up with them. Why didn't David warn me there's a toll to come from NJ into Philly? $4! Luckily I had $5 cash on hand. David told me to meet them at the 30th street Train Station. They usually have good parking available. I parked in short-term parking, which was expensive. I figured we'd only be out 1-2 hours, so I didn't mind paying $12 or so.
We started our evening outing with a crazy-long drive through the ghetto of Philly to the other side of the city to have some cheesesteaks. What? They sell those EVERYWHERE! Why did we need to drive for 40 minutes to go to this particular restaurant? Ok. It's supposed to be the best. We got there, and had some fun eating and talking. The food was pretty decent, especially the pickle.
From there we headed back to the city center to check out the famous Rocky steps. They made me run all the way up those steps! At least they were kind enough to take my picture with Rocky.
Their daughter Angelique was hilarious. She was jumping around at the top singing the Rocky songs.
After our Rocky retreat, we drove around some more trying to find a creepy jail/museum. Now they had a GPS device, but I think David was intentionally ignoring it. We drove around for 10 minutes just to wind up back at the Rocky steps. Then we took a left and 1 minute later there was the jail. Sheesh. It was a pretty cool looking penitentiary. It was all old and brick and towered. Fun stuff.
We finished off the night with the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. It took forever to find parking on the street. But I was stoked to see the Bell. We get there and I start asking about its history. IT'S NOT EVEN FAMOUS FOR ANYTHING! They used to ring it. That's it! People rang it once upon a time. I'm pretty sure lots of bells are like that. Do we find cracked bells that entertaining? Independence Hall was pretty cool, too. I tried to salvage the evening with another great picture. We tried to look philosophical, but I don't think it worked. (Thanks a lot David)
So to top off the evening, they dropped me off 3 hours and 10 minutes later to my parked car. Did I forget to mention it was in short-term parking? Well, 3 hours is only $20. I could have swallowed that and been fine. The extra ten minutes you ask? That cost me $12 more! So $32 dollars later I sulkily drive my way back to NJ.
The interview went pretty well I think. I certainly enjoyed myself, and the job sounds amazing. We'll hear about it in a few weeks. The final part of my trip ended in hysteria. Remember how I only brought $5 cash with me? Well, I haven't remembered my Debit Card pin since I opened my account. I never use cash anyways. Who does anymore? Oh yeah, TOLL BRIDGES do! So I ended up begging at a gas station for $3. A nice lady gave me the money and said she knew where her blessings came from. Amen sister. I was praying for a kind soul just like you.
I'm hopeful for the job. It'll be interesting working there and living on the east coast again. And at least if we move there, I'll have my Heroscape stuff close at hand. That way we can still be friends with the Paynes.
The Cheerleader
Grandma sent this costume in. Brooklyn didn't quite get the whole pom-pom thing. Maybe I need to cut them in half or something. We're working on her cheers...
Go Cowboys!
Go Cowboys!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Kitty
We saw this costume at Old Navy, and thought she'd look cute in it. She received so much attention at the store, that she didn't want to part with it. She screamed bloody murder when we took it off her. So we decided to invest. Now she doesn't take it off....
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Celeste's Books and a Ode to the Dollar Store
So I'm addicted to the Dollar Store. It's right across the street and I feel comfortable to let Brooklyn roam around freely, knowing if she'll break anything its....... ONLY A DOLLAR!!!! Ha Ha the power!!! So embarrassedly I go there about 2-3 times a week.
If you want to know what's at the Dollar Store- just ask, and have the WHOLE inventory in my head. String? Nope. Shoelaces? Yes!
You can even start building your 72-hour kits and get a gallon of water for.... A DOLLAR!!!
Sooooo... I have another passion... decorating for the holidays. Especially if I can MAKE a crafty thing for the holidays. So combine these two passions and what to you get..... TOO MUCH MONEY SPENT AT THE DOLLAR STORE!!!
So Here on the few things I've boughten this year to decorate and make....
These garden-steak-post things were really ugly at the dollar store, so I repainted them. Spiderwebs of course, and a creepy gravestone, with mummy hands coming out.!! Booohhaaa!!
A Halloween tree- Only $6 to create this look. (plus an old pot)
Wreath- Walmart ($3), All others- Dollar Store........for a grad total of $6!!!
Haunting Witching Tree- ($4) 4 witches for a buck each!! Fantastic!!
I'm worried that it's only the 5th of the month and I have 24 days to go till Halloween. Sooo I'm glad I get paid on the 15th because there is still so much more the dollar store has to offer!!!
On to Some Reading
*** Loved it
** Liked it
** Time Paradox- Mix in some more fairies and skipping around in time and you have some more Artemis Fowl fun. Enjoyed this more than previous Artemis books.
**Year of Wonders- A womens courageous struggle while stuck in a village during the black plague. Good historical fiction.
** Mysterious Benedict Society- Children who are more brilliant that for their own good, are inducted to a society where they must solve adult problems. Very fun- and keeps you guessing.
*** Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey- Fun mystery adventure where the characters you've grown to love, are faced with more challenges and puzzles. I liked this better then the first one.
*** The Pillars of the Earth- Read the whole 1,000 page book in 5 days. Couldn't put it down. the characters were my friends and I couldn't' just leave them hanging- I had to see what happened! Its a depiction of the Dark Ages, while trying to build a cathedral sooo.. Warning- some scene are pretty "R" rated, so you might want to skip a few pages.
**Poison Study- Romance, adventure, action, this book has it all. Young girl is condemmed to die, and is offered to be the king's food taster for poison. Brad even suggested the book to me, and I was so surprised cause the protagonist is a girl! Shocking!! (I think he mostly like it cause the girl was hot on the front cover.)
** Magic Study- 2nd book in the series. Still as enjoyable with a little more fantasy elements.
** Fablehaven- Grip of the Shadow Plague- 3rd book in the series. These books just keep getting better! Excited for the 4th book!
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