Two Trips to Church in One Day

I went to church twice today.  First, I went to the 9:30AM service at Glenelg United Methodist Church.  Then, I went to the brand spanking new Pudgie's Pizza in Clarksville

There it is -- just waiting to be opened. 

The world-famous 32-piece sheet pizza. 

The seal of approval - and he works at Ledo's Pizza!

Usually, when I pick up take out, I put the food in my trunk.  God forbid I get a fried chicken, Chinese food, or pizza smell in my car, right?  But, this time, the pizza went right in the back seat.  I can't wait to get back in the car to go to work in the morning and smell that awesome Pudgie's aroma.  I may even sleep in the car tonight.

An Hour With Ginger

I got home from work just over an hour ago.  Kim and Jay are at his basketball game and Nick's on day two of his job at Ledo's.  So, Kim had asked me to feed the dogs.  They usually are fed around 5PM so I'm sure they were in a tizzy wondering what was going on and why they hadn't had their dinner yet.

In any event, before I even had my coat off, I got their food in their bowls.  Here's what's happened in the one hour since then.

6PM: I put food in the dog bowls.

6PM - 6:05PM: Ginger hurriedly rushes back and forth between her dinner bowl and the kitchen, nervously peering over her shoulder at all times to ward off any potential threats to her dinner.  Of course, she doesn't actually eat anything so I have to stand guard and make sure Wally doesn't steal her food while she's running around like the schizo dog that she is.

6:05PM - 6:06PM: I get tired of watching Ginger run back and forth and decide to put my lunch container in the dishwasher.

6:06PM - 6:07PM: Wally's all done and Ginger's food is now gone.  I let them both outside.

6:07PM - 6:10PM: While the dogs run around outside, it hits me that Wally probably ate Ginger's food while I was at the dishwasher.

6:10PM - 6:15PM: Ginger comes back to the patio door and I let her in the house.  She immediately runs back to the dinner bowls looking for more food.  What is wrong with her?  Does she really think that one of these times we're going to put more food in the bowls?  I mean, has it ever happened before?  Why would we start now?  She licks her bowl and then runs over and licks Wally's, too.  She repeats this several times, stopping every once in a while to whine at me.

6:15PM: OK, I'm now pretty sure that Wally ate Ginger's food.  So, I give her a small handful of food just in case.  Then I let Wally back in the house.

6:16PM - 6:30PM: I eat my dinner.  Ginger stares at me the whole time with sad eyes while Wally lays in his bed looking awfully content.

6:30PM - 6:40PM: I have dessert, which consists of one-half of a 10 ounce bag of Utz ripple cut potato chips (that would be 5 servings and 750 calories -- thank God for high metabolism).  Ginger stands 5 feet away the entire time with her head cocked to the side just hoping that a chip will fall to the floor.  Wally continues to lay in his bed.  He has no interest in my food whatsoever.  I'm more convinced than ever that he ate Ginger's dinner.

6:40PM - 6:50PM: I check e-mail.  I leave the study, walk back into the family room and see that Ginger is curled up on the couch.  That dog is crazy.  She sees me looking at her, jumps down, and skulks away.

6:50PM - 6:55PM: I go upstairs and get changed.  Ginger and Wally both follow me.  Ginger whines several times while I'm changing.  I brush my teeth and think about how terrible it is that she's going to go to bed hungry tonight.

6:55PM - 7PM: I take Ginger downstairs, turn on the faucet so that Wally can't hear what I'm about to do, and poor some more food in Ginger's bowl.  She devours it.

Now, I'm thinking that one of us is really smart.  Maybe I'm able to communicate silently with dogs and understood that her sad eyes were saying "Help, Wally ate my dinner and I'm still hungry."  Or, maybe she was thinking "This guy's a sucker.  He never gives us our dinner.  I bet I can pull a fast one on him."  A betting man would probably be wise to put his money on Ginger.

The Biebs vs. The Bob

Justin Bieber and Jennifer Aniston are both sporting new hairstyles.  Let's try to figure out which one is best.

First, the Biebs:



On the plus side:

1. It actually looks like a boy's haircut.
2. That's it.  I can't think of anything else.

On the negative side:

1. Now we can see his eyebrows.  Yikes.
2. Those comb-forward "sideburns."  Yikes again.
3. Didn't he already give us this look when he won the Academy Award for Best Actress in  "Boys Don't Cry?"  Excuse me?  That was Hilary Swank?  Oh, sorry.
4. Poor Tom Brady -- he's going to have to go and get his hair cut now, too.
5. It will be harder now for Justin to whip his hair back and forth, to whip his hair back and forth, to whip his hair back and forth.

Now, the Bob:



On the plus side:
1. The highlights remind me of Brad Pitt -- and we all know how dreamy he is.
2. Nothing beats symmetry.
3. When I look at her, I just want to say "Baby, Baby, Baby, Oh."

On the negative side:
1. Honestly?  There's nothing.

It's the Bob in a landslide.

I Am (Not) An Expert

We just got back this afternoon from a ski trip to Holiday Valley in Ellicottville, NY.  Kim taught me to ski when I was 20.  She had grown up skiing but the Bucci's weren't skiers.  For our first outing, Kim and I went to Swain Mountain in upstate NY.  After a couple trips down the bunny slope, Kim thought I was ready to try the rest of the hill.  She gave me one last piece of advice as we headed up the chair lift for the first time -- "Be aware of what's in front of you.  Whatever you do, don't run into anyone from behind.  It's the worst thing you can do.  If you think you're going to hit someone, just fall down first."

We took a couple of runs and everything was going great.  I was feeling pretty good about myself.  We started down another slope and, all of a sudden, I could feel myself losing control.  There were a bunch of people stopped to my left and I remembered Kim's warning.  Whatever happened, I couldn't hit them.  I shifted my weight to my left leg, managed to make a turn to my right, breathed a sigh of relief -- and plowed straight into Kim from behind.  I completely leveled her.

I've now been skiing for over 20 years and, thankfully, Kim remains the only person I've run into.  I'd like to think I've gotten good at skiing but, the unfortunate truth is that I don't think I have.  Sure, I can ski the expert trails and even make my way through some moguls.  But, the sad truth is that I'm still the guy you see heading down the slope while you're on the chair lift who has you saying "I hope he's not behind me when I'm headed down the trail."  I found this out at breakfast on Saturday when Kim and Jay said "We saw you a couple times yesterday when we were on the lift and you looked crazy.  What were you doing?"  I was practicing my form, I said.  They burst out laughing and proceeded to describe my "form" for me.  I'll spare you all the details but the phrases "bent over," "crooked," and "too fast" were used. 

Speaking of Saturday's breakfast, we ate at one of my all time favorites -- Dina's in Ellicottville.

The Belgian waffle, which is almost as good as ... 

... the corned beef hash with two eggs over easy and homemade white toast!

I may not be an expert at skiing but I can certainly pick the right breakfast spot.

The Grand Opening

Tomorrow is the grand opening of Pudgie's Pizza in Clarksville.  If you've been reading the posts here over the past week, you know that I'm excited about that.  Jay tells me that I'm obsessing about it and I think he's right.  The question is "Why?"

I don't think it's the food.  I remember really liking Pudgie's cold roast beef sub.  And, I used to think that a sheet pizza from Pudgie's was a real treat.  But, once I discovered College Pizza on Third Street way back in the early '80's, that quickly replaced Pudgie's as my favorite pizza in Elmira.  And, I can't imagine that any chain has pizza better than Ledo's here in Maryland.

So, if it's not the food, what is it?  I think it's just the memories.  In 7th grade, I went to Pudgie's for lunch almost every day with Jay Kline or Jimmy Semler.  45 minutes was just enough time to take off from Ernie Davis Junior High School, cross the railroad tracks, buy a slice of pepperoni (I think it was only 35 cents), play a quick game of Space Invaders, and head back.  I'm sure the counter staff thought of us as a bunch of dirt bags -- which we pretty much were.  But, I thought I was pretty cool and, in 7th grade, isn't being cool (or, at least, thinking that you are) what it's all about?

Later on, in high school, I remember going to Pudgie's sometimes with a bunch of guys on a Friday or Saturday night after an evening carousing through the streets of Elmira.  I'm sure that we came off as a bunch of loud, obnoxious 15 and 16 year olds but we were paying customers and what could they do?

I don't think I'll be going to Pudgie's in Clarksville every day for lunch.  And, after an evening of mischief on Big Branch Drive with the dinner club, I don't think I'll be able to convince them that we should head off to Pudgie's for a slice.  But, just knowing that I have the option now feels pretty good.

About Those Kleier's ...

I ended my last post by saying the day would have to end well because it was a Thursday, which meant that a new episode of "Selling New York" was going to be on HGTV that evening.

HGTV is one of my four go-to channels.  The complete list is ESPN (no explanation needed), The Big Ten Network (particularly during football season), Discovery ID (re-runs of Dateline plus original broadcasting like "Who the $#%! Did I Marry?" and "I Almost Got Away With It"), and HGTV.

On HGTV, nothing beats "Selling New York."  On the show, you follow 3 different NYC real estate firms (CORE, Gumley Haft Kleier, and Warburg) as they work with clients looking to buy or sell properties in metro NYC.  The properties range from homes in the Hamptons, to townhomes in the Village, to multi-million dollar apartments in Manhattan.  Everything is over the top.  The clients are highly unlikable.  The realtors are completely full of themselves.  I don't like any of them -- except for the Kleier's.  I just love them.  It's hard to explain why but I find them irresistible. 

Michele Kleier is the matriarch and founder of Gumley Haft Kleier.  She is perpetually tanned, made up beyond belief, and appears to be about 4'10".  I'm no fashion maven but her clothes seem one size too small.  Her hairstyles always leave something to be desired.  But, enough with the negatives.  Michele pulls no punches with her clients.  She knows what's right and is not afraid to tell her clients when they're making the wrong move (in fact, I think she enjoys it).  She works, works, works, works, works.  I would not want to be on the wrong side of an argument with her.

Then you have Michele's two daughters: Samantha Kleier-Forbes and Sabrina Kleier-Morganstern.  One's a brunette and one's a blond.  Other than that, I can't tell the difference and, you know what, who cares?  All I know for sure is that they're Michele's daughters, they love real estate, they're amazing friends with all their clients (you think?), and they both appear to never show a house without popping open a bottle of wine to celebrate.

Anyway, the show is awesome.  Super-rich clients.  Hyperactive real estate agents.  Apartments with 1,500 square foot outdoor terraces.  The promise of huge commissions.  Is it Thursday yet?

http://www.ghkrealty.com/

Bad News - Good News

Let's start with the bad news.  I lost a sale at work today that I never should have lost.  I'm saying "I" instead of "we" because that's how I feel.  The opportunity was teed up perfectly but our presentation was not strong.  I could tell during the meeting that we weren't connecting but couldn't pull us out of it.  I just can't excuse myself for it.  I should have had the team better prepared.  I thought I knew the client, I thought they were in our corner, and I failed to consider that someone else would come in hungrier, more passionate, and more compelling.  All simple stuff, really.  I hate losing and I hate it even more when I know I could have done more.  I'm really angry with myself right now.

On the bright side, right after posting about Pudgie's Pizza last night, would you believe that they're actually opening a Pudgie's franchise right here in beautiful Clarksville?  I saw the news on HowChow.blogspot.com (one of my new favorites) and confirmed it on the Pudgie's site.  How coincidental is that?  For a brief moment, I even forgot about my work woes.  I could almost taste the sheet pizzas, garlic pizzas, roast beef hoagies, and all their other wonderful treats.  I was sorry to see Artie's go but replacing it with a Pudgie's is awesome.

OK, I'm feeling a little bit better.  And, I have "Selling New York" to look forward to tonight.  I just love those Kleiers.

Call of Duty > Guitar Hero (Which Means Jay is Officially All Grown Up)

Activision announced today that it is going to stop making its Guitar Hero game. Guitar Hero just isn't profitable enough any more.  Instead, Activision is refocusing its attention on its more successful games, like Call of Duty.

This bums me out.  I don't play either game.  My experience with video games is limited to my time at Pudgie's Pizza in Elmira.  I would go there during lunch in middle school, get a slice of pizza, and play a game or two of Space Invaders or Galaga.  I also spent some time there during Monday night religious ed for a couple weeks during 8th grade -- up until someone (I think it might have been Chris Coggins) told Father McCabe that Hugh Thorner and I weren't in class because we were over at Pudgie's playing video games.  My punishment was an immediate confession.  It wasn't too bad.  Right off the bat, I said "Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.  I skipped religious ed to go play video games at Pudgie's."  Father McCabe burst out laughing from the other side of the screen and gave me my 10 Hail Mary's and 3 Our Father's and that was that.

Anyway, the real reason I'm bummed about this news is because it cements it for me that Jay has grown up.  There was a time when Guitar Hero was his favorite game.  That was back when he would still share the couch with me while we watched TV and he'd let me fall asleep on top of his bed at night.  Gradually, he moved past Guitar Hero to Call of Duty.  Now, I'm lucky if "Killer" and I can agree on the same TV show to watch and I can't remember the last time I went in to tuck him in at night.  I think I'm going to give it a try tonight for old time's sake.  We'll see what happens.

"This Is My Favorite Song"

I've driven Kim and the kids crazy over the years by proclaiming so many songs to be my favorite.  It's never "This is one of my favorite songs."  Instead, it's always a definitive declaration that "This is my favorite song."

The problem that they have is that I say it so often and about so many different songs.  They may have a point as I've been known to pronounce two different songs my "favorite" during a single 10 minute drive to the food store.  They think it's impossible to have more than one favorite song at any given time.  But, to me, it makes perfect sense that I could have so many favorite songs at any one time.

Right now, the song that I genuinely like most is "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People.  I don't know what it's about for sure although I think it might be about some kind of shooting spree.  What I do know is that it's catchy, it sounds different than everything else I'm hearing right now, and it's got whistling.  What could be better than that?

Last week, I was driving Jay home from basketball practice.  We were listening to Hits One on Sirius and I announced that they were playing my favorite song.  It was "We R Who We R" by Ke$ha.  OK, Ke$ha really can't sing and she's super trashy.  The lyrics are ridiculous.  Here's part of the chorus: "We're dancing like we're dumb - dumb - du - du -du - dumb.  Our bodies going numb - numb - nu - nu - nu - numb.  We'll be forevery young - young - yu - yu - yu - young.  You know we're superstars.  We r who we r."  I'm never going to download the song.  But, no matter how easy it might be to dismiss it, I know all the words.  And, I always listen to the whole thing when it comes on the radio.  It's completely mindless fun and that's why it's my favorite.

Then, of course, there's the favorite song I heard on the drive home from work today.  It was "Love Vigilantes" by New Order.  It's an oldie but a goodie that tells a great story.  It's almost like a screenplay in 3 minutes.  It also brings back memories of my friend Doug Miller at Bucknell.  We used to hear it on WVBU and we'd both say, often at the same time, "This is my favorite song."

So, I'm introducing a new feature on the blog.  You'll find it just to the right of this post.  It's called "My Favorite Song."  I'll update it frequently so you can hear what's fitting the bill for me, right now.  Hopefully, more than one will become your favorite, too.

Why Am I Not Featured on Oprah's Stunning Supermodel Reunion Show?

Oprah is really pulling out the stops for her last season of shows.  Today's show should be awesome.  She's calling it the "Stunning Supermodel Reunion Show."  I want to know why I wasn't invited.  Seriously.

I had a brief but successful career as a male model in September 2009.  I was featured in a campaign that ran throughout the metro DC area.  The highlight was my appearance on a billboard right near Prince George's Hospital Center.  My lovely face was also on the side of Metrobuses.  OK, it was for the American Heart Association's START Heart Walk, not Abercrombie & Fitch, so I had to keep my shirt on.  It wasn't a solo campaign -- I had to share space with five other people in the ad.  And, no, I didn't get paid.  But it was advertising and I was in it.  That makes me a model.  When I saw the finished product, I felt super because they used the wonders of technology to make me look like the tallest person in the ad.  Doesn't that make me a supermodel?

Interior Decorating

We moved into this house on February 1, 2001.  So, we just marked our 10-year anniversary of living the American dream in our excellent Toll Brothers home.  How did I celebrate?  By bringing the ladder into the family room, climbing up, and piercing the bulging drywall to let in the water that is leaking from the roof.  It was quite the celebration.

I bet the HGTV dream home doesn't have a 28-foot extension ladder in its family room.

Up close and personal.  Isn't it lovely?

 

I knew we shouldn't have gotten the skylight option.