Fun and Games Dept

Today I have a big smile on my face. It was 15 years ago today that Earl and I had our first date in the lovely city of Albany, N.Y. The date ended up being a six hour drive through the mountains of Vermont and the beginning of a lifetime journey together. When he put my hand on my leg as I was driving my little ’94 Hyundai Excel, I knew that hand would be there forever.

‘Tis true, the man still makes me see fireworks. And smile. A lot.

Just Gorges., originally uploaded by iMachias.

Dear Mother Nature,

I know it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature, and believe me, I have no intention of doing so, but I’m a little disheartened to see that you’re planning on dumping over a foot of snow on our little community tonight.

You see, the calendar says that it’s really close to spring, and while I don’t particularly enjoy the flooded yard or the gray skies, I do like the hopes of a dandelion appearing in our lawn some time before the Fourth of July. It would make me very happy. To compensate for this weather and the effects on my mood, I will be taking extra Vitamin D.

I know that we are suppose to love the snow here in Central New York, but I think we are getting a little sick of it. You’ll probably be still playing this whimsical game come May or June, but could you consider a break for just a moment?

I have included a photo with this post to show you when I’m quite happy with Central New York weather, just as a reminder. I would have autographed it but the computer doesn’t let me do that.

Fondly,

Even though it’s in the low 20s today, the sun is shining brilliantly. It’s starting to show the very early beginnings of spring, even though we are still a month away. This gives me hope that the snow will be gone for a while someday and I won’t have to bundle up to go outside. This cyclic thing works wonders.

The guy that cleans out our driveway has pneumonia so last night I had to fire up the snowblower and do the job myself. Honestly, I’d rather do that than mow the lawn except for the fact that this BMW behemoth kept going up and down the road (from the McMansions at the top of the hill, no doubt) and every time she drove by she would beep at me. I guess she was afraid I was going to ram the snowblower into her behemoth. If I had a brick I would have aimed for her windshield but alas, all I had was some snow and I didn’t feel like getting my hands cold when I took aim. I don’t know why she was going up and down the road multiple times; perhaps her daughters Britney and Brittany had hula lessons or something. I feel sorry for her, because as far as I’m concerned, the larger the behemoth the smaller the appendage. Perhaps driving up and down the road is all she has to do because of this.

I’m being polite.

And yes, I know we drive a Durango but when that’s owned by a company based in Texas, there’s always a chance that big attitudes and big hair are going to be in that vehicle.

Various blogger friends have posted pictures of birds and the impending signs of spring in their neck of the woods. This made me a little bit cranky since we are just starting to see the bird feeder again (it’s been buried since December), but I did almost hyperventilate yesterday afternoon when I saw birds flying in formation as they were headed north. This has to mean something good.

I’m thinking I need to plant a small garden of sorts this spring but I have no idea how to do it. I have friends that I can ask and I probably have people that can do it for me so it’ll all work out. I’m in the mood for some green and some flowers though. Gray and white can only go so far before one gets surly.

It’s a good thing I can see blue sky today.

Yesterday we visited the Earl’s family for the first time in a long while. It has been much too long since we were here last and we enjoyed the visit very much. I have always liked this area.

Our visit coincided with lunch time and hoagies were suggested. Hoagies are called subs where I come from, but they taste the same. We decided to get our hoagies from a place “that has been there forever.” I think it was called Marzati’s or something like that. We took a ride in my in-laws VW Jetta TDI*.

The hoagie place turned out to be a mom and pop corner market. Tiny in size, I think there were three or four generations of a family running the place. The eldest woman asked me to turn on the television that was situated high above the drink coolers. She wanted the weather channel. Perhaps she liked the clouds passing by or something.

One of the best things about this mom and pop shop was it’s uniqueness. Canned good were stacked on the shelves with handwritten bits of paper denoting the price. The place looked to be very disorganized overall, but all of the items were separated neatly into respective “departments”. Rick told the deli man in the back what we wanted, we were told to pick out our fresh rolls from the front display and bring them back to him because he couldn’t get started without them.

The sandwiches were delicious and the folks running the place gave off a genuine caring vibe. This is the type of place that used to be what America was about, but now it feels very old fashioned and out of step with progress. It’s quite sad, really, because beside the generous amount of Philly accent i was hearing, I felt quite at home in the place.

Our society seems geared towards the bland and fastest these days. Perhaps I am falling further out of step with those around me, but i would rather wait 20 minutes for a sandwich and give to the local guy instead of eating the same boring empty calories from some giant corporation. I needed yesterday’s lunch experience to remind me of that.

*I’m loving the VW diesels. They would be much better for my daily commute.

I am becoming obsessed with the game “Words With Friends”. This is an iPad and iPhone app that works much like Scrabble. One can play with random people or friends can seek each other out and challenge each other to a game. I like the game because when it’s my move I can take my time and play when I get the chance. I like the lack of pressure.

I’m not a big fan of playing games on my iDevices. I tried GodFinger and that was okay but I found myself becoming emotionally attached to these virtual people that I was flinging around. I felt guilty when I felt inclined to squish them like an ant. Perhaps it was because they were drawn to be rather cute. Angry Birds is fun for a little while; I especially like their looks and sounds of determination, but I can only fling things at pigs so much before I want a BLT.

Words With Friends is challenging for me. I feel like I’m exercising my brain a little bit when I play. Sometimes I’ll throw up random letters hoping it makes a word that I’m not familiar with and occasionally this system works. Plus, it increases my vocabulary. I don’t recall ever using the words NOIL in a sentence unless I was drunk or something. Nevertheless, it was worth some points.

So today I’m sitting in the sunshine playing some fake Scrabble. Look me up on there if you feel so inclined.

Diner Food!, originally uploaded by iMachias.

Sharyn’s Place, just off the Edic Rd exit off Route 49 in Marcy N.Y.

Taste Test., originally uploaded by iMachias.

I once drove 14 hours in one direction to taste the McRib for the very first time. It was being advertised on WGN and since WGN is in Chicago and I had a few days without work on my schedule, I took the plunge and drove the 12 hours or so to give the McRib a try.

I only had to drive as far as Gary, Indiana.

That was 20 or so years ago. This past week I was driving home from work and noticed on the new McDonalds sign outside of the freshly renovated McDonalds near work that they now had a “BBQ Chipotle Bacon Angus Burger” as the new McTaste McSensation. Naturally I had to give this a try. So I invited my best beau out on a date tonight and we went to a nearby store to give it a whirl.

Quite tasty. This could lead to a very unhealthy addiction. I hope these burgers are for a limited time only.

I reloaded my Arch Card, usually reserved for iced tea purchases, with an extra week’s worth of cash just in case of an addiction emergency.

The burger is quite nice and actually didn’t feel like I was eating anything unhealthy. Earl pointed out that it was basically a McRib with beef instead of pork, so I suppose that’s the reason that I’m lovin’ it. (Notice how I worked that slogan in right there). Not only did I find it tasty but I was also pleasantly surprised to see that it wouldn’t bind me up like the other McTreat I enjoy does, that second burger being the Cheddar Melt.

The McDonalds we went to tonight is owned by a different owner than the store near work so it doesn’t have the new spit shine on it but they’ve spruced up the inside and the help is less surly. It’s a start.

But I’m really lovin’ this new burger. Highly recommended in moderation if you’re into that sort of thing.

I still love the local Subway. It would be perfect if it wasn’t for the customers. Today I observed:

A kid ripping down the chip display as he swung around like a monkey. His mother bought him a medium pop as a reward.

A woman trying to text on what appeared to be a rotary phone whilst asking for fries.

Another woman absolutely floored by the selection of bread. She was unable to make a decision.

I would go on, but I don’t want to sound negative.

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Snow banks., originally uploaded by iMachias.

I love this time of year. A parking lot snow bank makes a great lunch backdrop.

Morning Commute., originally uploaded by iMachias.

The commute wasn’t too bad today.