Sunday, December 27, 2009

Maggie's Birthday

We celebrated my sister Maggie's Birthday this afternoon with a lunch at Gracie's Grill on Pleasant Valley (near Broadview Road) Road in Parma, OH. The participants were Kathleen, Mike Schabel, Bob, myself, and of course, the birthday girl. Maggie discussed the Christmas celebrations that she and Mike attended for those who weren't in attendance. Kathleen discussed her post Christmas shopping. Bob, Mike, and I contributed to the conversation while looking at the Browns game that was being shown above our table. It was a nice meal.

After lunch, we went back to Mike and Maggie's house for cake. It was a nice white almond cake. When halftime approached, the three guests left. On the way home, we stopped off at Marc's (http://www.marcs.com) for some supplies. We then came home and watched the Browns win. (Kathleen went home before the game ended.)

About half an hour after the game ended, I went to Taco Bell and had dinner. I picked up food for Bob's dinner at Taco Bell and food for his dinners at work from Arby's. I then picked up supplies from Dollar General. I then came home and watched the Eagles beat the Broncos. It was an interesting fun-filled day.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Christmas

The day started at St. Leo's Church on Broadview Road in Cleveland, OH for 10:00 Mass. The attendance was very light, but those in attendance enjoyed an interesting homily about Christmas traditions. Father O'Donnell mentioned some classic movies such as It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, and Christmas Vacation. He said no matter how you celebrate Christmas is okay, but don't forget Jesus. (It's a paraphrase, but it is true. Father O'Donnell also didn't mention illegalities.) A short time later, Bob, Kathleen, and I brought up the gifts. Bob handled the money. Kathleen had the water and wine. I had the bread (Host). Father O'Donnell accepted the gifts and wished us a Merry Christmas. (There was a slight delay since he had no server to help him.) The Mass went on as usual with no major changes. Father O' Donnell ended the Mass with an amusing followup on the Homily. His amusement continued even after he was in the back of the church. I wish I could remember all the things that he said, but the point is memorable.

Shortly after Mass, Kathleen and I left for Maggie and Mike's house in Parma. (Bob was drafted to work.) We enjoyed ham, cheesy potatoes, corn, baked beans and sausage, salad, and various other accompaniments/appetizers. We also enjoyed desserts such as cheesecake, key lime pie, nut roll, and a few other desserts that I skipped. They're not my favorites, but I was full anyways.

Between courses, we opened gifts (At least, some of us). Most of the gifts were for Kendal and Hayden. Unlike most young kids, opening presents did not excite them. Tomorrow, they will open up more gifts at Mandy and Paul's. (They were both "present" for today's celebration.) Maybe, there will be more enthusiasm. Also, I hope that there is an entertaining report on the Kendal-Hayden blog about Christmas (All celebrations).

It was a nice event. Besides the people whom I have already mentioned, Tim, Lois, Mike Schmidt, and Marnie were also in attendance. Christmas dinner will be relatively boring. I'll let you know what I ate after I ate it.

In closing, the Gift Exchange names will only be available to the regular participants this year. They can e-mail me if they are interested. After about a week, I will send it in a small (or large) group e-mail. I'm sorry for the change in procedure.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Paul and Mandy's Anniversary (and One Other Item)

I forgot to do this on their actual anniversary, but in this case, it's better late than never. My niece Mandy and her husband Paul celebrated their first anniversary on December 18. I hope that they enjoyed the present that Bob and I gave them. I expect to see them on Christmas. I did not see them on Thanksgiving or at the Schmidts' visit to Maggie and Mike's house two days later because they were on their belated honeymoon in Florida.

Speaking of Christmas, my gifts have been purchased since December 10. I just have to mail them or directly give them to the recipients. It shouldn't be too complicated.

My next report will be on or after Christmas.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Thanksgiving and the Schmidts' Visit

Thanksgiving went smoothly at Maggie and Mike's house. We had most of the traditional fixings. The food was tasty and plentiful. Bob and I left with a lot of leftovers that are mostly finished now.

We had a nice group of people to enjoy Thanksgiving. Our participants included Kathleen, Joe, Bob, Maggie, Mike (Schabel), Aunt Rita, her son Johnny, and myself. It was nice to see my aunt and cousin again.

After Aunt Rita and my cousin left, I performed the Christmas Gift Exchange. The people who were left (Joe was gone at this time because he was under the weather, but he chose his person before he left.)picked names out of a hat for themselves and for those not present. Each person buys for only one person with a $45-$50 spending cap. In general, submissions are e-mailed to me, and I send them to their person. We have been doing this since 1990. We have gained and lost people over the years, but one thing hasn't changed. The fun in shopping has continued (for most of us).

Another fun event occurred on Saturday. The Schmidts came over to Maggie and Mike's for Beef Rotini, (Some people may call it slumgullion, which is a watery meat stew. Noodles, pasta, or anything else were not specified. I learned all this in the dictionary. Until now, I would have spelled it with an "n" instead of an "m".) corn, rolls (cinnamon and Pillsbury Grands), and various pies. It was good to see Kendal, Hayden, and their parents again. Other participants include the Thanksgiving group (Minus Bob, Rita, and Johnny) plus Tim and Lois. It was a fun experience. I hope Christmas and Maggie's Birthday are as much fun.

Until next time, have fun shopping!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Costco

On Wednesday, I passed out crab cake samples at Costco in Strongsville, OH through Adecco, an employment agency. After taking two buses to get to Southpark where I had lunch at McDonald's, I walked to the Holiday Inn near I-71 (About a ten minute walk from the mall, it would have been a little bit closer from the bus stop closer to Costco, but I left at 10:00 A.M. because I had good coordination between buses at this time. It also allowed me to have lunch in a "leisurely" manner before my 12:30 start time.) because the coordination and bus (Not RTA) trip to Costco originated from there. At Sign-In, I received my visor, apron, and hairnet. After the brief orientation and short bus trip, I was eventually placed at the Crab cake Sample area. I had two partners. One partner quietly disappeared as her shift was over. The other partner did all the cooking with a convection oven. She also did the sample size cutting and the placement into the baking/serving cups. I passed out most of the samples and refilled the supplies which were replenished by another temp worker, so we didn't have to leave our station. I also offered appreciation for shopping at Costco.

Although I arrived later, I was offered break and dinner first. Since we weren't supposed to wear our watches, we were given a timer for our breaks. The timer distributor was also our relief. Dinner consisted of a complimentary hot dog and soda ($1.50 value as a package deal)
which was ''paid for" with a manager's business card which we were given at sign-in. I also had a large slice of pepperoni pizza (Only $1.99). I added two types of mustard and pickle relish to my hot dog (Foot Long). The food was filling, but a little spicy. Unfortunately, while I was looking for a fork or spoon to eat my relish that fell out of my hot dog, a staff member threw my wrapper with the relish out. At least, I finished the hot dog.

We ran out of boxes for the samples, and they weren't giving us any more since closing was in about an hour. Before leaving the store, we took our carts to the office area near the restrooms to clean them. We were then sent to the snack bar to wait for the bus back to the hotel to sign out. My crab cake partner gave me a lift to the bus stop because it was raining. (The bus stop was past Costco, since RTA didn't add a bus stop to accommodate Best Buy and the rest of the stores in the strip because it would have been a difficult maneuver after a left turn from Howe Road.) The bus arrived shortly after being dropped off. Since I was between buses, I walked home from Broadview and Pearl Roads after departing the bus. The walk home was uneventful except for the rain. From the time I got on the bus on Royalton Road to arriving home, it was just about an hour. It was a fun day at a very popular sample stand. I was very surprised. I didn't know crab cakes were so popular.

On the next day, I was offered a last minute offer to work at Costco again that day, but I wasn't home to receive the call. It would have been difficult to make it on time although I would have had coordination between buses. I could have had more fun (and more money).

My next report should be after Thanksgiving since I will be sending Gift Exchange e-mails to my immediate family. Have a nice Thanksgiving. I'll be in touch.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Happy Birthday, Paul

Today is my nephew-in-law Paul's birthday. I hope that he and Mandy had a nice celebration. It's a privilege to have you in our family.

The next report will be forthcoming.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Bus from North Olmsted

I mentioned a bus problem in my last post. As we were leaving Ruby Tuesday, we just missed a bus that I wasn't expecting to make. Perhaps, we would have made it if the pen to sign the receipt worked. Fortunately, another bus was coming shortly. This particular bus was coming from the Cuyahoga-Lorain County Line. Normally, the bus would have continued on Lorain Road all the way to the West Park Rapid Station. At this time of day (Around 6:00 P.M.), however, it went to the North Olmsted Park and Ride (near I-480) before turning back to Lorain Road and its usual route. Since Bob and I do not normally ride this bus in the time period, we did not fully know how the bus would travel. The schedule did not show any unusual derivation from the two routes. (The bus sometimes ends at the Park and Ride instead of going to the County Line. ) As a result, Bob would not let me go back one stop to make sure that we made the bus. Fortunately, the bus did as Bob expected it to do, much to our relief. After the train, another bus, and a fifteen minute walk, we made it home safely. It was a day to remember. (See the last post.)

(For further reference, go to http://www.riderta.com . Check out the 20A, 35, 46, 49, 52, 55, 66 (The train), and 75 schedules. It's too bad that they got rid of the Circulators because the maps would have illustrated "clearly" what I didn't fully discuss in my last post. )

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Burrito Tale #2

On October 26, Bob and I went to Qdoba in Rocky River, OH to enjoy a free burrito because it was a birthday perk from the restaurant's E-club. As it turns out, both burritos were free because I had earned a free entree with my Qdoba Card which I have had for awhile. (It's like a Frequent Flier card for restaurants.) The burritos were tasty.

After lunch, we went to Crocker Park in nearby Westlake. We bought nothing at the lifestyle center. It's no big deal since browsing is one of our favorite activities.

Since we were in the area, and I had a Dillard's/American Express bill to pay, we decided to patronize Ruby Tuesday near Great Northern Mall and Plaza in North Olmsted for dinner. Originally, the plan was to patronize the Ruby Tuesday in Seven Hills (on Broadview Road). (Coincidentally, Qdoba is across the street.) We could have hit both restaurants in one simple trip, but the area is not interesting enough to spend the time between meals there. Also, it's a one bus trip from our house if you go at the right time.

To get to Great Northern, first, we took a bus to the Westgate Transit Center in Fairview Park. We were then going to take a short bus trip on West 210th St. to Lorain Road in North Olmsted, so we could take another bus to Great Northern. I discovered that we had some time to kill due to RTA service cutbacks, so we walked down to Westgate in Fairview Park (partially in Rocky River) to do some browsing. After browsing, we crossed the street to catch our bus. While waiting for our next bus, two RTA school buses chose not to pick us up, although these buses are supposed to be available for regular passengers. Fortunately, our bus was coming soon.

Three buses after we started, we finally made it to Great Northern. It would have been a lot simpler a month earlier because the trip from Crocker Park to Great Northern was a one bus trip. Surprisingly, the trip back to Westgate Transit Center on the same bus would have been longer than the route we used to go back since the bus took a wide loop through North Olmsted and Fairview Park that we won't discuss at this time. There was a second bus to go back to the Transit Center with two separate loops (One went through Bay Village (too complicated to discuss), and the other one, which was simpler, mostly used Detroit Road (We went back on Detroit Road on this trip.) to go back to the Transit Center. (This route still exists for the most part, but the bus has changed. The route has also been simplified.) (There is still a second route from the Westgate Transit Center to Crocker Park. It uses Center Ridge Road as this bus did before, but instead of ending at St. John West Shore Hospital, it goes all the way to Crocker Park. (The bus that used to go to Great Northern from Crocker Park also went to this hospital and then to Crocker Park the exact same way that the current bus does now. The current bus now begins and ends at the Transit Center instead of going to Triskett Rapid Station in Cleveland.))

To make a long story short, buses similar to Airport/Hotel/Rental Car shuttles were eliminated by RTA due to budget cuts. Crocker Park is now served by regular buses (Regular buses went to Crocker Park in the past, but mostly in Rush Hour.) Crocker Park to Great Northern is more complicated, but since we don't do it often, we can live with the hassle.

After finally making it to Great Northern, I paid my Credit Card bill. We then did some browsing. Believe it or not, we actually bought something. It was hairball relief for Katie (our "earth tone colored" cat.). This purchase came from Petsmart. Originally, it was a prescription, but since she enjoyed it, we decided to buy some more after we found similar stuff over the counter. Our black cat, Morgan, enjoyed it, too, but it wasn't meant for her. Both cats receive cat treats after Katie's "medication". I guess the cats are living the high life.

After Petsmart, we finally went to Ruby Tuesday. I had a birthday perk from my E-club membership of a free burger. We enjoyed our burgers. I paid the bill. There was a delay because the pen to sign the credit card slip didn't work. I used the pen from the front area. We then took many RTA buses and the Rapid (Not in that order!) to eventually reach State and Natchez and then walked home (We took a slightly longer walk than normal home, since our regular bus's frequency declines after 7:00 p.m.) (There was a moment of "panic" at Great Northern, but I have confused you enough for one post.). It was a long but memorable day.

Until next time, stay safe.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

My Birthday Celebration

We celebrated my birthday at Dimitri's in Parma tonight. The participants were Kathleen, Tim, Maggie, Mike (Schabel), Joe, Bob, Mandy, Lois, and Paul. We took advantage of the Sunday special. With a few exceptions, the entree, choice of potato, rice, or spaghetti, soup, salad, rolls, dessert, and beverage are bundled into one package. In some cases, a vegetable format of their choosing is included. The menu does not reveal this situation in some cases. My meal of Broiled Boston Scrod included a vegetable. After we finished dinner, I opened presents at the restaurant. In general, Best Buy benefited from my birthday. Hopefully, the lottery tickets from Patty and Dan SR. will be winners. I will let you know. After leaving Dimitri's, Bob and I watched sports and noodled on my computer. It was a nice celebration.

By the way, out of ten dollars spent, five dollars will come back to me, but I will let Patty or Dan SR. buy some more tickets. Tune in to find out.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

My Birthday

On Wednesday, I turned 39. Bob and I went to breakfast at Eat 'n' Park. We took advantage of their $3.99 breakfast special consisting of three eggs, three pieces of bacon or sausage (patties), choice of potato, and toast. I also had a free dessert with an entree coupon from my membership in their club. Surprisingly, I was able to take advantage of it at breakfast time. I chose New York Style Cheesecake, but I ate it later that evening.

After coming home, I made a trip to the Parma-Snow Library. (Since Eat 'n' Park is next to the library, I could have stayed up there, but I wanted to return some materials which I didn't bring to breakfast.) I then went to Giant Eagle to buy some cereal. They were out of the Golden Grahams that were on sale, but otherwise, I was successful. I came home and had a light lunch.

Since I had a free entree (except fajitas) coupon from Moe's Southwest Grille, I went to the outlet near Parmatown. I had a chicken burrito, chips and salsa, (Kaiser and El Guapo's Infamous) and Coke. I could have taken a bus towards home after dinner, but I was on the hunt for Golden Grahams, so I went to the adjacent Giant Eagle. I struck out again. I also planned to buy cough drops from Dollar Tree. It could have waited till the next day, (I was near a Dollar Tree store on my trip to the Rocky River Library.) but I took a chance. I was successful, but I missed my bus (It was either early or mis-marked as a bus headed back to the garage.). I then walked down to the Transit Center. I eventually took two buses (I barely made the second bus because the first driver left late after saying he wasn't taking his break because he was late arriving.) to Broadview and Pearl and walked home from there. I watched TV (when I wasn't on the phone) and relaxed. It was a birthday to remember.

Tomorrow is Celebration Day. Details will follow.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Happy Birthday, Mandy (and Other News)

Today is my niece Mandy's Birthday. I hope that she enjoyed her day. If I find out any details, I will let you know.



In other news, Bob bought a Digital Camera at Staples in Brooklyn, OH on Monday. Eventually, he will receive a $50 Gift Card from Staples. I also hope to provide some "great" pictures to this blog eventually. I picked up a Memory card yesterday at Super Wal-Mart in Strongsville, OH, but it hasn't been installed yet.



I was in Strongsville to acquire anti-virus/anti-spyware software from Best Buy that will be free for six months. It should have been offered to me when I bought my computer last week. Bob and I learned about the offer when we were at Best Buy in North Olmsted, OH on Monday. Since we were going to Staples later that day, (We also wanted to catch a bus.) we didn't investigate the offer until we visited the Best Buy next door to Staples (For the record, H.H. Gregg across the street is in Cleveland. The other side of Brookpark at that point is in Parma. Best Buy's location is shown to be in Parma in their correspondence. There is nothing wrong with Brooklyn. K Mart accepted being in Brooklyn when they were in Best Buy and Staples' current complex. That's more than you needed to know.) .

An employee in the Computer Department gave us a disc. He referred us to the Customer Service Department. Since we didn't have the original receipt, I presented my credit card. A copy of my receipt was produced. In order to attain the offer post purchase, I had to "return" and "re-buy" the computer. The new price was over the original price because the Gift Cards were not properly taken off. Eventually, the price was slightly lower than I paid, but my Credit Card was rejected due to "insufficient funds." We had the deal reversed.

Yesterday, I tried again. The same procedure was going to happen again, but a clerk, who knew how to handle it fluently, arranged it so that I didn't have to re-buy the computer. Also, the disc was a different brand, which lessens the panic based on the potential information that the other company may have received from Best Buy." Hopefully, my Credit Card Statement will show the original price after all the adjustments. I'll let you know.

Super Wal-Mart was not a problem, although the Memory Card was two dollars cheaper at Wal-Mart Online. I bought it anyways. Tune in to find out.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

My New Computer

Yesterday, I bought a new laptop computer at Best Buy in Strongsville. Bob and I had looked for a similar model at Staples. It was one that had to be ordered in-store. They were out of stock in the warehouse, so the store couldn't order it. On Monday, Bob and I saw this computer. Best Buy and American Express were offering a $40 Best Buy Gift Card with a $200 or more purchase at Best Buy with an American Express Card. Unfortunately, registration was required, and I hadn't read the details, so I didn't buy the computer at that time. They didn't have this computer at Best Buy at Steelyard Commons, so we went back to Best Buy in Strongsville yesterday. This time, Maggie was the chauffeur, so we didn't have to cart the computer by bus. The purchase went relatively smoothly until a Rewards Zone Discount was handed over after Gift Cards were used. We had to start over. Thankfully, I hadn't swiped my credit card yet (The machine was ready, but the clerks were not.). Eventually, the transaction was completed.

Surprisingly, the purchase was less cumbersome than the registration performed on Monday via the Internet. It would have been easy, but a Security Code was required. It was only partially visible on my card. My "guess" was rejected, but it was a "technical" problem that was "fixed" by the time that Bob entered the code. Unfortunately, I was on the phone trying to attain the code. The options offered in the customer service system were "appealing", but useless. After three calls and two phone numbers, customer service was heard as an option. After a brief wait, I spoke to an operator who didn't have the code, but promised to send me a new card where the code would be visible. Hopefully, everything will work out to my satisfaction.

We put the computer in the upstairs hallway closet until today. The installation was pretty smooth, but the main problem was that we thought the remote was missing from the box, but it was eventually found. Internet access exists, but the computer is not in the printer network yet.

The computer works so far, although the mute button changed colors and would not change back although the mute function worked properly. Somehow, the problem was fixed. The cause and solution are both mysteries, but the media controls are a little sensitive, and they are too close to the "insert/scroll" and "delete" buttons. On second thought, let's just say that it's a mystery that may never be solved.

The computer will be an adventure until I get used to it. At least, I have "formal" laptop experience of approximately eight months. An external wireless mouse will also help. Tune in to find out more about my adventures with the computer and in life.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Bob Evans and Anniversary Gifts

Bob and I bought gift cards for Bob Evans Restaurants for Mike and Marnie and Dan JR. and Laura's Wedding Anniversaries. In the case of Mike and Marnie, we bought their gift card at the Independence, OH branch while paying for dinner on September 2. Unfortunately, the cashier thought that we were using the card to pay for our dinner, so she removed it from the cardboard. Apparently, most of her customers do not make it more portable before using it. Also, the card was not activated yet. It all worked out eventually.

To avoid a repeat experience, we bought Dan and Laura's card at Giant Eagle across from Midtown in Parma, OH (I usually pick up gift cards at places that sell other people's cards, anyways) on September 28. The Self Check Lane was used in this transaction. (I use this method when possible.) The transaction worked fine until we were going to use a coupon from Discover Card to save some money. We tried to use it before swiping the card. Since it's not a routine coupon, the procedure was unclear to us. Giant Eagle did not know how to handle it, either, so the coupon is still in my brother's possession.

I hope that both couples enjoy their meals. This is normally not a problem. The experiences are memorable, nonetheless.

The next report will be about my new laptop. (This is not a misprint!)

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Happy Anniversary, Dan and Laura!

Today is Dan and Laura's sixth wedding anniversary. Let's hope that they enjoyed themselves (although the Browns lost on an overtime field goal that looked like it was missed). I am sure that our present will bring pleasure to them and their young kids. Details will follow!

Meanwhile, Dan's parents are in Los Angeles visiting their son, Patrick, as he works as a sound engineer for the Los Angeles Dodgers who are entering the playoffs, which means more work for my nephew. The Dodgers and the Red Sox would be fun to see in the World Series. In fact, anyone but the Yankees would be nice (Sorry, Dave). The playoffs should be exciting, but the Indians' presence would have made it more enjoyable. There is always next year!

The next post will reveal the anniversary gift. There's a good story attached to it. Tune in to find out.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Happy Birthday, Dan SR.

Today is my brother-in-law Dan SR.'s birthday. For my new audience, he is married to my sister Patty. Dan JR., Patrick, and Amy are their children. Amy Marie and Emily are their grandchildren, whose parents are Dan JR. and Laura.

I had the pleasure of speaking with him at Emily's baptism two weeks ago. I helped to clarify a story about Amy Marie and her toy mailbox. As she was enjoying her new mailbox at her birthday party on May 30, the mailman showed up in Dan JR. and Laura's backyard because he had mail that was too large for the mailbox. Of course, the mailman had to pose for a picture. My contribution to the story was that the present was opened in the house, not in the backyard.
She was still enjoying it by the time the group moved to the patio to enjoy the fresh air as the party was at its climax. Parties at Dan JR. and Laura's house are usually memorable.

I hope that Dan SR., Patty, Amy, and Dave (Amy's Husband) were able to celebrate this event in a joyful manner. Bob and I gave him a nice present of a Best Buy Gift Card. (Radio Shack is only under his wife's supervision, but we all know that he may sneak out when she is not looking. Yeah, right!) I am sure that our gift will be used responsibly.

Happy Birthday, Dan SR.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Mike and Marnie's Anniversary

Yesterday, Mike and Marnie celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary. They celebrated it over the Labor Day Weekend. Details are on the Kendal-Hayden blog.

My next post will be about last Saturday Morning's events.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Shopping (The Sonic Story)

This morning Kathleen (She stayed overnight!), Bob, and I went shopping at Marc's (We bought cookies and salmon in a pouch.), Giant Eagle, (It was a failure because they were out of Wildwood Cola.) and Dollar General (They had Clover Valley Cola available at the same price as Wildwood Cola.) in the Broadview-Snow area of Parma (Assume that it's Ohio unless I say otherwise.). In between, Giant Eagle and Dollar General, we got food from Sonic in the Midtown parking lot. We ordered from a drive-thru style board, but it was in a space where you can park to wait for the food, brought by a carhop. We had hamburgers, fries, (Not Tater Tots, but Bob had a sample in his bag) and Cokes with no ice (Kathleen's was Diet!). We all had special orders that were successfully executed. The food was O.K., but coupons that we didn't have may have made it more of a value. By the way, Bob and Kathleen had cheese, but I did not. Since it was a hamburger, cheese cost fifty cents extra.

On the way home, Bob and I voted in the Cleveland Mayoral Primary at the Brooklyn Heights United Church of Christ (Actually in Cleveland, but only a few minutes away from Brooklyn Heights). After dropping us off at our house, Kathleen went home. Since the weather forecast (It was raining during this trip, so lunch was in the car. Also, Dollar General was in the direction near home.) was questionable, Kathleen planned to exchange the tickets for a game in either April or May (Not Opening Day, though). Tune into this blog for further details.

Monday, September 7, 2009

My Day and Night of Fun

Kathleen, Bob, and Maggie were attending the Cleveland Indians-Texas Rangers game tonight at Progressive Field. I came along to eat dinner with them. When we parked Maggie's car near the entrance into Tower City Center, we were surprised to learn that the doors were locked. After someone arrived to eventually unlock the doors, we walked down to the next set of doors. Although it appeared that the doors were locked, we were able to get in the building. However, when we reached the food court, nothing was open. The stores were all closed as well. When we walked by the second floor entrance of Hard Rock Cafe, it also appeared that they were closed, too. As we were going upstairs to find something nearby that was open, we discovered that Hard Rock Cafe was open. There was a waiting list with a beeper. Bob and Maggie had walked down the hall out of view when the beeper went off. We found our table and had a nice meal. The funny thing about the wait is that the lower level seating was available. Apparently, they open that section on weekends and/or special occasions.

As the others went to the stadium to wait out a rain delay that is now a postponement, I caught a bus to get me closer to home. The bus arrived at a reasonable time. The ride went smoothly until a group with a wheelchair and a stroller were waiting at the stop near the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. They initially did not want this bus until the driver told them that the bus goes to the Parmatown Transit Center. The driver had to go down the street to allow the people to enter the bus. The gentleman with the stroller had to collapse it (A rare event!). The wheelchair person had difficulty settling into the wheelchair area. (Normally, this isn't too unreasonable, especially since wheelchairs are rarely secured on RTA these days.) We finally started moving. I got off and walked home in about fifteen minutes in the rain.

It wasn't my first long walk of the day. I had two twenty minute walks when Bob and I walked to and from Broadview and Pearl Roads from our house to catch a bus to Southpark Mall in Strongsville, OH. We ate lunch at Five Guys Burgers and Fries adjacent to the mall. We didn't buy anything at the mall, but I bought some lottery tickets at a Speedway gas station on the way home. It was a long and exciting day.

The next report will be Transit-related.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Emily May Have Been Chosen, but Amy Marie Was the Star.

Yesterday, Emily was baptized at Blessed Sacrament Church in Warren, OH. Unlike Amy Marie's Baptism, the Mass was traditional. Just like the aforementioned Baptism, however, this one occurred after the Mass. It was like the first half of a weekday Mass. Thankfully, there was no Cleveland Browns game on TV to miss. In addition, the Church's procedure was abridged as the Litany of Saints was omitted. Also, there was only one baptism yesterday. The baptism went smoothly although Amy Marie said "Hi" to everyone at the beginning of the service. There was also one funny moment after the Baptism when Amy Marie tried to go into the Baptismal font. I then noticed that the font resembled a jacuzzi. She's a genius, just like her great-uncle!

We then went back to Dan JR. and Laura's house in Howland Township, OH for some breaded chicken, meatballs with tomato sauce, rigatoni, salad, rolls, cake, and cookies. The food was delicious. We then visited with various guests. When we weren't visiting, Amy Marie danced and stomped all over the place. Thankfully, there weren't too many kids to compete for the spotlight. Dan SR. also played guitar and harmonica to entertain us. In addition, he sang "Puff the Magic Dragon." It was a night to remember. Emily's presents were not opened in our presence, but Bob and I presented Amy Marie with a coloring book on Ohio Highways which she appreciated. I can't wait for the next family party!

The next report will be about our adventures earlier in the day.

Friday, August 28, 2009

The Picture of the Great-Nieces

On the Kendal-Hayden blog, the second picture featured in the August 24 posting has Maggie holding Kendal, and Dan JR. holding Emily. The third picture has Laura holding Amy Marie, Marnie holding Hayden, Maggie still holding Kendal, and Mandy holding Emily. This all took place at Paul and Mandy's Wedding Barbecue on August 8 at their home in Barberton. (By the way, for those outside Northeast Ohio who have read the aforementioned blog, Cleveland is just a generic catchall to cover our area. Akron works better in this case. If you want to see the clearer picture, read my blog.)

An edited version of the previous paragraph will appear as a comment on the Kendal-Hayden blog. It's a nice picture, but a picture of just the great nieces would have worked just fine. Three of them can walk, and one will eventually walk, if things go according to plan. At least, there is evidence that I have four great-nieces. You will have to wait to see if the family expands. Things could get interesting if that happens.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Happy Birthday, Amy!

Today is Amy's birthday. I hope that she and Dave enjoyed her first birthday as a married couple. I am happy to report that I will see them at Emily's Baptism, scheduled for September 5. Details will follow.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Happy Birthday, Joe!

Today is my brother Joe's birthday. Let us hope that he enjoyed a nice joyous birthday. Sears will benefit from our (Bob and Bill) generosity.

Tomorrow's post will be similar.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Mandy and Paul's Party

Before we begin the party story, I will post two titles that I should have used for this post.

1. The Bridal Registry Is Still Missing, So We Wrote Checks Instead.

2. Kendal, Amy Marie, Hayden, and Emily: Together at Last

Last night, we had a celebration to celebrate the marriage of Paul and Mandy. It was a barbecue at their house. They eloped in a civil ceremony on December 18. (I just learned that date yesterday.) The food was enjoyable. It was your "traditional" barbecue fare. I missed a lot of it, but what I had was enjoyable. We'll skip the cast of characters because there are too many unknowns. My birthday party in October is the probable next time you'll see a list.

However, I will mention that all my great nieces were in one place for the first time ever (See Title 2.). Unfortunately, I came to the party after they all arrived. Also, I observed them separately so I can't give any stories of interaction. There was a mention of a picture, but it wouldn't be from their parents' cameras since they forgot theirs. (Maggie forgot hers, too, and we don't have a functioning camera at this time.) By the way, my conversation with Marnie confirms the first time status of this event as she had never seen Amy Marie, let alone Emily in person until yesterday. I hope that my readers appreciate the significance of this event!

It rained during the early afternoon. We were caught in a heavy downpour as Bob and I were on our way to St. Columbkille's Church in Parma by bus, but the rain ended by the time that we made the party. (Actually, Mike Schabel drove us to his house to wait for Maggie to come home from a wedding shower for a former co-worker's son.) At least we had a large garage that prevented a total damper that would have rained on our parade. (Excuse all the puns!) It was a fun event, although it was a little crowded. If we didn't have the garage, occupancy limits may have been "violated". Also, there is now a bathroom in the garage now that was recently constructed. Since the garage is not connected to the house, I can call it a fancy outhouse. (Think Port-a-Potty for most of our generation.) I must stop with all these water references

The next major event without a full cast of characters on this blog will be Emily's Baptism on September 5. Details will follow. Of course, if anything interesting happens, I'll report it.

Squeaky

I should have reported this sooner, but our longest lasting cat, Squeaky died on July 25. Due to liver problems, nourishment became a struggle when force feeding became a necessity the day before. Maggie, Mike (Schabel), Bob, and I tried to feed her, but success was limited. She let out a wailing sound that evening, but I thought that it was a sign that she wanted to be left alone. I checked again, but I received no response.

On the next day, Bob and I buried Squeaky near her predecessor, (Informally known as Little Sister) who died when her head was trapped by the side of our rocking recliner when I was sitting in the chair on April 21, 1997. Squeaky joined the family the next day. Our goal was to provide some joy to my mother who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer months earlier. Mom was able to enjoy Squeaky until July 21, 1998 when she lost her battle.

By the way, Little Sister's sibling, Tigger is still with Marnie. Her husband and kids inherited him as time progressed. Sobe the Cat (Mike Schmidt's cat who joined the family on my 30th birthday in 2000) and Cheeto the Dog complete the pet roster. I haven't see the pets in years or at all. As long as they're healthy, that's all that matters.

My next report will be more joyous.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

My Day

Today was an interesting day. It started with a trip to the Brooklyn Animal Hospital (Actually in Cleveland on Pearl Road). Squeaky the cat had not eaten in days, and she has some "gunk" in her eye. We learned that she was constipated. She is being held overnight. Bob, Maggie, and I will be picking her up in the morning. There are more technical details, but I am trying to keep it simple.

Later in the day, after my trip to the Maple Heights Library, I went to Super Wal Mart in Bedford to pick up some Lean Gourmet dinners. I struck out there. I manage to miss the bus to downtown by a few minutes. I then take a short bus ride to the Southgate Transit Center. I then take a bus down to the Warrensville-Van Aken Rapid Station to catch a train downtown. Any other day, I would have had connections. Unfortunately, we were delayed by twenty minutes because Barack Obama was on his way out of Shaker Heights, where I was, after speaking at the high school. I was going to go to Super Wal Mart at Steelyard Commons to attempt the shopping that I failed to do earlier. It was getting late, so I decided to go to Save-a-Lot by my house to buy some bananas. I made it downtown in time to make a bus that would use the freeway to speed up the trip. Unfortunately, I attempted a shortcut that is beneficial when the Indians and/or Cavs are in town. I learned that the Walkway to Gateway is only open for special events. I then try the Federal Courthouse Walkway. I went all the way through the underground parking lot. I went back into Tower City and left through the entrance near Euclid and Ontario Avenues. I walked to catch one of two buses to take me to Save-a-Lot. After a longer than anticipated wait, I caught a bus, bought the bananas, and headed for the bus stop to catch my bus home. There was a bus laying over to relieve a bus that had broken down somewhere along the route. My bus was coming soon, but the driver of the layover bus invited me on his bus. I assumed that he was leaving soon (It originally said "Not in Service.") . Of course, two minutes later, my expected bus went by, but my driver left a few minutes later. He thanked me for waiting. I then came home and relaxed. Next time, if the next bus is coming soon, I will take it. I have had enough inconveniences for one day.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Mom

Around 10:00 P.M. eleven years ago, my mom lost an approximately year and a half battle with lung cancer. Fortunately, she was surrounded by my dad and all eight of her kids at our house. Let us hope that she is looking down at us from heaven as she is "celebrating" with her loved ones already with her.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Happy Birthday, Lois

Today is Lois's birthday. I hope that she had a nice day full of joy. Let's hope that she remains a part of our lives indefinitely.

She has been a part of my life almost four years now. I met her on July 18, 2005 when we had a gathering at Maggie and Mike's house in Parma to see Patty when she and Dan SR. were in Ohio to attend their nephew Jim's wedding in Cincinnati. Dan SR. remained at Dan JR. and Laura's house in Chardon (They now live in Howland, OH with their two daughters, Amy and Emily.) because there was a problem with their then newly-built garage. We had a nice visit, but I can't remember anything interesting that happened that night. I wish that I had this blog back then. I could have refreshed my memory. My new readers whom I have or haven't met since then would also get a great story.



By the way, I looked at another book on blogging, but I didn't note the title, so I'll reveal it next week when I hopefully see the book again. Until then, enjoy life. It could change in an instant.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Blogging for Dummies

There is a book called Blogging for Dummies by Susannah Gardner and Shane Birley that was published in 2008. It is a second edition of a book with the same name originally written by Brad Hill in 2006. I noticed the newer volume at the Maple Heights (OH) Library on Tuesday, but my first glance was on Wednesday at the Parma-Snow Library. I learned about the original volume tonight from the Cleveland Public Library Web Site while researching this blog entry. (Before I visited http://www.cpl.org, I noticed the authors of the second volume when I went to the Cuyahoga County Public Library Web Site (http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org). Eventually, both books will be coming home from the library. If I find anything useful from either book, this blog will hopefully benefit immensely.

My next report will be in a few days.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Happy Birthday, Dave! and Other Tales

My nephew-in-law, Dave Goldberg turns 28 today. It's his first birthday since he married Amy. They live in Auburndale, (Newton) MA. They were planning to come to the Warren area to see Amy's brother Dan, his wife Laura, and their two daughters, Amy Marie and Emily. If I hear anything, I'll let you know.


Speaking of great-nieces, there has been a link to Kendal and Hayden's blog on this blog for awhile now. Now, Mike and Marnie have reciprocated. It's listed under "Uncle Bill". My goal for this link is to get Mike and Marnie's friends to read this blog, especially the tales of Kendal and Hayden with "accurate" locations.


Locations are important to me. I like to travel to exciting places. Unfortunately, I do not travel as much as I like. I did go to Massachusetts this year for Amy and Dave's wedding, but I generally stay within Cuyahoga County, OH., unless I am riding with someone to some occasion.


I traveled to the Akron area by bus on June 18. Regular bus service was free on Akron's Metro RTA to encourage use of public transportation. I went to Chapel Hill Mall. I didn't stay long as there was nothing exciting to see there. I looked for an interesting place for lunch. The most interesting place in my "budget" turned out to be a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut Express. Quizno's would have been fun since most of the locations in the Cleveland area (At least the ones that I have patronized) have closed. A four dollar "Torpedo" was tempting, but the size was unknown, so I settled for a Grilled Chicken Taco and a Bean Burrito. It was satisfying.

I then took the scenic route through Cuyahoga Falls, Stow, and Akron's Merriman Valley area. After a stop at Akron's Main LIbrary, I then went out towards Lakemore. I visited the Tri-County Plaza. (JcPenney, Family Dollar, Radio Shack, and Goodwill are the anchors.) Chapel Hill Mall is an improvement. I then walked near where Mike and Marnie were married almost five years ago. I then headed back to Akron's recently opened Transportation Center to catch a bus back to Brecksville. I then caught a bus to downtown Cleveland. Yes, I could have gotten off at Brecksville and Rockside Roads, but Discount Drug Mart and Walgreen's can only kill so much time. I could also have had dinner at one of the many restaurants in the area, (including Quizno's) but I decided to save money and go home to dinner.

It was an interesting day that went relatively smoothly. My only fear was that I could have missed the bus back to Akron's Transportation Center when I stopped at Giant Eagle to grab an Akron AT&T phone book that may or may not have been available. The first copy had a ripped cover, so I exchanged it. Fortunately, I made the bus easily. Even if I missed it , I would have probably made the last bus back to Brecksville. Let's just say that I prevented any unnecessary stress.

In closing, I wish everyone a happy and safe Fourth of July and a happy Canada Day.


dd

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Kendal and Marnie's Party

On Saturday, we celebrated Kendal's 3rd and Marnie's 30th birthdays at Mandy and Paul's house in Barberton, OH (near Akron). The party was held in their garage, which is very huge. Unlike past celebrations for Kendal, I knew all the guests and their connections to the birthday girls. (There was one exception. Mandy and Paul's neighbors made a cameo visit as the party was winding down.) The food consisted of pulled pork, spicy lemon chicken, sloppy Joes, cheesy potatoes, and fruit salad, among other things. Kendal was served hot dogs. We enjoyed two birthday cakes, cheesecake, cookies, and Rice Krispie Treats for dessert.

Before dessert, however, we watched Kendal and Marnie open up presents. The most memorable present for Kendal came from her Uncle Tim in the form of "legal" snake fireworks. Kendal insisted on having all of them lit before the party was over. (The neighbors brought over sparklers. Hopefully, they made it home to Michigan.) Due to the rainy weather, they didn't work as well as expected, but at least, no one was injured. (Kendal and Lilly (Mandy and Paul's Cocker Spaniel) approached the fireworks, but they avoided danger.) We enjoyed visiting with the party guests. In closing, this was a party to remember.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Hayden and Kendal in Ohio

As expected, Hayden and Kendal stayed with Gary and Ann (Mike Schmidt's parents) in Medina, OH. Kendal had a "small" celebration with Gary and Ann on June 3. The guest list was not known by my source, Maggie. On June 4, Maggie and Mandy celebrated Kendal's third birthday at Chuck E. Cheese in Fairlawn, OH (Near Akron). Hayden did not attend this party. Kendal appeared to have a fun time riding the rides.

Speaking of Kendal's birthday, I can now RSVP for Saturday's party in Barberton, OH. Mike (Schabel) and Maggie will be chauffeuring me. The bus from Brecksville's VA Hospital to Downtown Akron provided by Akron Metro RTA does not run on weekends. Also, the #35 and #77F buses from Cleveland's RTA do run on weekends, but coordination is a question mark. Fortunately, I am usually driven to any family event, which makes things less stressful as public transportation can be unreliable at times. The rides are also appreciated since I get insights on people's lives. This blog may benefit from the information someday.

Until next time, use my RSS/widgets to gain insight.

Happy Birthday, Marnie

I would like to wish my niece Marnie a belated Happy 30th Birthday. Her birthday was on June 8. If I am able to make her daughter Kendal's third birthday party on Saturday, I will see her then. Of course, I will report on the party when I return on Saturday night (If I am not too tired).

I still don't have any details about the cliffhanger of where Kendal and Hayden really stayed while Mike and Marnie were on a cruise to the Bahamas last week. (I guess that the Detroit River wasn't good enough, ha-ha.) I have a theory or two, but you will hear about them only if I find it either on the Kendal-Hayden blog, or if I hear about it at the party or from other sources. You will be informed in my usual humorous style. Tune in to find out.

Friday, June 5, 2009

It's Not Twitter, But It Works. (Well, Almost)

I didn't e-mail Marnie. I'll just have to deal with her and Mike at Kendal's party on June 13. I'm not too worried. I doubt that they have read any of my recent entries, anyways.

I bought some more peanuts, as well as trash bags, tissues, and two candy bars at Marc's at the Parmatown Plaza in Parma, OH. I then went to the nearby Giant Eagle and bought some cheap but enjoyable soda. It wasn't the store brand, but Wildwood soda only cost me 69 cents for a two-liter bottle. I could buy three-liter bottles at the nearby Dollar Tree for a dollar, but I would be taking a chance fitting them in our refrigerator. I'll talk to Bob about it someday. Finally, I took the #79A bus to the McDonald's at Pearl and Denison in Cleveland to get Bob his McDoubles for the week. I then took a short trip on the #79 bus (I don't know if it was the A or the B, but I think it was the B because the A buses crossed paths as I got off my original #79A.) to make connections with the #18 bus which takes me closer to home than the #35 bus would have. I then came home.

I'll be reporting again soon.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Happy Birthday, Kathleen (June 3)

I wrote this post yesterday from my alternate blog site at http://www.multiply.com/.
They offered to import the entry to this site, but it failed since I wasn't properly set up to do this. I have sent all my blog entries over to Multiply, but rest assured, you will still see them in their original location. Here is the post including the alternate blog address.

As most of my readers know, today is my sister's birthday. We have already celebrated it. You can read the post about the party, which was written on May 31, 2009, on this blog. This post is the first one written from my alternate blog service. Here's the address:

http://billmcdonnell.multiply.com/journal .

This version doesn't have the widgets or comments that the regular blog includes, but it is perfect for those who don't like clutter. I added this service a few months ago when one of my groups moved over to Multiply from the defunct MSN Groups. I decided to see what it was like. I was relieved when I learned that my Blogger/Blogspot blog still exists in all its glory. You all can rest assured that my standards have not decreased in this new format.

Keep enjoying this blog.

Happy Birthday, Kendal

Today is Kendal's third birthday. We will be celebrating it on June 13 at Mandy and Paul's house in Barberton, OH. By the way, Hayden and Kendal are not staying with us while their parents are on a short cruise. Fortunately, most of my readers know that we are not likely candidates to babysit since Bob and I don't drive. The blog should have said "Cleveland area". I am hoping that we have a conclusion to the "cliffhanger". You'll get an update from me if you don't go to the Kendal-Hayden blog first.

Speaking of cliffhangers, I went to Discount Drug Mart in North Olmsted as I said I would, but came home empty handed as far as candy bars go. I did pick up dry-roasted peanuts (Same price as Aldi's regular price) and cashews from the Walgreen's across the street, though.

I will report again soon!

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

A Tribute to Danny McDonnell

On the third anniversary of my brother Danny's death, I visited the bridge over the Chippewa Creek in Brecksville, OH where most of his ashes were scattered. I visited the Brecksville Library (Sister Library to the Parma Snow and Parma South libraries mentioned previously) to enhance my pilgrimage experience. I picked up books on St. Louis and Religion in Ohio. I used the self check circulation system. It's different from the original self check system in Fairview Park and the one at the Main Branch of the Cleveland Public Library. I had used this particular version once before in Strongsville. My advice is to use the attached keypad instead of the touch screen when entering your PIN number. You should also use a gentler touch to prevent double-clicking. Once you know what you're doing, the system is very user-friendly. The old system was not too difficult as long as the laser beam and the bar codes were in alignment. Isn't technology wonderful?

I then walked down to the Brecksville Shopping Center. I bought some candy (Four Snickers Bars at thirty-nine cents apiece) at Great Freight, but I walked out empty handed at Giant Eagle and CVS. I then walked down to the bridge over Chippewa Creek and offered some sentiments to my brother. I threw some pebble-like fragments into the creek as I like to throw gentle things into the water. I then walked over to Heinen's to look for things to buy. I almost bought some laundry rust removal that was a very good price, but I decided that it was not desperately needed. I'll just have to wait to make my first purchase at Heinen's. It's funny that I have purchases from each of my Hannaford visits (I did not buy anything during my brief visit to the store's predecessor, Victory, in July 1993. It was a brief visit to the Fitchburg, MA store while my sister was looking for shoes at K Mart for her son, Patrick. At least I can say that I was there.).

I then took the #77F bus to visit the Discount Drug Mart in nearby Independence to pass the time as I waited for a #35 bus to take me home. I bought some more candy bars there. It was three Nestle brand bars for ninety-nine cents. They also had Nestle Crunch Crisp Candy Bars that were four for a buck, but they were out of them. Maybe I'll have better luck at the North Olmsted store if I go to the nearby Fairview Park Library on Thursday. I'll let you know. Even with the minor disappointment, it was a successful trip that ended smoothly.

By the way, I may have to edit my last post because I may have forgotten to mention that
Regina High School is in South Euclid, OH. I believe that place and location are important. The Kendal-Hayden blog would be much improved as you will see after I e-mail Marnie about this.

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Kathleen's Birthday (AKA Fun with Nuns)

We celebrated Kathleen's birthday tonight with a dinner at Regina High School in South Euclid, OH. We had strip steak, mashed potatoes, corn, fruit salad, rolls, and beverages. Chocolate cake and a variety of ice creams were also served. Presents were opened. In a contrast to Amy Marie, the gifts were mostly gift cards. During the whole evening, we reminisced about family, trips to the Boston (Mostly Us) and Philadelphia (Not Us) areas, and religious traditions (Anointing of the Sick and Missals). The nuns learned a lot about us as a family. Incidentally, we were actually offered leftovers which we gratefully accepted. We had a nice time entertaining Kathleen's friends.

Before coming home via Kathleen's car, Bob treated Kathleen and me to ice cream from Honey Hut on State Road in Cleveland. Honey Hut was very popular, but we were able to get a table. It was a nice night to eat ice cream al fresco (Honey Hut has no indoor seating.), and the ice cream was delicious. We then went home and entertained Kathleen for about an hour. She then drove home. I am sure that she really appreciated us as we were the only family members who were available to attend tonight's party. This party will be one to remember for a long time.

In closing, I would like to wish a Happy 2nd Birthday to Amy Marie.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Hannaford Rules! (AKA Hannaford Is the One.)

In yesterday's post, Hannaford is the name of the store where I made several appearances during my visit to Marlboro, MA two weeks ago. They took over Victory Supermarkets several years ago. By the way, Officemax was visited in between Hannaford appearances. I provide this information because I like to provide location details for my adventures.

Amy Marie's Party and the Coronation of Emily

The title is based on the title of the story of Kendal's second birthday and the "official introduction" of Hayden to our family.

We celebrated Amy Marie's second birthday this afternoon in the Warren, OH area. It is really tomorrow, but Patty and Dan SR. have to go back to Lancaster, MA because Patty has jury duty starting on Monday. Maybe she and Bob can swap notes as he had jury duty in Cleveland a few months ago.

We ate hot dogs, pulled BBQ pork, pasta salad, strawberries, grapes, cake, and ice cream.
Before dessert, Amy Marie, with the assistance of Dan JR., opened presents. She received a lot of toys, but her favorite presents were a little pink guitar, a mailbox, and a tricycle. I hope that the future present(s) that come out of the Borders Gift Card that Bob and I gave her give her (and her parents) just as much joy. By the way Dan SR. played his guitar and a harmonica during the opening of presents and the singing of "Happy Birthday."

Once again, we enjoyed the presence of the collection of Sweeneys, McDonnells, and Grahams, among other names at the party (No Goldbergs or Schmidts (I plan to see them on June 13 at Kendal's 3rd birthday party.)). Emily attracted attention, of course, but Amy Marie was the real star today.

After the party, Mike, Maggie, and I went to St. Columbkille's Church in Parma for a Pentecost Mass. I then came home. It was a nice day to enjoy the outside, but most of us stayed inside until the group was more "adult." I hope that Kendal's party is just as enjoyable.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Amy's Wedding: Beyond the Wedding

On May 15, 2009, we left for Boston from Akron-Canton Airport. The group consisted of Bob, Kathleen, Maggie, Mike (her husband), Tim, Lois, Mandy, and myself. The flight took off late, but it went relatively smoothly. After collecting our luggage, we took an Avis shuttle bus to pick up our rental car. We waited a long time because our original minivan only seated seven. Fortunately, they found a large GMC Yukon that seated eight. Unfortunately, it was very uncomfortable because there was very little room in the back for all the luggage that we had. We had no trouble finding our hotel in Marlboro, MA, thanks to Mandy's cellphone GPS. Following our respective organizations, we went to a nearby Wendy's to grab a very late dinner (close to 10:00 p.m.). We then settled in for the night.

The next morning, we took advantage of the complimentary continental breakfast at our hotel (The Embassy Suites). It consisted of Made to order omelets, fried potatoes, cereal, juices, milk, fruit, breads, cottage cheese, and beverages, among other things. Although Bob and I went down independently, we ran into loads of family. In addition to my traveling caravan, we saw Dan SR., Patty, Patrick, Aunt Rita, and her son Johnny. It was , nice to catch up with relatives who we don't see a lot. Eventually, some of us (I don't remember all the participants for this portion.) went to the nearby R.K. Center to do some shopping. I personally looked for local newspapers and soda for our time in the hotel room. I found an acceptable deal on the soda until I discovered there was a deposit of five cents per can. Since we don't have that surcharge in Cuyahoga County, OH, I was not amused. I found the newspapers on a return trip to the store. We then picked up some takeout lunch from Wendy's. Once again, I was not amused to find that takeout food was taxed (Not just soda, as it is in Cuyahoga County). I told the clerk about being either from Cleveland or Ohio. He was "speechless." We eventually prepared to attend the wedding. Bob and I went with Johnny and Aunt Rita to relieve the congestion in the "minivan". Thanks to Bob's navigation from the directions provided on the wedding website that Johnny printed out, we made it to St. Michael's Church in Hudson, MA. Eventually, the wedding began about fifteen minutes past the scheduled 2:00 P.M. start, but it was over before 3:00. We then congratulated the bride and groom and the bride's parents (I met the Groom's father the next day.). We then went back to the hotel to relax. Bob and I were going to make a cameo appearance at the "pre-reception" at the hotel, but we ran into family members who wanted to be on the early shuttle to the reception in Stow. Fortunately, although we were supposed to register a month in advance, we were all able to take advantage of it anyways. It kept us from getting lost in the dark. Darlene did an exceptional job in chauffeuring all of us to and from the reception. We then relaxed at the hotel. Since I didn't dance, I wasn't too tired.

The next morning was an encore of the continental breakfast. Eventually, Maggie, Mike, Bob, Mandy, Kathleen, and I went to Solomon Pond Mall. It was nothing special. I almost ate lunch at D' Angelo's in the mall, but since Tim and Lois expected to want to go to lunch, we went back to the hotel. As it turns out, Tim, Lois, Maggie, and Mike (Who got food from Wendy's on the way back from the mall) all wanted to relax, so Bob, Kathleen, Mandy, and I walked down to
Five Guys Burgers in the R.K. Center for some food. I learned a lesson about Five Guys. The Veggie Sandwich is not a Veggie Burger. It's just all the Vegetables you want from the available toppings. It wasn't too unpleasant, though, although I would have added more toppings if I knew beforehand. A Veggie Burger would be a nice addition to the menu!
We then went back to the hotel to relax. Eventually, we headed out to Lancaster to visit Dan (SR. and JR.), Patty, and Amy Marie. Amy and Dave were going to join us, but they were very exhausted from the wedding. We enjoyed Pizza from Sterling Pizza (The proprietors live next door!), salad, beverages, and wedding cake, which was still delicious the next day! We enjoyed the camaraderie, although "Good Night" to Amy Marie was a scene straight out of the conclusion of a Waltons episode. I hope that Amy Marie appreciated the exercise. After some family pictures, we headed back to the hotel to relax in anticipation of the next morning.

On day four, we ate, packed, and headed for the airport. Since Patty and Dan SR. were taking Dan JR. and Amy Marie to the airport, most of our luggage went in their car. We then flew back to Ohio. Despite a little turbulence, we arrived safely at Akron-Canton Airport. Since Laura was picking up Dan JR., we met Emily for the first time (for most of us, anyways). Mike and Maggie took Bob and me home. It was a wonderful trip.

Tomorrow, we celebrate Amy Marie's second birthday. Expect a full report tomorrow!

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

The Meaning of the Last Post's Title

I had a comment about the title of my last post. It refers to the title of the post about the December marriage of my niece Mandy to Paul, which was an elopement. Amy was registered at Bed Bath and Beyond and Crate and Barrel, but I gave her cash instead. I hope that clears up the confusion.

Friday, May 22, 2009

I Found the Registry, But Money is More Fun.

On Saturday, May 16, 2009, my niece, Amy Sweeney, married David Goldberg at St. Michael's Church in Hudson, MA. It was a dignified event. The weather was pleasant with the temperature in the low 60s. Rain was limited to a few drops before and after the reception. The ceremony was less than 45 minutes long. The Flower Girl was my great-niece Amy Marie Sweeney, daughter of Dan JR. and Laura. She stole the show as she "ran" up the altar. Her father ran up the altar after her. We all enjoyed the act. After all, she is not quite two years old. We'll skip the rest of the wedding party for now because there are more interesting stories to tell (I hope I didn't offend any of the Wedding party.). The readers of the Scripture are in the same boat. I will mention that my nephew Patrick was a huge part of the ceremony. He escorted his mother (also Amy's Mother) during the opening procession, read petitions, joined his brother, Dan JR., in bringing up the Eucharist, and acted as the reception's DJ. An interesting note is that since the servers were "AWOL", Amy and Dave handed the gifts to the priest. The wedding went pretty smoothly, other than the difficulties in rolling the bridal pathway down the aisle at the beginning of the ceremony. Amy and Dave were officially married by 3:00 P.M.

After the wedding, we congratulated the bride and groom. Personally, I congratulated Amy's parents. We eventually went back to our hotel (The Embassy Suites in Marlboro, MA). Bob and I watched TV. After the opening pitches of the Cleveland Indians game, we headed towards the "pre-reception" at the hotel, but we ran into family members who were headed for the reception in Stow, MA. This was done via a round-trip shuttle bus from our hotel. This ensured that we didn't get lost as we have been known to do in the past.

The reception started with a cocktail hour. I didn't have any cocktails, but the appetizers were delicious. Eventually, the Wedding Party was introduced to an instrumental version of Coldplay's "Vida La Vida." My brother-in-law (the bride's father) gave an amusing toast that included a fumbling of her new last name. Amy Marie enjoyed the speech very much, and kept the spotlight most of the night. The Best Man, Dave's brother, Bryan, gave a short speech because he realized that Dan SR is hard to follow. The speech was ripped to pieces. The blessing was performed by my sister Kathleen. She also tore up her notes. The food was delicious and very Italian (Don't Ask!). The cake was just right! The reception was mostly dancing, although Amy's classmates at Stonehill College were "reunited" in a picture. In general, the whole day reflected a fun but classy, once in a lifetime event. I am glad that I was able to be there.

The next post will reveal more about my personal experiences during the trip.

By the way, WBZ TV has joined the RSS-Widget list of this blog. The Copy-Paste function was a little more difficult than with WHDH, but I was successful.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Home Sweet Home!

I am back from Amy and Dave's wedding in Hudson, MA on Saturday. There will be more details on that in the future. I saw Emily (Dan Jr. and Laura's new daughter) this afternoon at Akron-Canton Airport. She is cute. It's too bad that She and Laura were unable to make it to the wedding. They missed Amy Marie as the star of the wedding, reception, and the family get-together on Sunday at Dan SR. and Patty's in Lancaster, MA. There will be more details on the family get-together as well.

My real goal in this post is to announce that WHDH has joined WCVB as a widget from Boston. It's my first copy and paste widget. They are now equal in my Boston news watching! Look forward to more widgets since I can copy and paste with ease.

Have fun learning!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Amy's Wedding Is Coming Soon!

Amy's wedding is just a week away.  I have a lot of planning to do from now until we leave on Friday.  There will be more details including guest list notices.  It will probably be reported after the wedding when I am back home in Cleveland.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Emily Joy Sweeney (and Friends)

On Saturday morning, Dan Jr. and Laura had their second daughter named Emily Joy Sweeney. She joins her sister Amy Marie, who is almost 2. Hopefully, I will see them in three weeks when Dan's sister Amy marries David in Hudson, MA.

This news was revealed in an e-mail this evening from Dan Sr. and Patty. I was having e-mail trouble, so Bob told me about it when he checked his e-mail. My e-mail situation has improved, so I can share this "joyful" news with my audience.

In other news, Hayden's party is finally on the Kendal-Hayden blog that is linked on the left side of my blog. Party photos including Kendal and her princess costume are featured. One of these days, you may see pictures on this blog (besides the ones from the RSS-widgets that are also linked on the left). Tune in to find out.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Hayden's Birthday Party and Easter

We celebrated Hayden's birthday at her paternal grandparents in Medina, OH. The weather was pleasant although it was a little bit windy. Since Hayden really doesn't walk yet, she was either held by somebody, or she sat in a high chair (for the baby cake provided by Giant Eagle). She enjoyed the cake, unlike her sister, Kendal, who wanted nothing to do with the cake at her first birthday party (This was almost two years ago which was about two months before this blog made its first appearance.) The food was appetizing. (Check my posts from May 2008 for more details as the food was about the same. Familiarity can work. Just ask McDonald's. By the way, I haven't had any food from there in months. I'll have to make a visit someday.) The cake was pleasant. I left before the presents were opened, (if they were even opened at the party) but Mandy bought Kendal a princess costume that I am sure will show up on the Kendal-Hayden blog eventually. It was "precious". Kendal loves to be a star. She'll have another chance at her birthday party in a few months. I can't wait!

On Easter Sunday, we celebrated at Mike and Maggie's house in Parma, OH. We had sweet and sour meatballs, prime rib, spicy (not Thai) chicken, baked beans with "Italian" Sausage, baked potatoes, corn, salad, strawberry daiquiri Jello, bread (Nut and Italian or sourdough loaf), cakes (Cheese and ones from the box or Maggie), seven layer cookies, (If you want the recipe, I'll get it from Maggie) and nut and poppy seed rolls, and soft pretzels. The food was very appetizing. The participants besides me and the hosts were Kathleen, Joe, Bob, Mandy, and Paul. We spoke to Patty via telephone. It was a nice quiet affair. Maybe a few kids from Hayden's party would have made it more memorable (or not). The next function is Amy and David's wedding. That will probably be my next major story.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Happy Birthday, Hayden!!

Today is Hayden's first birthday. For those here for the first time, she is my youngest great niece. Her parents are Mike and Marnie. They live in Howell, MI. They also have a daughter, Kendal, who will be 3 on June 4. We will celebrate her first birthday in Medina, OH at her paternal grandparents' house on April 18.

My next report will be on Easter or within a few days.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

I Didn't Win the Lottery.

As the title of this post states, my lottery ticket was a big loser with only one number out of two lines of six numbers apiece. At least, that's better than my MegaMillions ticket for last night's drawing (I play the same numbers for both lotteries.). Powerball is not convenient for me, even if I drove. Pennsylvania is the nearest state to have Powerball. Oh well!, there's always Monday's Classic Lotto (Ohio) drawing.

The Rock Hall

In honor of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies being held at Public Hall in Downtown Cleveland, the Rock Hall had a free day today. I was in attendance.

Getting to the Rock Hall was no problem. The Waterfront Line trains were running every 15 minutes or so using the Green Line in addition to the normal Blue Line. (The trains normally run during rush hour on weekdays and every half hour on the weekend.) After a short walk, I arrived at the Rock Hall and was greeted by a line reminiscent of the Papa John's 23 cent pizza promotion last year. Fortunately, I only waited 15-20 minutes to get into the Rock Hall as opposed to two hours for my pizza which was limited to cheese, pepperoni, mushroom, (My Choice!) and sausage pizzas. If we had our choice of any topping, the wait would be longer, and the chance of a sellout increases.

Thankfully, a sellout was not a problem today. Since I was just at the Rock Hall three months ago, I mostly concentrated on the Bruce Springsteen exhibit that will be up until Spring 2010. It consisted mostly of handwritten original lyrics, concert posters, and other memorabilia. It was quite interesting. I also visited the display of Inductee signatures which is hidden behind doors and is spread over two floors. It had been awhile since I visited them as there is usually a lot of congestion in the area. The congestion this time was in the Cafe area at the other end of the Third floor from the signature area, which also includes artifacts from the new inductees, as well as an area to learn about the inductees in a multimedia format. Ceremony highlights from past years (Mostly in New York City) are also included. Fortunately, I was able to enjoy this area without feeling rushed. I then headed for the exits. I looked around the F.Y.E "Gift Shop".
A lot of people were buying items so I had some difficulty leaving, but I was able to leave the Rock Hall by leaving F.Y.E. where I came in. Leaving was uneventful.

By the time I left, the train came at a time where I would have missed my bus to take me to Mass (with a detour to CVS and another store to buy lottery tickets). Fortunately, I had time to go to a CVS downtown to do some shopping and make another bus that would have left me time to buy lottery tickets before walking to St. Leo's (Yes, it's a longer walk, but the exercise was worth it.). Despite CVS being more popular than expected, I made it back in time to catch the bus, which started out ten minutes late and ended up twenty minutes late thanks to its typical crowded status and a restrained wheelchair bound passenger. I was almost ten minutes late for church, but I was still able to get a palm. After coming home, I later went to a nearby store (Not the one I would have visited if the bus were on time) to take care of my lottery business. I didn't pay attention to the drawing, so I don't know if I won or not. I'll let you know.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Bishop, the Vikings, and the Cavaliers (Not Together, Unfortunately)

Tonight, the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, Richard Lennon, came to St. Leo Church on Broadview Road in Cleveland to perform Confirmation for forty people. It was also the day when the closing of various churches in our Diocese were announced to the affected. Before Mass, Father Lowe, our Pastor, announced the decision of the Bishop. Our church and two others in our cluster will remain in their present state. Two other churches will merge. They are both on Pearl Road in Cleveland. I will let my non-area readers do the research on their own. This move was the one that I was expecting at the beginning of the process. However, the cluster's planning committee proposed that the two churches be folded into St. Leo's. A problem could have occurred as a result. If no Masses were added, we would probably have an overcrowded church for each Mass. The good news is that Father Lowe should be more visible at St. Leo's after the merger because he is also Pastor at one of the two churches involved in the merger. (You will figure it out if you do the research.) There may be discussion about other churches that will be closed if it affects any church mentioned previously in this blog.

You would have expected Bishop Lennon to discuss this issue during the Mass. However, he aimed his message to the Confirmandi. I guess that he wanted to keep the focus where it belonged. Also, since there will be no obvious changes at this time, there was no need to discuss them, although it would have been very interesting to hear what he had to say about the cluster's situation. In addition, with so many changes in other clusters happening in the near future, confusion with other scenarios could be a problem. We will see how things go as the months progress.

It was a very nice Mass. Bishop Lennon was very gracious when he mentioned that our parish was where his first official event as Bishop of Cleveland occurred almost three years ago. Father O'Donnell relayed Father Lowe's appreciation for the Bishop's presence during this part of the service (Father Lowe was at his other church revealing the merger plan, by then.). Unfortunately, he was very hard to hear. By the way, Bishop Lennon came in loud and clear. After Mass, Bishop Lennon and Father O'Donnell greeted the parishioners. I bypassed Father O'Donnell and greeted Bishop Lennon. I welcomed him back to St. Leo's. It was a real privilege. Regretfully, I didn't greet former Governor Richard Celeste when he spoke to one of my classes in college. I also didn't greet the now deceased Ted Stepien (One time Cleveland Cavaliers owner about 20 years before Lebron) (Interestingly, his wake was at the same place and time as my Aunt Loretta's wake in September 2007.) when he spoke to another one of my classes in College. It was my loss.

In closing, speaking of college, my Alma Mater, Cleveland State will be going to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament this week for the first time since 1986 when we reached the Third Round and narrowly lost to Navy when David Robinson was playing. I hope that we show the NCAA and the USA what a fine team CSU has. Go Vikings!!

Also, the Cavs also won the Central Division of the NBA for the first time since 1976. We deserve a championship NOW!! The drought in the big three sports has existed in Cleveland since 1964.

GO CAVS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Friday, February 20, 2009

The New Computer and Printer

The previous post is the first one on our new laptop computer. We originally bought it on February 9. However, after we bought it, we discovered that it wasn't very good with consistently connecting to the Internet (Wirelessly, of course). We learned that this particular computer is prone to have this problem. On Monday, we tried returning it to the store where we bought it (A different branch was involved. I won't reveal the store to avoid embarrassment.) Of course, the clerk was able to get into the Internet to work on the computer. As a result, we would have been charged a restocking fee to return it. It was exchanged instead. It is working okay. There is still a learning curve, but it is slowly straightening.

Speaking of a learning curve, Bob installed the new printer-copier-scanner today (Also bought on February 9). I haven 't used it yet, so I can't evaluate it at this time. Hopefully, there will be pictures on this blog, as soon as I learn how to do it.

The old computer still gets you into the Internet. I will still be using it for word processing, as I am still a floppy disk user. I'll have to do my work using the on-screen keyboard because the keyboard stopped functioning after a botched antivirus trial installation attempt. The media players stopped functioning at this time, too. Months earlier, the disk drives stopped working after a couple of bad media related installations. A game demo download and a George Jones box set (I didn't pay attention to see if there was a warning about playing it in a computer, as I didn't expect a "permanent end" to playing CDs or DVDs in the computer. (For the record, there is a warning for Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run: 30th Anniversary Edition CD/DVD set.) Installing a DVD Burner drive did not work, by the way.) are also potential causes for this problem. The old computer is bound for the basement tonight. There will be more details soon.

It's so good to be reporting to you again.

We Will Miss You, Mrs. Sweeney

On Sunday, we lost Dan Sr.'s Mom at the age of 90. She had a nice wake in Kent. OH on Tuesday. On Wednesday, she had a very nice funeral at the Kent State University Newman Center. Afterwards, we enjoyed a nice meal at the Newman Center hall. I did not attend the burial in Chardon, OH, but despite the cold and rainy conditions, it was appropriate for a lady that we will all miss. It is unfortunate that Dan Jr. and Laura's forthcoming daughter won't have the privilege of knowing her (It will be a girl, unless something out of the ordinary occurs.). We will know more details in about two months.

In general, it was good to see my nephews and niece that I don't see often enough. I also enjoyed seeing Dan Sr.'s brothers and sister and most of their spouses. Most of the grandchildren were in attendance. Next time, I'll see many of the Sweeney family members will be at Amy's wedding in about three months. However, it won't be the same without Mrs. Sweeney. She will be present in spirit, as will my parents and brother (And many other relatives who are missed everyday). Let's hope that we have more joy than sorrow in the future.

Friday, January 23, 2009

MLK Day (Part 1)

On Monday, Bob and I went to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum on Lake Erie. We took the #35 bus to Tower City ("Major" shopping complex in Downtown Cleveland, OH). We were going to take the Waterfront Line (#67) to around East 9th St. and Lakeside Ave., which is about a five minute walk from the Rock Hall. After waiting about ten minutes after the train was scheduled to come, I went to check to see if my schedule was up to date. Ninety-nine percent of the time, my schedules are up to date. This was an exception. I discover that my schedule was changed in November. (My schedule was from last June.) The Waterfront Line only runs during Rush Hour now. I had two options. One was taking the Loop Bus that would have taken me to the Municipal parking lot (Muny lot), which is even closer to the Rock Hall. However, that bus runs only during Rush Hour. This is due to the popularity of the free trolleys sponsored by Dollar Bank that circle Downtown Cleveland. One goes from the Warehouse District to Cleveland State University (E Line). The other one goes near the various Government offices (B Line). (Go to http://www.riderta.com for more information.) As it turns out, this one was what we wanted to take to get us closer to the Rock Hall. Within minutes, the trolley came to the corner of Euclid Avenue and Ontario St. We got off at East 9th St. and Lakeside Ave. It was slightly longer than if we were able to take the train, but we "enjoyed" the exercise.

We didn't have to wait long to get down into the heart of the museum (on the Lower Level). The exhibits were pretty interesting, although not much has changed since last year. One interesting exhibit that was new was a display on the history of WMMS radio. It was to honor the station's 40th Anniversary. For the readers who aren't associated with Cleveland, it is a groundbreaking station that helped spread the music of Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, and Roxy Music, among others. It has seen better days, but they still play rock music (Mostly "Modern Rock", though). The exhibit was full of WMMS memorabilia through the years. Another exhibit dealt with Marty Stuart (Country Singer) and his influences. (Go to http://www.rockhall.org for more details.) In general, the Rock Hall was quite interesting, although I didn't see any celebrities this year. I can't wait to go back next year (if it's free. (The Rock Hall, Great Lakes Science Museum, and various museums in the University Circle area of Cleveland offer free or reduced admission on MLK Day to honor the legendary Civil Rights Activist.) )

My next posts will include more on MLK Day and the Gift Exchange.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

My Wish List Stories

Here are the long overdue stories that I have promised to tell. As it turns out, there are three funny stories from the Gift Exchange. First, Mike Schabel sent both his and Maggie's Wish List in the same e-mail, but he left a pronoun out that would have clearly marked their individual desires. Instead, it came out sounding like both items requested were from Maggie. I just assumed that the requests were from separate people. Second, Mandy and Amy had to re-send their messages. Mandy had an electrical problem. Amy's problem is a mystery to me.

Finally, Patty had the most "fun" trying to get Lois's present. After talking to her friend, Amy Gould, to make sure that she had power after the Ice Storm that had hit New England in December. She had power in Lunenberg, MA, but Patty's goal of Kohl's in nearby Leominster, MA failed when that store was without power. This could have been avoided by calling Kohl's, but I would have "gambled", too. Unfortunately, other Kohls are about forty-five minutes away. Also, if Patty wasn't familiar with all of her area Kohls, she couldn't do the Internet research, because she was without power at that time. As a result, Lois received a check and a letter explaining what happened. (Her other choice, Steve's Dakota Grille, is only in Ohio, and their website doesn't sell Gift Cards online.) In general, we all enjoyed our presents as far as I know.

Speaking of Christmas, the list of people from Maggie's birthday on December 27 are now a comment on the post of January 2 at http://kendalmarie.blogspot.com/. When I originally wrote this post, apparently I didn't allow the post to open up totally, so I didn't see the comment link for that post. As a result, I gave some bad information about where the post was going to be. I hope that the comments are still a draft for my eyes only as I am the only person who can edit this blog at this time. I hope that my readers will appreciate matching faces with people from this blog. Also, my non-family readers are welcome to guess who took the picture. It should be easy if you read my December 27 post and use the process of elimination. I hope to report here again real soon.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

We're Still Waiting!

I e-mailed Laura yesterday. Today, she revealed that she and Dan JR. did not join Patty and Dan SR. on their trip to Medina to see the Schmidts (Mike, Marnie, and Family). I guess we'll have to wait for the story of When Kendal and Hayden Met Amy Marie. My theory is that a football game was a factor in this situation. You can't miss a Browns-Steelers game on television. (This is my interpretation as Dan and Laura are major Browns fans. Also, the Schmidts were going back home to Howell, MI that day.)

Speaking of the Schmidts, their blog is very good at showing off Kendal and Hayden. It also has cute captions for the pictures. One of these days, there will be cute captions when pictures finally show up (other than the pictures provided by my widgets/RSS) (A scanner and/or a digital camera are in the future.) on this blog.

Maybe next time, there will be the "funny" stories from the Gift Exchange. I am sure that my readers will enjoy them. Epiphany (January 6) would be an appropriate day to tell them.