Procrastination just sounds like a nasty word. It sounds like one of those words that has no positive value. BUT, the action itself sure is fun. And I'm guilty of this action. Especially on this blog. I owe NUMEROUS props to one, Dylan "Dilly-B" Beagle-Shmeagle, for constantly hounding me on a new Dude Chronicles. Honestly, I've got a lot to update people on. Why the heck SHOULDN'T I be posting new entries??? Dilly-B-man, this is for you and your sanity, amigo.
(On a side-note, the end of college football is upon us. Therefore, I have chosen to craft this entry in the format of one of my favorite college football writers: Pat Forde. His column, the "Forde Yard Dash" is always an enjoyable read during the middle of the week, in preparation for Saturday games. Mr. Forde, your entertainment is greatly appreciated. Here we go:
Forty names, places, events, things, activities, and other useless bits of information that have been a part of my newly discovered life in Boston (Absolutely ZERO props to those of you who have taken a Michael Jackson joke, and replaced Jacko with "Jerry Sandusky." Creativity, people. C'mon)
The journey up north (1) - We left Georgia on a Saturday. We, as in curly-haired Rachel Warren (2), the loving, yet balding, Jon Bradshaw (3), and of course, Milo (4), the cat. Little did we know what kind of adventure we were in for. The drive through the Appalachian Mountains was absolutely gorgeous. We took a brief de-tour and drove around Asheville, NC (5). Our first though was to stop and get lunch in the lovely small town. However, it being a Saturday, parking was at a premium, and we continued our journey.
Our first stop for the night brought us to our nation's capital, Washington D.C. (6). The president had called us earlier on in the day, wanting us to drop by and kick it with him for a little while. Apparently, he had never really hung around truly awesome people before, seeing as how politicians aren't exactly the coolest people in the world. However, we had to politely decline his offer, seeing as how we had no time to deviate from our already awesome adventure. We told him we'd kick it with him another time. He was disheartened, but understood. Back to our adventure:
We stayed at a NICE hotel that goes by the name of "The Mayflower (7)." Gorgeous place. My first thought as we entered our room, was to wonder: "How many politicians had nailed their secretary/mistress here...?" Yea, the rooms were THAT nice. A bottle of champagne was the icing on the cake.
The next day, before checking out, we took a trolley tour of D.C. You all know the places/monuments in D.C. You don't need me to explain them all to you.
Back on the road. Our next stop was a city that never sleeps. A concrete jungle. Think Simon and Garfunkel. Billy Joel. Even Alicia Keys sang a song about it. That's right. Omaha, Nebraska.
Kidding, of course. New York City (8).
Sunday night. 10:30 p.m. And we're sitting in traffic in the Lincoln Tunnel. Yup, only in New York. We eventually made it to the Time Square Marriott Marquis (9), the next hotel on our stop. Like our previous hotel, this place was AWESOME. Ignoring the scary-as-hell height factor, our room was 36 stories above the ground, overlooking Times Square. We couldn't ask for much more. But we did. Another bottle of champagne...
Bottom line: We had a BLAST getting up here. What a freakin' journey. Now onto some Boston stuff.
Family of the year: Aunt Carolyn (10) and Uncle Doug (11). What were these people thinking when they decided to provide me with shelter??? They had no idea what they were getting into. However, they've been nothing short of fantastic, and I simply love em'. Noble assists from cousins Dan Weaver (12), Ben Weaver (13), and Carly Weaver (14).
As for my little buddy, Milo, he's still getting adjusted to hanging out with other animals: Maggie (15), the dog, and Simon (16), the cat. Maggie and Milo get along fine. However, Simon and Milo aren't yet seeing eye-to-eye. Perhaps more time is needed.
Runner-up for family of the year: Aunt Lisa (17) and Uncle Raff (18). These two, along with more noble assists from cousins Megan Rafferty (19), Molly Rafferty (20), and Conor Rafferty (21), threw one HECK of a Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and enough desserts to make a diabetic take a shot of insulin just by STARING at them. Also, bonus points to Aunt Lisa for putting in extra time by helping me with job ideas.
Un-expected moment so far: Halloween (22). Not just Halloween. But SNOW, on Halloween. Enough snow to cancel Halloween activities and put them off until the following week. Insane, right??? Actually, it kinda made Halloween not so scary, with a bunch of white powder on the ground.
Things a Southerner wouldn't be expected to have, but would need, to survive a New England Winter:
Car scraper/brush (23) - Commonly used to scrape/brush ice/snow off of one's car windshield. Could probably double as tool for self-defense. Not sure how you'd use it though...
Heavy winter jacket (24) - Not just ANY jacket. One that is insulated, waterproof, and able to withstand 12-degree weather. I remember down South, when all I needed was a simple fleece jacket. We DAMN sure ain't in Kansas anymore, Toto.
Snow boots (25)- Boots are essential when being outside in snowy weather. These things have GOT to be waterproof, insulated, and TOUGH. Throw a pair of wool socks (26) on for extra comfort.
Long johns (27) - Laugh if you will. However, these things will damn near save your life. Generally worn UNDER clothes. Traps body heat and only increases the possibility of keeping oneself warm. Can also be worn to bed. However, can be substituted by 10 cats and 2 dogs instead.
Greatest hockey team in the world: GO BRUINS!!! (28). I'll be sure to catch a game here sometime soon.
Job Status: Since experience is greatly lacking on my resume, I've decided to take a different path. Right now, I'm working part-time (yet still getting plenty of hours) at Bed, Bath, And Beyond (29). I'm also volunteering as an assistant basketball coach (30) for my cousin's basketball team for the local recreation league. My next step, is to find an internship (31) to gain the missing experience, which is necessary for an AWESOME job.
The Northern Negatives - These are a few things I've discovered so far, that, well, aren't great about Northern life.
Street signs (32) - Seriously, these bastards don't exist. CROSS-STREET signs are certainly present. However, if you need verification that you're traveling on the correct road, you AIN'T gonna find it. Frustrating.
Bad road conditions (33) - While they suck, it's unavoidable. The brutal winter's take a heavy toll on the roads. I guess it's a lot cheaper for people to constantly get their car re-aligned, rather than re-pave the roads each year. Oh well.
Sweet freakin' tea (34) - Yea. It doesn't exist. Enough said
Waffle House (35) - See above
Chick-Fil-A (36) - Again, see above. Except, there is ONE. In the local mall. And mall Chick-Fil-A isn't the same...
Zaxby's (37) - See above
Tom Brady (38) - I honestly thought the guy would be a golden God up here. However, there are haters mixed in with the lovers. Definitely surprised me. However, I still hate the Michigan graduate bastard.
Being up here sure is exciting. I'm surrounded by the family atmosphere that I've never had, I'm free to choose my own path in life, and quite frankly, I'm able to enjoy life a heck of a lot more. Hell, just last week, I saw Bob Seger for the second time this year out in Worcester (39). That's pronounced "Woo-stah" (just to make sure you don't make the same mistake my ass did, by calling it "Wor-chester". They frown at you for that...). Over New Year's, I'll be in Vermont, skiing and learning how to snowboard. Can't remember the last time I did either of those. I have yet to meet any true "Mass-holes" (40). So far, the outlook is good. I'll keep you posted ;)
El Duderino
