There is a league for everything

Back when I worked at the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association - many people liked to tell me there was an association for everything.

Well recently, I made a similar statement (there is a league for everything) when I found out that my friends fiance was in a cornhole league.    You know cornhole - its that tailgating game, also known as bean bag toss.   Seriously?   I wonder - do cornhole leagues only exist in DC (where they live) or is this a national thing?  

It's important...

I try to only publish one post a day, and when I have lots to say, I save them for posts during the week, as I don't have time to sit and write every night.    But the craziness with Adam's parents called for a special Labor Day double posting.   So without further ago...

Adam and I hosted a Labor Day (Weekend) Barbecue on Sunday and had sent the invitations out WAY in advance to try and get better attendance (no luck with that - but oh well!).  Anyways, we sent the invite out back in mid-June and never got ANY response from his parents.   Now mind you, we were pretty sure they weren't going to come because we invited the rest of her family.    I had sent a few updates out within the last month because of a date change and I was trying to finalize numbers, and still no response from them. 

Then on Friday morning - two days before the barbecue, they finally responded - with of course a no response - I imagine they got the final reminder from evite, to actually spurn their response.   Later that morning, Adam got a call from his mom (really two) - the jist of the call(s) being that she wanted to know when we were gonna go to see them and complaining that they never see us and how she is hurt - blah, blah, blah*.

Then on Sunday morning Adam got a text from his dad saying that if we weren't going to the Phillies game on Monday, then he would like for us to come over and that its really important to him.   It took us a while to figure out the best way to respond to the text.   We were going to the Phillies game, but its not an all day affair (its a night game for that matter) and Im sick of this back and forth about it always being our fault, so I wanted to open ourselves up to seeing them.   But I wasn't gonna allow it to be on their terms, cause they have to learn (I know - that phrase is funny!) that its not all about them, and they have to compromise.

We had plans to go visit Adam's mom-mom in the nursing home that morning, so we texted FIL back (8 hours later..) to let him know we were going to the game, but that it was a night game, and we had plans to visit mom mom that morning, but they were more than welcome to come visit us between the two plans.   No response that night (even though Im fairly positive he saw it).   No response by 8am, even though I know they don't sleep past 6:30am.    No response by 10am. 

Finally, while we were with mom-mom, we heard back from FIL around 10:30am.   The response?  Call us when you get home, it depends on the weather. 

When we never heard back from them last night, we made plans to stop at our favorite burger joint, Five Guys, on the way home from visiting mom-mom, so we still did that, and when leaving there (at noon) we called FIL to let him know that we were leaving and would be home in 20 minutes if they wanted to come over.   The response?  

There is a flood warning, so call us when you get home and then we will decide.    Yes that's right - in that 20 minutes it would take us to get home (the same amount of time it would take them to get on the road), the sky's were just gonna open wide and start POURING down rain and cause mass flooding across the entire region and they were gonna be stuck in the middle of the turnpike when this happened!   

20 minutes later, when we get home and called them to let them know that we were home - the response? 

What time are you leaving for the Phillies game?   When we told them 4:30ish, they decided, immediately with no discussion, that they weren't gonna come because they didn't want to feel rushed.    They were clearly just looking for excuses, because it wasn't raining, and they didn't even have the time to discuss whether it was worth coming over in that time frame.    To put it into perspective, this conversation happened at 12:30, so even if they didn't leave until 1:30, they would get to us at 2:15 and have just over 2 hours to see us.    The conversation between the 4 of us would have been done in 15 minutes, so the level of uncomfortableness would have gotten to the point of them leaving well before 4:30pm.

Pretty much what it comes down to is:
- We don't make any efforts to see them unless we specifically drive over there to see them and only them - it doesn't count if its a family dinner and everyone is there.   Otherwise, any other attempts or visits (kids bday parties, barbecue for family and friends, offer to come to our house, etc) just don't count.
- They only want to see us to tell us what we are doing wrong, and they only feel comfortable treating us like little kids and chiding us when we sit on their sofa, in their house, in their comfort zone - with no place to go except listen to them chide and criticize our decisions and choices.

And yet they wonder why we never want to go see them...

*I saw them the week prior at the boys bday party - which they ran out of as soon as cake was served and the gifts were opened because it started to drizzle and they didn't want to get stuck in the hurricane on their 10 minute drive home. 

Facebook

For years, I refused to get on facebook.   I had many reasons for this, but recently the reasons to be on facebook were finally starting to outweigh the reasons not to be on.  

The final breaking point was when I didn't know that two of my friends had their daughter.   The husband sent me an email, but selected the wrong Lynda, so I had no clue. Had I been on facebook - I would have already known.

Anyways, two of my big concerns about joining facebook were:

1. That I would get addicted to it.   I knew all along that when I finally joined, I wasn't just gonna be another profile, I was going to be active, but I didn't want to get addicted.   
2. That random people from my childhood and high school were going to start to friend request me.   I know I can just decline the friend request, but I also know my personality wouldn't allow me to do that.

To counteract the second point, I planned (and did) to sign up under my dogs name, not completing any personal information and keeping my profile completely private to those who weren't my friends.  I emailed those in my address book to let them know I was joining and the name my profile was under so they would accept the friend request from me.

Unfortunately, after a couple months, I started to check facebook more frequently, slowly becoming addicted.   Its not an addiction I couldn't survive without, its one of those addictions that if I'm near a computer or my phone, I sign on and see what updates are out there - and then I sign off after reading - but I do it often.  

Then, last week, I started to do exactly what I was hiding from.   Even though Im not on under my name, I started to friend request people from my childhood in NE Philly and let them know it was me.  Mind you, those aren't the people I was necessarily "hiding" from.  

I'm really hiding from the people I was "friends" with in high school after I moved.   Its horrible to say, but I was annoyed with most of them after 2 years, but I just needed to get through one more year, and then I was outta there and never gonna see them again - and I knew one of them would track me down on facebook if I were on there under my name (I hadn't spoken to her except for maybe a couple SHORT AIM conversations, and I still got invited to her wedding 5 years after high school.

So here I am 6 years after facebook became open to everyone - finally a facebook user and now a blog writer - who would ever have thought?

Cape May Winery & Vineyards

Our last stop in our daytrip to Cape May, NJ was Cape May Winery & Vineyards - it also was the main reason we headed into Cape May for the day.

I had bought a deal on Philly Dealyo for 2 for 1 tour and tasting tickets - and I couldn't have redeemed it on a better day.   Adam and I have done probably about a half dozen winery tours or so - and Ive done another couple without Adam - and for the most part - they start to get redundant.

This one though had a few things that none of the others ever had on my previous tours:

• We came on a day that they were bottling their port, so we didn't just get to see the bottling area - we actually got to see the process in work - which was really cool.    
• We got to pick a grape off the vine and use a cool (expensive) tool that could show you the sugar content of the grape.    
• We got to taste a brand new wine that hasn't even been bottled yet
• We got to taste wine straight from the barrel

To start with, we got there super early, so they told us that they had a deck that we could hang out on, as that would be the only place the tour wouldn't take us, so Adam went upstairs to the deck - and that would be an awesome place to just hang out with friends, a bottle of wine and some food.   They have an indoor and outdoor area that are well furnished and decorated.   When outside, you have a beautiful view of the vineyards.

 

After hanging out for a bit on the deck, we went back downstairs and met the tour guide where we were directed.   At that time, she took us outside right in front of the vines and had us taste our first wine.   It was their Barrel Fermented Chardonnay - which was unfortunately out of stock   It was a really nice, dry white, slighlty fruity flavors, but not sweet and very smooth.   Adam and I were both fans of it and would have totally bought 1 or 2 bottles if they had it.

At this point on the tour we started to get a history of the vineyard and their process.   It was actually at this winery (before it was a winery) where grape growing started in the Cape May area.   The owner at the time had a farm on the land, and was approached by Rutgers (I think it was Rutgers) to see if they could test the ability to grow grapes for wine on the land.   It thrived, and the owner ended up planting many more vines and it only grew from there.   I also learned something that I had never seen/heard on any of my other tours.   This winery has a rose bush at the end of each row - the reason being that the rose bush is susceptible to all the diseases and bugs that the vines get, but will show earlier, so they check the rose bushes everyday, and if something is wrong, they will know how to handle it before it even affects the vines. 

Next stop on the tour was the bottling facility, where they were currently bottling their port.   I had seen many bottling facilities, but never when they were actually in action.   I tried to get a video, but there were some SUPER annoying North Jersey folks on the tour who stood in the middle and barely let the rest of us in - so alas, no good video. 

From there, we went in to their brand new tasting room - which is where they used to keep all the barrels (and still are keeping many of them).

Then on to our last stop - the barrel room, where they had cheese and cracker display for us, as well as some cabernet grapes that were taken off the vine for us to try (pretty good!).

In the barrel room, we got to try a couple wines that weren't bottled yet, and therefore we were tasting them directly from the barrels.   This was a new experience for me - and was pretty neat.

In here we got to taste the majority of their wines, and unfortunately I can't find my tasting sheet and can't remember all the wines - but I know that I liked the majority of their wines.   Adam's palate is different than mine - he likes more sweet, I like dry.   I prefer smoother wines, but do like a lot of dry wines that have some "boldness" to them - whereas Adam only likes them dry if they are smooth.   So with that, we only agreed on 3 wines - so thats all we walked out with.

We also learned something random on our tasting.   Many people get headaches after (even during) drinking red wine, and the reason (they think it) is because of the sulfites.    We were told that red wine actually had much less sulfites than other food and drink that we consume often - instead its because of the histamines in the wine - and that you should take an antihistamine to prevent the headache.    She actually joked/encouraged taking the antihistamine with your wine - even though we are directed not to mix OTC drugs and alcohol - LOL.

Anyways, we really enjoyed this winery for the wine, atmosphere and the educational and fun tour - so if you are in the area, I highly recommend the tour.   As I mentioned in the beginning, we bought it as a 2 for 1, but Id even recommend it at the full price of $20 per person.   You get a good tour (and if you go around the same time we did - end of August - you might also get the opportunity to see so many things you don't normally get to see on these tours), a free glass, lots of wine to taste and plenty of cheese and crackers to snack on.

Click here to see all the pictures I took during the tour.

Michael Vick - Part I

In case you know nothing about me - I am a dog LOVER.  Adam and I currently have a handsome black lab mix and are in the search for another lab mix to keep us company.

I also am a believer in second chances, because people make mistakes.   I've given family and friends many second chances when they screw things up.  I of course am always perfect, so I don't need them* :)

Back in '07 (or whatever year it was) when everything went down with Michael Vick - I was disgusted by what he did, and felt strongly that he should be sent to jail for a long time.   He was sent to jail, but not for a long time - but that was the courts ruling, and it was his job to serve it and get on with life afterwards.   He has done just that.  

I will admit that I wasn't a fan of Vick being signed by the Eagles, but I did feel that he deserved to be given a second chance, I just didn't want it to be my team.   When he was signed, I just accepted it, and continued to root for my Eagles, because they took a big chance, not just on signing Vick who was unproven at that time, but because they knew there was going to be a large public backlash for giving him a second chance.

In my opinion Vick has done a really good job of the afterwards part, and working to prove himself a decent human being.

He chose not to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy where his debts would have just been cancelled out, and all the people he owed money to would never have seen a penny.   Instead, he worked with lawyers, financial advisors and the court system to make a plan where he would pay back all his debt over time.  (With his new contract, as long as he is able to play out the majority of it, he will have his debts paid off pretty fast).    Many other people (and companies) have chosen to just wash away their debts and start anew, leaving their debtors in the wind.

He brought in a huge team of people to help fix his image and help him make the correct decisions.   This was a decision which was obviously needed if he wanted any shot of having a fan base and/or endorsement deals - so this point is less showing his good character than his choice to have a career in the NFL and make money.

It also has recently come out that he had the opportunity to join other NFL teams where he would have been the starter and in the spotlight, but those teams were full of people and issues that could have easily led him astray.   He took the advise of those he was learning to trust, and went with a 3rd string position on a team known for winning and professionalism, instead of a starting QB job on a team known for a culture full of legal and immoral issues.

He still has a way to go to prove he is fully a changed man, but there are plenty of other professional athletes who have abused and killed human beings and gotten very little to no punishment, and then come back into the spotlight without an ounce of anger from the fan-base.  For example:

• Brett Myers abused his wife and never got suspended or charged - he endured some booing when he made his next appearance in Boston (which was like 2 days after the assault took place in that same city), maybe he got some minor booing in Philly - but barely anything.   
• Donte Stallworth drove drunk and killed a man.   He killed a human being and got 30 days in jail, and was out of the NFL for one year and has since played for the Ravens and now the Redskins, and I haven't heard anything about him.

I love my dog, and he is one of my best friends, but a human life is considered of higher importance/worth than a dogs.  For those who would disagree with that, see basic examples below:

• If a dog has cancer and doesn't have a good life left to live, you can put them down - if you did that to a human you would be arrested and charged for performing euthenasia.  Hell, if you were stupid enough, you could put a dog down just because he has some training issues that you don't have the time or money to work on - and there would be no penalty in you doing that - just don't tell me.
• When you have a kid, you can claim them as a dependent on your taxes; when you get a new puppy, you spend TONS of money on them, but don't get any tax benefits.
• You can leave a dog at home by themselves and put them in a crate (and should for safety reasons); if you leave a young kid at home by themselves and put them in a crate, you are charged with child endangerment and abuse (as you should be).

If you haven't done so already, I think you should forgive Michael Vick (and the Eagles, if you are also holding them in contempt), as he has served his time and should be afforded a second chance.    I think the only lifetime punishment that should be afforded to him is that he should NEVER be allowed to own a dog.    I know he wants one, and he might be a changed man, and for that he deserves to have a fair shot at life, but dog ownership is a privilege and he lost that privilege in my mind.

Im sure there are MANY people out there who disagree with me on this - probably even some family members - and you have the right to both disagree with me and share that disagreement and thoughts with me.   I will consider your thoughts, I just hope that you consider mine, and think how you would want to be treated if you went and made a HUGE mistake, served the punishment you were handed - but no one ever forgave you or gave you a second chance - that's part of why we have so many repeat crime offenders in this society.


*I shouldn't have to explain sarcasm, but for those of you who know nothing about me, first and only time Ill say this - I am EXTREMELY sarcastic - even when i probably shouldn't be.   This last comment is obviously me being sarcastic.

Mother Nature

What an interesting week month of August on the east coast in regards to mother nature...

First we were having record rainfall in the month of August (for the Philly region).   As of the middle of the month, we had already broken the record books for the amount of rain in the month of August, and were less than half an inch away from breaking the record for the most rain in a month EVER - and we still had half a month to go in the middle of hurricane season.

Then came last Tuesday, when we had the first "major" earthquake on the east coast in a century.   I personally didn't feel a damned thing, and feel jipped about that, but all of my family felt it, the people in my office felt it (I wasn't in the office) and many friends felt it.    Who would have really thought that there would be an earthquake on the east coast?   I know that there is a fault line right in Huntington Valley (which is right outside of Philly for those non-locals who read this) but I still thought that a local earthquake was along the same lines of Jersey being washed away during my lifetime.  Sidenote: although most people wouldn't miss the armpit of America - I think it will take hundreds to thousands of years for that to occur.

After people handled an earthquake in exactly the opposite way you should (running out of buildings and into the streets) and the local news covered it live for HOURS so that's all you could find on TV and all you heard on the news for 24 hours - the news of Hurricane Irene came pounding in and took over the news. 

On Friday before Hurricane Irene hit, we got another storm that helped put the Philadelphia area over the record for any month EVER- and were still expecting another 7-12 inches from Irene.   Massive evacuations occurred throughout the tri-state area (PA, DE and NJ).   It ended up not being as bad as expected, but after Hurricane Katrina, you can never be too safe.   We still did have PLENTY of flooding and power outages.   The below picture is of the Neshaminy Creek flooding one of many streets in Bucks County (this is near my parents and sister, pictures courtesy of my sister - although she doesn't know that until she reads this).

I'm fairly certain that the car got flooded into the middle of the street from a nearby driveway, but I guess there could have been an idiot who tried to drive down that street in the middle of the hurricane, no matter what - that sucks!  

Hope everyone survived the month of August in tact without any major storm (or earthquake) damage.

Camp Levitties (or your Summer Camp)

I miss the days of summer camp and not having to worry about anything!

I used to go to both day camp and overnight camp.   I did day camp for as long as I can remember at Camp Levitties which was/is a local JCC camp.  But for two summers, I took a "break" for 2 weeks and then 4 weeks to do overnight camp at Camp Arthur Reeta.   Unfortunately the only reason I stopped going to overnight camp was because it shut down :(  There were other overnight camps - but that was my camp, and I wasn't gonna go be a traitor and go to a rival overnight camp :)

Anyways, I recently got thinking about my days at camp levitties.   Not quite sure how I thought about it, but once I did, my mind just kept going.   Man that place was fun!   I used to be such a klutz (not sure how much of that has changed), but here are some funny stories from my summer days:
- I seriously bruised my butt playing kickball.   I put everything into kicking the ball, missed and fell on my ass.  
- I gashed my knee open - probably should have gone to the hospital to get stictches - but I enjoy my scar.   My friend Jaime and I had gotten dressed from the pool quickly, ran back to our "bunk" and hid behind furniture - our goal was to scare everyone else when they came in.   Well I apparently was next to a vent and when I got up - I slashed my knee - and it was GUSHING blood.   It didn't hurt much at all - but I was crying my eyes out cause there was blood everywhere.   I wasnt able to do any activities for like 2 weeks until that thing heeled
- I somehow defied the odds and choked on a lifesaver - I know they say its not possible, but I swear I couldn't breath.   The good thing is, it melts, so I put warm water down my throat and could breathe again.

Im not sure how many times - or for what reasons - I was in a wheelchair, but I clearly remember being in a wheelchair a few times.   Looking back on it - I probably just enjoyed hanging out in the nurses office or playing around in the wheelchair.

Anyone else remember any of those crazy summer camp stories - either about me or your own?

Also, for all my Levitties peeps - how did the camp song go?!?!?   I know Im gonna kill it - but this is what I remember:

We are Camp Levitties
we are great, we're the best
we're better then then rest
Having a good time in the warm summer sun,
making friends and having lots of fun
We have arts and crafts and ....

And I completely go blank after that (and Im sure I killed that!)

Oh - and camp levitties is where I started my obsession with Baby Got Back :)  Im fairly certain, either my bunk or another did that for lip sync one year - probably wasn't appropriate for the young-uns...and Im fairly certain most of my friends (especially the ones who had a wedding I attended) wish it never existed - LOL