Happy Weekend!

Cheesy Ziti with mini meatballs from the Pike Cafe. All this plus salad - $10.95. I call, they cook, 10 minutes to dinner.

Last Night

I went out and about. The bar was amazingly empty for a Friday so I wandered over. The plan was to do a little writing on Beau’s next tale, have a Guinness or two and order dinner to go.

I ended seated beside someone I worked with eons ago, half involved in his conversation, half happily scribbling away. Or I was until his wife texted a request food and he responded with the offer of food for sex. She then wanted to know what food he was bringing to which he wondered what food would garner him which acts. I’m not sure how it turned out because the people he was waiting for arrived and they moved to the other end of the bar where there was room for all of them. I do know that when he left, he had a pile of containers so I’m guessing a good time was had by all at his house once he got home.

I also bumped into a little girl I hadn’t seen in ages. She’s someone I met when she was maybe two. We’ve had very inspired conversations with over the years and yesterday was no exception. She’s now all grown up and as amazing as I always knew she would be. What fun we had catching up!

Isn’t it funny how things work out sometimes? I was only going out for a little while and if I’d left when planned I would have missed her. She wasn’t intending to go out at all but changed her mind at the last minute. I’m glad the universe intervened.

Happy weekend!

Today

I know I’ve said before that one of the advantages of living where I do is that there is a nice bar on the corner that serves decent food. Today however, the bad part of living where I do is that there is a nice bar on the corner that serves decent food.

Not only is it St. Patty’s Day, it is also the beginning of the March Madness college basketball tournament. Oops, guess I neglected to mention that the bar has 32 wide-screen TVs and promotes itself as a sports bar. Uh huh.

A few years ago, the abandoned factory building across the street was turned into a 100-space parking lot so it wasn’t quite as bad today when I got home as it’s been in years past. And the Berks County Jazz Fest no longer overlaps with St. Patty’s Day as it used to which also helped since the Pike hosts events for that too. Yes, parking is now available within four blocks on days like this instead of the former six.

It wouldn’t have been so bad, had I been able to head home at my normal time. But not today. Oh no, not today. I tried to be nice and order daffodils from the American Cancer Society during their Daffodil Days which is going on now. The ordering part went just fine. It’s the retrieving part that I had trouble with. I thought I’d take a late lunch to go collect them. Um, nope. Not there. Come back later. Okay, change of plans.

After work I had to go to the car place. Howie needed a light socket and lens. I was there last week, same thing, only they had to order it. Got there today and part of the packet was missing. So they had to reorder it. Going back for the third time next Thursday. Yeah.

Back to pick up the daffodils. Um, nope. They’d been delivered. Somewhere else. Perhaps tomorrow because there’s no way I’m venturing out again tonight.

Have I told you that I have a headache from hell? Migraine season has officially begun. And, with the day I’ve had, I think the world is damn lucky no one got hurt.

Phil Did It

Commanded the storm that has paralyzed the Mid-Atlantic region of the East Coast. He predicted six more weeks of winter and he wasn’t kidding. I suspect we’re due for even more snow. Why? Because he was so offended by the PETA people suggesting he should be replaced by a machine. Guess he showed them the power of the groundhog, didn’t he? Perhaps next year they’ll have the appropriate respect.

Here’s a pic of poor little Howie. Nope, he’s not going anywhere today. I went for a little walk until I got too cold. Too much snow to get to anything really interesting. Perhaps I’ll try again tomorrow. Oh and who’s that nice young man shoveling snow? That, believe it or not, is the owner of the bar on the corner. He’s shoveling my 85 year old neighbor’s walk. Yeah, he really is. He grew up on this block, knows her and worries about her. How cool is that! Since it was too chilly for much of a ramble I stopped in at the corner for lunch. Every now and then it’s not at all bad living precisely where I do.

A Ramble

Superbowl Sunday... How I hate it!

I do not watch professional football. Never have, never will. It's much too slow so to me, it's incredibly boring. I did go to a game once. After I got tired of people watching I fell asleep between plays.

There's a very popular bar on my corner, the World Famous Pike Cafe. Yes, that's what really is embedded in brass in the sidewalk at the front door. Don't get me wrong, the Pike is a great place and I've spent my time there. Both before it was remodelled and after. It's a fun place, great food, good service, and a friendly staff. And there are thirty-some large flat screen TV's plastered all over so it is a great place to take in an event. In fact, if you're ever in the area I recommend you stop by. You won't be disappointed.

There've never been any problems inside on any of the many occasions I've been there. It's outside where the trouble is. You see, people, especially on major sporting event days, forget that the bar has neighbors. When they leave it's not uncommon for them to feel the need to scream and shout at each other all the way down the block long parking lot. Although that is much better than before there was a parking lot. Back then they would be in the street so when they decided to shove one another around it was often our cars that they were thrown up against. At times, they seemed to think they were in a bumper car venue instead of on a public street. Yep, I don't know anyone who's lived here for any amount of time and not had their car bumped at one point or another. The last time I called my insurance company I was informed that with the next instance my rates would go up because I live in a high risk area even though all the times I've been hit my car has been parked legally right up against the curb where it belongs.

Now I'm not blaming the bar for this. People are responsible for they're own actions. It's not the establishement's fault that those leaving are suddenly overcome with the need to clean out the inside of their cars, tossing all their trash on the ground instead of carrying it 20 yards to one of several cans spaced randomly throughout the area.

The parking lot has also helped tremendously with the parking situation on most days. Except, of course, big game days. Like today. Today, I won't leave my house after 2 because if I do I won't be able to park within blocks when I returned. It's not that I really have any place I want to go. I did all my errands yesterday. It's just the point of the matter.

I guess what I'm really trying to say today is have some respect. If you go out to a bar or a superbowl party, have fun but don't act like an ass when you're heading home. Some of us who aren't football fans will be trying to sleep.