Not an acting challenge

We went out for dinner the other night at NIXS. We foolishly sat ourselves near a giant telly.  We don't have cable so this is always a novelty for us. A show called Bullseye was on. It is perhaps one of the stupidest reality show concepts of all time.  A bit of Fear Factor mixed with a giant target. Total drivel.  

Nonetheless Jennie was enraptured by it. I caught her spontaneously mesmerized. A rare moment when her mouth wasn't open.  It was too good not to share.

Go West, Young Man!

Shortly after I became the manager of the licensing team at work about 16 years ago I hired Patrick.  It was so strange when we realized that he knew my mother -  his job prior to this was working for the bank where my mother worked.  Everyone who worked at the bank knew my mom because all the lunatics and crackpots who complained would get escalated to her. And there were always plenty of crazies at the various branches to send her way.  

Patrick then brought another banker to the team. Chris was hired to be my boss and the three of us worked together for years…so even though we've all moved on to new roles within the company, it still seems like the end of an era that Patrick is moving to San Diego.

I loved working with Patrick - he was serious about getting work done but was always good for a hearty laugh.  There are some people in the world who just fit right back into place when you see them - -  no matter how long it's been since I've seen Patrick we can always pick right up with a joke and start  riffing on something random that gets us both cracking up.

When I left for the UK one of the nicest send offs was Patrick taking me out for high tea on Newbury Street. So even though a wet nor'easter was whipping through Boston, I was determined to go to his good-bye party in Dorchester.

Chris was there but otherwise it was all of Patrick's friends from outside of work and his family.  I had already gone to his work do but I was honored to be included in this no-work gathering.

I showed my appreciation by saying something completely inappropriate during our selfie session.

Good luck on the west coast, Patrick.  May this adventure be everything you were hoping for and more. 

Flashback Friday

My birthday - I'm going to guess that this is my 20th which makes it 1986.  I'm pretty certain I was home from college over the Memorial Day weekend to celebrate.

Blog readers will recognize Doug and Marge from their UK trips and a recent visit to Newburyport.  I wouldn't be surprised if Doug was wearing that same outfit in London.

Mum is rockin' the big Harry Potter glasses.  I don't remember her hair being quite so….round…It's just dawning on my that if I'm 20, she is bit younger in this photo than I am today.  Bold move to kneel on the grass in white pants, Mum!

As far as I know Andy and I didn't coordinate our floral looks.  In fact, it's strange to see him in this hawaiian shirt.  I still can't believe he isn't here to comment on this post…

And I love seeing my grandparents (aka Nana and Bomp) on the blog.  Nana would have been a faithful reader.

Of course, I should explain the dogs - Fred is the one in clothing.  He lived with Doug and Marge and became a real member of the family.   I wish I had some photos of the elaborate Halloween costumes they used to make for him.  He had more clothes than I did.  And when Doug got contact lenses they made some for Fred out of cling film.

The other dog is Drummond who is made out of plastic.  He photographs very realistically! 

When I think about memories of my family  - this is how I see us.

Smoking Series Makes a Comeback

Years ago we made sure we got pictures of all our friends smoking (or pretending to smoke) Bill's cigars.  Our bedroom walls are lined with black and white pictures of friends with stogies.  It's aways good to give people a prop and see what they do with it.  Some really go for the smoke, others hold it like a pro.  

We snapped these back in April when the Fabbies were here for a night at the fire pit after the festival.  

(It was unfortunate that no one noticed the vine creeping down to attack Earle from behind.)

Looks like we're going to need more wall space if we start this series up again...

Another Tuesday Night of Trivia

Weak Sauce for the week was Joey, Allie, Zoe, Jen and Bill.

We were ready to take on all of Newburyport since it was standing room only this week at the Tavern.

Joey came dressed in real clothing.  For the first 19 years of his life he wore football jerseys and basketball shorts everywhere.  For the past couple of years he's been expanding his wardrobe so I know this is actually not something new right now but we were so conditioned for so long to see him in football game jerseys that it still feels like a novelty.  Tonight he was in a collared shirt, Nantucket red cotton shorts, boat shoes!!  Looking good, Joey!  

Of course, the girls always look good.

Questions:

• What band put out an album titled Achtung Baby in 1991? 
• Who was the second man on the moon on the Apollo 11 mission?
• What are the names of 3 elements - -numbers 92, 93 and 94 - - named after celestial bodies?
• Who won an oscar for  The Three Faces of Eve and was married to Paul Newman until he died?
• What police show won an emmy every year from 1981 to 1984 for best drama?
• What dutch graphic design artist was best known for combining realism with optical illusion?
• Come Together was the first song on what Beatles album?
• Humbert Humbert was one of the two leading characters in what novel?
• Hollister is a brand from what clothing chain?
• With 80 million people, what country is the most populated in the European Union?

This is Joey's "I don't know" face.

I made a fool out of myself halfway through the night when Allie was taking our answer up and I realized I'd put the wrong wager on the slip.  My solution  - to jump up and plow through the crowd yelling "ZOE ZOE!!!" almost knocking over a waitress carrying  a tray of beers.  I noticed more than a few pairs of eyes on me as I walked back to my seat.  
And I think the girls have started answering to each other's names because I'm constantly getting them wrong.  Hello senility.

Answers:

• What band put out an album titled Achtung Baby in 1991?   U2
• Who was the second man on the moon on the Apollo 11 mission?  Buzz Aldrin
• What are the names of 3 elements - -numbers 92, 93 and 94 - - named after celestial bodies? Plutonium, Uraneum, Neptunium
• Who won an oscar for  The Three Faces of Eve and was married to Paul Newman until he died? Joanne Woodward
• What police show won an emmy every year from 1981 to 1984 for best drama?  Hill Street Blues
• What dutch graphic design artist was best known for combining realism with optical illusion?  Escher
• Come Together was the first song on what Beatles album? Abbey Road
• Humbert Humbert was one of the two leading characters in what novel?  Lolita
• Hollister is a brand from what clothing chain?  Abercrombie and Fitch
• With 80 million people, what country is the most populated in the European Union?  Germany

File that last one under "we should have listened to Joey" - - it dropped us from 2nd place to 4th.  It's a good thing I'm not competitive.

Summer Solstice Eve

Jessica and Dima came to the port this weekend!

We started the visit off with a walk into town and a stroll along the waterfront.  There was an older gentleman in a purple unitard doing amazing yoga type upside down balancing moves in the park.  Why does someone do that in public?  Are they seeking attention?  Was he an old circus performer that needed an outlet in his old age?  

We did a little photo shoot along the Merrimac.

We were told to look angry.  I'm not sure either of us really accomplished anger.  Jessica looks like she might burst into song and I look like Popeye.

We started walking around town and then Dima disappeared…OMG he's talking to Mr Unitard!!

Turns out this guy hurt his back when he was in his 30's and started doing yoga.  This eventually lead to him doing mid air upside down splits in the park in a purple unitard.  I'm not sure if this is a success story or a cautionary tale.

We did what anyone else would do after hearing that story.  

We got gelato.

A little while later we were back on Atwood.  Pete, Denise and Christin all came  over to partake in the Summer Solstice bbq and fire pit night.

Steak tips and corn on the cob, coming right up!

Jessica set us all straight…I don't know what the topic was but this is the face of a woman who knows she is right!

Laura joined us when she got home.

What was your first concert?  Mine was Rick Springfield.  Pete's was Jethro Tull.  Christin went to Depech Mode.  Laura saw Elton John.  Bill enjoyed our own fire pit concert.  When did a lighter become the symbol for encore?

By the end of the night Dima was giving us his best Lloyd Dobler.  In Your Eyes was playing and we all chimed in to mangle the lines of our hero:

 I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that.

It's funny to think of that as a line that would attract you to someone. Any slightly older woman would realize that producing, buying and selling are all valid career choices unless you want to hitch your wagon to a bum. Then again, I guess Lloyd could go into HR or Operations?

Scenes from Life in the Port

Now that it's warm out I love to have breakfast on the roof deck. We still don't have any furniture out there so we just sit in low slung beach chairs and the tray of food right on the deck.

We haven't spent much time at the beach yet but a few weekends ago we were there so I could take a long walk in the sand and fling and flail. Sometimes sticking the landing…sometimes not.

There is a new restaurant open across the river with great views of Nbpt.  Well, it's new to us since it opened while we were living in London.

That's the steeple for the Old South Church just behind our house poking up out of the landscape.  

Life in a port town at summertime is pretty good.

Flashback Friday

At one time I thought it would be funny to have a glass top coffee table with pictures of the family looking as if we were trapped in the glass.

This has to be the saddest collection of photos ever.

The glass top coffee table photo idea never materialized, needless to say.

Back at the Tavern for some Tunes

Every Wednesday night there is an Irish jam session (music, not jelly).  People come and join the group to sing and play. I assume there is a core group that is usually there but they have a new-comer in their midst.  Zoe!

Proud Mom and proud future step-mother-in-law made sure to applaud the loudest.

They were great!  Zoe was nervous at first but seemed to relax once she got into the groove of the songs she knew.   She even had come solo moments.  One of the men in the group had a great voice so he got even some of the audience singing.

\

The waitress complimented both of us on our "blouses".

Christen stopped by to listen and treated us to a preview of the interpretive dance she wants to do at Bret and Zoe's wedding. 

On our way home we said hello to Mickey and Laura.  (Because doesn't everyone want their crazy blogging neighbors to come to their door at 10:30 and take pictures??)  

It was a lovely night in our little patch of the world.

Trivia Tuesday

We're back!  Weak Sauce came out strong until we listened to Derek a few too many times (just kidding, D-Train!) and plummeted to 6th place.  

We had an extra bit of sauce last night - - Zoe's mom Barbara.  Bret is out on his annual army reserve adventure so Barbara came for a visit from Maine.

Christin was scheduled to be part of the Sauce but when she saw the full table she decided that was her excuse not to stay for the night.  She was tired and saw that she wasn't letting us down…at least that was her story.  Maybe she hates us.  Maybe she hates Derek  Anyway, she came and left.

Zoe and her mom were very cute together.  Her mom was a lot of fun and joined right in on the quiz and the clowning.

It's nice to have Derek back in the mix.  There's no friend like an old friend.

Allie saved us with a Cure song title (I was going for Every Day is Like Sunday but she corrected me with It's Friday, I'm in Love).

I worshipped Bill as I always do.

Basketball clowning.

Air drum clowning.

Questions:

• Tomorrow is a Latter Day is a song from what hit musical?  
• John Voigt and Dustin Hoffman were both nominated for Best Actor in what 1969 film?  
• What Charleston harbor fort was the scene of a civil war battle in April 1861?  
• For what 1941 film was Orson Wells nominated for best actor, director and writer?  
• In 1968 Charles M Schultz introduced this black character into his comic strip. 
• Eddie Redmayne has signed on to star in Fantstic Beasts and Where to Find Them - a spin off from what franchise?  
• Who co-wrote the hit Because the Night with Patti Smith? 
• John Irving won an academy award for his screen play for which one of his novels that was turned into a movie in 1999? 

Answers:

• Tomorrow is a Latter Day is a song from what hit musical?  The Book of Mormon
• John Voigt and Dustin Hoffman were both nominated for Best Actor in what 1969 film?  Midnight Cowboy
• What Charleston harbor fort was the scene of a civil war battle in April 1861?  Fort Sumpter
• For what 1941 film was Orson Wells nominated for best actor, director and writer?  Citizen Kane
• In 1968 Charles M Schultz introduced this black character into his comic strip. Franklin
• Eddie Redmayne has signed on to star in Fantstic Beasts and Where to Find Them - a spin off from what franchise?  Harry Potter
• Who co-wrote the hit Because the Night with Patti Smith?  Bruce Springsteen
• John Irving won an academy award for his screen play for which one of his novels that was turned into a movie in 1999?  Cider House Rules