The One With the Happy Halloween

 

 

 

 

It is Halloween night 2024...and it was quite a busy day.

 

First, it was the first time Kiff and Bri had been around in the past few years. And, it was nice to have the around. They helped pass our candy to our trick-or-treaters. We had 23.

 

Kiff and I also put together our new Halloween decoration - the Plague Doctor. It was unique.

 

We set up our haunted house and we also put out the firepit in the driveway, where we greeted trick or treaters.

 

Kiff left early to go to a Halloween party. But, we got back just in time to have the Great Pumpkin visit. 

 

 

The One With the New Car

 

 

Today, Emmie and I took a trip down toward the south shore. We visited the Sullivan Brothers car company - a company whose signed I passed a bazillion times since growing up going to the Cape. We were in search of a new, used car for Emmie. Now that Bri has a license, we wanted to do a car shuffle.

 

The goal of today was to find a Jeep Wrangler that Emmie could use driving back and forth from school and on local drives. After all, she had longed to have a Wrangler again.

 

And we were in luck. We found one for the right price that was a good deal. And the people at Sullivan were amazing. It was a great experience.

The One Where Bri Gets Her License

 

 

Today was a banner day for Bri. She got up early in the morning and had her driver's license test planned for today in Beverly at 8:15.

The first time around did not go so smoothly for Bri. She bumped into a curb when she was parallel parking, which means you automatically have to do it again. So, needless to say, she was nervous.

However, she had been practicing all this week - particularly her parallel parking - and reviewing what she needed to work on (checking her blind spot when backing up and stopping before entering an intersection from a parking lot).

Although she was nervous - as most of the kids were there today - and had to wait long, it was worth it. At about 9:37 AM she was off. She returned 6 minutes later, looking stoic. Of course, it turns out that the exam driver didn't tell her if she passed, either, so it took her a moment to realize that when he said, "You did good," and then she checked the permit she had to bring for the test, it became clear she passed.

It was amazing!!! Her face beamed as I took her picture and she had a special skip in her step. She couldn't wait to get home to tell Emmie (who, along with Kiff, congratulated her via text). And according to Bri, she did the best parallel parking she ever did (and she even showed me the red car she parked behind).

 That was just one of her successes this week. She found out yesterday that she now has set the family record for SAT scores with a 1320. Zoinks!!!

The One With Megalopolis

 

 

Wow. That is all I can say. On Thursday, Kiff and I went to see Megalopolis. He has been hoping to see it all year and I have been interested in it as well. Although he knew it was supposed to be a flop - he had heard that for months - he still wanted to see if. After all, he is a huge Francis Ford Copolla Fan.

 

However, nothing could truly prepare us for the wild ride we went on. The movie was marketed as a fable. While allegorical, I think it would be better advertised as a parable. But, then, it is really hard to say what the heck is going on in the story. Yikes! 

Of course, my favorite quote was when Kiff turned and said, "This is so bad!!!" Indeed. To make matters worse, for a short period of time, when of the best displays of Northern Lights to reach New England was visible while we were in the movie. Nice!!!

The One With Apple Picking

 

Earlier today, we celebrated the first day of autumn (it arrived at 8:43 AM today), by going apple picking. Of course, we visited our traditional spot - Russell Orchard in Ipswich.

Emmie was worried that we might get there too late (we left at 10 AM). Indeed, it was packed when we arrived at that time, but they were definitely moving people through fast. We were able to get our standard apple cider donuts within 5 minutes of arrival.  Emmie also made sure to take a picture of Bri and Kiff on the tires.

Then, we bought bags and a hayride and went out to the fields. The man getting us lined up was a big Bruins fan (I had worn by Bruins hat) and had a cool Hawaiian shirt with his dog printed on it.

When we arrived at the fields, we were allowed into the back section of the orchard, which we had never been to before. It turns out they had just opened that part for pickers today, so we had the run of the apples. It was amazing and the view in the distance was incredible. We found out that gala apples were not available at the orchard this year - the bees did not pollinate them. However, we found a whole row of honeycrisp and it was amazing!!! We were able to get some of the best apples we ever got.

We took the hayride back to the beginning and picked up a few items in the store. Then, Bri drove us home. Overall, it was an awesome way to start fall.

The One With Open House Night

 

 

Tonight, Emmie and I came back from DHS Open House. It was the fourth Open House we had at DHS, which is always a fun night. As we have done in the past, we had to do a little divide and conquer - particularly where we had both kiddoes up there.

 Emmie took on Kiff's schedule while I went to Bri's...though we did overlap in band. Because Bri had a study, we were able to both go to Kiff's chemistry class - which had some cool experiments. And, Emmie came to Bri's "Hero" English class.

All and all it was fun. What was neat was - like years in the past - the National Honor Society seniors were there to help navigate.  This year, Bri got to be one of them and it was super cool. They were all wearing their blue class of 2025 shirts! Pretty keen.

It was a fun night and we saw lots of families, which makes it extra fun. However, it was slightly bittersweet, too. It marked the 13th - and final - open house we will be going to for Bri. It is so hard to believe!!!

The One Where Bri is a Senior

 

 

 

It happened today much to our surprise.

It happened slowly, but in front of our eyes.

Our little girl has come a long, long way.

She officially became a senior today!

 

It is hard to believe, but Bri's first day of her last year in the Danvers schools started today. As I am typing this, she just came in and is eating after a tiring first day where she spent a ton of time with friends. It is hard to believe that 13 years are starting to come to an end.

 It is amazing and scary at the same time. I can't wait to see what our amazing daughter becomes, though!

The One With the Wallows

 

 

This evening, we went to Fenway MGM for the first time ever to see a group Kiff was interested in seeing called the Wallows. The group was fronted by the guy who played the older brother in Alexander and the No Good, Horrible Day! (a fact I learned after the show).

 While we were not too sure what to expect, the venue was amazing. Very quaint for a musical concert. Bebee was the warm up act. She is a New Zealand singer. She was definitely indie, but she did fine. However, the Wallows were the main show. Although I knew little about them, they were amazing. They use a lot of lights and affects in their show, which took some getting used to. But it was well worth it. 

I would see them again.

The One With Our 20th Anniversary

 

It is hard to believe that 20 years have passed. But, today, Emmie and I celebrated our 20th anniversary!!! We spent a day in Charlottetown. We ate at Sims Steakhouse. And we saw Anne and Gilbert, the Musical. it was an amazing way to spend the day.

 

Happy anniversary Emmie!!! Thanks for 20 amazing years. I'm looking forward to many, many, many more.

 

Love ya!!!

 

 

The One With Cape Cod

 

 

We took a very action packed overnight trip to the Cape these past two days. We left on Sunday morning, beating most traffic down - though there was a lot of traffic coming off the Cape. 

The first big ticket item was to go to Hobby Lobby. This store, which Emmie went to briefly in NH, was a hit with Emmie. She found a ton of stuff, as did Bri (for a spa day party). Kiff also found an ugly dogs playing poker picture in a frame that he fell in love with.

After that. we headed to the go-karts, which is aways fun. Kiff got a dud of a cart, while Bri was able to race off to first place in one of her races. Those driver's ed classes came in handy.

We went to Mark and Carols to celebrate a birthday cookout. We had a fun time, enjoying the deck and the cool air at the time (it had been cloudy and humid all day).

The following morning, we hit Hearth and Kettle. Bri actually drove us there and got the first taste of Cape traffic. Then, we did a few things including just resting and reading. We went to the beach and then trekked home.

Overall, it was a calm and relaxing overnighter.

The One With Fly Me to the Moon

 

 

Today we got a chance to see a sneak preview of "Fly Me To The Moon" in the theater. The movie stars Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum. 

As a history and astronomy buff, I was looking forward to seeing it. But, I expected it to be a ho-hum affair. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this movie was fun, energetic, and had a lot of twists and turns. It presented the idea of the "soundstage version" of the moon landing and where it might have come from.

Although it is based on the Apollo 11 mission - and the huge PR campaign for it - the overall plot is fictional. However, the characters are fun, realistic, and believable. And the movie was great. We all loved it - and it is definitely a surprise movie of the summer.

The One With the Fireworks

 

 

 

 

Every year for the past several years, we try to see the Gloucester Fireworks. Traditionally, they are held the night before the fourth and are one of the best displays in the region.

 

This year was no exception. We went to Stage Fort Park in Gloucester and were mesmerized by the spectacular display. The fireworks were incredible. This year, they did feature food trucks, which actually made the sky brighter than normal....but that was not a problem.

 

The pyrotechnics themselves were splendid and captured an array of styles....and included three finales (we actually missed the final finale, thinking it had already happened). The only hiccup was one of the fireworks went low to the ground....though still out in the harbor, which seemed to be fine.

 

Parking was not as bad as usual, and they opened up a side gate on the grass lot, which helped immensely.

The One With the Good Harbor Beach

 

 

 We went to Gloucester's Good Harbor beach today. It was a beautiful day for it. The tide was going out and the sun was shining.

 We stopped and got a little Panera before going there. Then, we spent about two hours there.

The only hiccup was the inconsistent sunscreen. It was spray Neutrogena that did not go on smoothly. We all had slight red spots as a result of the poor spraying.

The One With the Celtics Championship

 

 

It is 11:53 on June 17, 2024.

 Sixteen years to they day of the epic 2008 championship, the 2024 Boston Celtics have just won the NBA Championship for a record 18th time!!!

They defeated the Mavs in game 5, winning the series 4 games to 1.

Jaylen Brown was NBA Finals MVP.

Kristaps Porzingis came into the game with an injury to give them a lift.

Jrue Holiday got them jump started in the first quarter.

Derrick White lost part of a tooth in a face plant on the floor.

Payton Pritchard hit a buzzer beater to go into half time.

Sam Hauser hit two big threes.

Al Horford set the record for most playoff wins before winning an NBA Finals.

And Jayson Tatum led the team with 31 points. 

We watched the entire second half as a family.

What an amazing ending to an amazing season. It is incredible to call the 2024 Celtics NBA Champs!!!

 

The One With the Red Sox Game

 

Earlier tonight (before the Celtics took a 3-0 series lead in the 2024 NBA Finals), Emmie and I went to Fenway Park to attend a Red Sox game. 

 

Now, the full reason we went was because Emmie wanted to get the free merch they were giving away - Red Sox teacher cups as part of Teacher Appreciation night. It also served as a date night because the kids were at band.

 

We arrived a little late but considering fan apathy this year, it was not too bad. We were over by the third base side, surrounded by  Phillies fans (that is who the Red Sox played). And, true to form, they were loud at first...especially when the Phillies went up 4-0. We saw a couple triples, a near inside the park homerun by the Phillies, and a homerun by David Hamilton of the Sox. We also got a couple a really good Fenway Franks.

But the Red Sox actually roared back. Even though we had to leave early, we saw them score 8 runs...and they eventually won the game 8-6.

What a game and what a memory.

The One Where Bri is a Marshall At DHS Graduation

 

 

Bri had quite an honor at graduation today. We actually found out about it a little more than a week ago. According to her story, a few students in band heard that she had been called down to the office. Thinking it was a joke at first, because to of the students were freshman,  she ignored it, then when verified by a fellow junior, went down.

When she arrived in the office, the secretary said, "Can I help you?" When Bri said she was called down, she smiled and pointed to Mr. Federico's office. There, she saw several other students she knew, including Erica.

She soon realized that she was one of the top ten students in her class. As a result, they got to be marshalls at DHS graduation. It is an amazing honor...but it also comes with the perk of community service hours for high school as well.

So, we had the opportunity to see her march in with the seniors. She was at the head of the line of the graduation class, helping them march in. She also motioned for them to move when it was time to get in line for their diploma.

To be honest, seeing Bri in a gown - even though it was gold - was quite a powerful experience...and allowed us to get a little head start on what next year would be like. It was an emotional day for us, and her, as she watched several of her best friends graduate. But, it was an amazing moment for all of us!!!

The One With the Senior Prom

 

 

As if this week could not get busy enough, the senior prom was tonight. First, to get things started, I had to pick up Bri from school and get her to a hair appointment. Those are always fun moments.

Then, Bri had to get ready, which took some time. In the meantime, I made sure the boutonniere and corsage were picked up.

Jack arrived at around 3:30 to make sure they could take off to get something quick to eat and arrive at DHS by 4:30. Parents were then invited to the high school for the promenade - a time when each couple is announced and they walk around the gym. We hung out with Jack's parents, as well as Alaina's mother (Alaina was also going) as each couple circled the gym. It was an amazing scene (though people did leave before everyone walked around, which I thought was a shame).  

Students then boarded the bus and went to Salisbury, where the prom as held. After the prom, Jack's mother acted as chaffeur, getting them to two different all night after prom parties, which quite nice of her to do.

Bri was exhausted - pretty much wiped out all of Friday. But it was a great night!!!

The One With Awards Night

 

 

Not to be undone, we were back at DHS for the third night in a row to attend awards night. That is a night when students at the high school earn awards for the classes they are in. 

We had heard that both Bri and Chiff would be receiving awards at the ceremony. And, that proved out to be true....though it took a LOOOONG time for each of them to be called up.

Bri won the Instrumental Music Award for her work in band...which was amazing.

Chiff won the TV Production Award for his work in TV production...which he loves.

 A fun night - capping off a three day awards ceremony week.

The One With the National Honor Society

 

 

One day after Bri was inducted into the French Honor Society, she was inducted into the National Honor Society. This is an honor given to junior students to be part of the historic high school National Honor Society.

It was an amazing night as Bri was inducted with several friends, such as Erica, Raina, and Alaina. There was a nice ceremony where the officers of the prior year explain the traditions of the NHS and also share a little bit about the requirements of being in it.

Each student was called up for their photo opp moment. However, what was neat is they did about 12 book awards for various colleges. This is an honor bestowed by former alumni of a college to juniors that comes with an actual book, a certificate, and a waiver for applying to the college. Erica got one, but the surprise of the night (at least for us and Bri) is when she was called up to get one.

She earned the Suffolk University Book Award, which was awesome. Ironically, her uncle, Mark went there (so of course, we texted and showed him the picture right away). It was an honor that pleasantly surprised all of us.

What is even more fun is that this marked the second day in a row that Bri got into an honor society that one of her parents was in. I got into the National Honor Society back in high school many year ago. 

The One With Bri's French National Honor Society

 

 

Tonight, we went to DHS for the National Foreign Language Honor Society inductions. Bri was nominated and accepted into Papillon, which is the French chapter of the Honor Society at DHS.

 

What was funny about this is that Bri was actually invited to join last year, but declined, thinking it was extra work. As a result, it was mainly sophomores who were inducted...but there were a handful of juniors as well.

 

It was a quick ceremony - those are always fun - but it marked the first honor society that Bri literally shared with one of her parents. Emmie was inducted into the Spanish version of the society when she was in high school. Very cool!!!

The One with Alamo Drafthouse and Agrrodr1ft

 

 

Last night, I took Kiff and Adrian into Boston to see a movie called Agrrodr1ft. Kiff had been talking about this movie for some time. It was from a director - Harmony Korine - trying to innovate movies by shooting in infrared. While it was different - it reminded me of the weird vibe from the original Tron with the grayscale and computer colors - I am not sure how much it will catch on.

 

The movie was about the internal conflict of a well-trained assassin whose job it is to take out another assassin that he trained. He has internal conflict and  struggles with what to do. Although, he is able to grapple with this internal conflict and make choices that better his situation. To be fair, it had a great score (in fact, we found out the plan was to have QA with the composer, but he couldn't make it at the last minutes. The movie itself was weird, with supernatural and god-like imagery. But, at least Korine was trying to do something different.

The Drafthouse is a good place to see a movie. And the parking is right below it...so it is convenient.

The One With Bri's 17th Birthday and My Two Strikes and a Spare

 

 

Bri turned 17 today and so, we turned it into a Bri day,  to have fun and enjoy. As a result, she had a great 17th birthday.

 

First, we woke up and treated her to breakfast. She decided she wanted Nick and Andy's - always a good choice. I was happy to get it and realized that one of my favorite waitresses from Texas Roadhouse and Reds Tavern works there now. 

 

Then, we watched the pilot episode of Growing Pains, which was shocking to the kids. Both Bri and Kiff did not like the version of Jason in that episode.  He was a lot gruffer - and wanted his wife a lot - which they were unfamiliar with.

After that, we went to Kings Bowling, where we bowled, had some nachoes and chix fingers, and played arcade games. It is ten pin bowling, so we had to use the big balls. It took some time, but after a while, we got the knack of it (Kiff did put up the bumpers for himself, Bri, and Emmie). I actually found out this works better for me than candlepin. I got two strikes - something I rarely get - and a spare. I even bowled an 85 through 7 strings on the second round (it stopped there because we ran out of time).

We came home and did our scavenger hunt as well as present opening. Emmie realized she didn't do a bad job getting gifts (after lamenting that she had for three days). 

For supper, we went to Double Bull, which has some good food. Then, we came home and had cake. Jack came over to join us for that.

All and all, a very happy 17th birthday!!!

The One With Our Ride Home from NYC

 

 

Today was our last day in NYC. What a way to cap off April vacation! It was quite a trip. We did have breakfast one last time at Revel and Rye. We tried the breakfast buffet, which was good.

 

We did grab a Junior's cheesecake before we left.

 They were very efficient getting the luggage down and the car out as well. They were also very kind. 

 

Some lingering thoughts...

 

Funniest moment - Bri accidentally pressing the emergency button on the elevator and them calling to make sure everything was okay.

 

Weirdest moment - Kiff seeing the "Naked Cowboy" who he has seen on Tik Tok. He is not naked, by the way.

 

Creepiest moment - The Minnie Mouse who tried to get a picture with Kiff....until Emmie rescued him.

 

Moment that made Emmie rage - When a fake monk approached and insisted that we pay for bracelets he made.

 

Weakest moment - When we went to GMA, only to realize they had already left.

 

Brushes with Greatness  - We saw two actors from FBI filming Zeeko Zaki and Taylor Miller. Emmie swears she saw Hugh Jackman. Kiff believes he saw Jayden Smith. I saw King Kong.

 

 

The One With Saturday in New York City

 Today was our last full day in New York City. And, like the others, it was action packed. We had several things on our itinerary.

1. Visit to Central Park - We took the Big Bus to Central Park, which was part of the UPTOWN LOOP. We took a ride by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which was in Night at the Museum, but more importantly the book The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. It was even more impressive to look at in person.

 2. We got off at the zoo, which was not originally on our plan. We needed a bathroom break, as well as a place to get a drink. It was a nice spot....with a huge grizzly.

 3. After that, we went a little further to the southside of the park, where Emmie arranged a horse drawn carriage ride. It was a blast. We saw scenes in the park that were in Home Alone 2 (the bird lady scene), Elf (the snowball fight bridge) Tangled(the pool of water where they dance), Ghostbusters (the church attacked by the marshmallow man), and Maid in Manhattan (the spot outside

the apartment). The ride was cool and the rider, who looked like Jonathan Knight, and Bella, the horse, was awesome!

 4. We were exhausted by the time we got back. We did go to the Disney Store and then went to Juniors for a later lunch, early supper.

5.  Following that, we spent the night at Sweeney Todd. Although I wasn't originally keen on going, I remember my Dad saying that it was better than he thought it would be. I could see why. It had a creative story with true clever twists - very Stephen Sondheim - with the same type of songs found from Into the Woods....strong, multiple parts, and endearing. It was a great show. And, what made it a little more special is that we are on the waning weeks of it being on Broadway. It ends its run on May 5.

All and all, a great day 4.

 

 

The One With Friday in New York City

 

 

This Friday, we had an eventful day in New York City. This

was our third day in the city, and one that was designed to be busy.

We got up early in the morning and had breakfast in the hotel at a place called Revel and Rye. It had a pretty good breakfast - and a solid oatmeal.

We then went on the Big Bus, which provided a tour of the city, as well as trips to two of the stops that we wanted to go on. The first stop was the Empire State Building. This was an amazing stop. Now, it took a little while to figure out how to get in, but once we did, it was a quick move through the building. We took a few pictures on the first two floors and then went into the overview of the construction of the Empire State Building, which was a lot of fun. We proceeded to take the elevator to the 80th floor, where there was an indoor observation deck. This was a pretty solid view of the city. However, a better one was six floors up (we took the stairs to get their, which did slow Emmie down a little bit with her asthma). However, the views were amazing, particularly from the outside observation deck. You could see the Brooklyn Bridge and even the Statue of Liberty. When it was time to go, we exited from the spot where Will Farrell enters in Elf.

 

We boarded the bus and our plan was to go to the Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty a little closer. However, the plan was a little bit spoiled because we had to detour through the city. The Trump hush money jury selection trial was going on nearby and an incident outside the courthouse had the whole section detoured. So, we adjusted and went to the 9/11 Memorial, which was inspiring!!! We did see the Brooklyn Bridge and got a brief glimpse of the Statue on the way there.

 

We came home and got a quick bite to eat from room service and then headed to The Outsiders. It was amazing (Emmie declared it the best musical she has seen). It has only been on Broadway for 8 days by the time we saw it, and the audience was definitely juiced! They loved it and had a HUGE standing ovation at the end, which was amazing. It was a great musical and an awesome adaptation of the S.E. Hinton  novel. I am so glad we saw it.

 

We ended the night by going to Carmines. It was a restaurant recommended to Emmie by a friend at work. It has amazing portions and was fantastic!!! What day in NYC

The One With Thursday in New York City

 

 

Our first full day in New York City was a lot of fun. It involved a few fun things that we did.

First, we went to Madam Toussad's Wax Museum, which was a short trip up the street. On our way, we found the fun aspect of life visiting Times Square - there are a lot of hustlers out there trying to make some money. However, the Wax museum itself was a lot of fun. It was several stories tall, with rooms set up in a variety of fashions - dance party, model runaway, horror films. And, there were many amazing wax figurines to see, including Scarlet Johanson, Bruce Willis, Steven Spielberg, Charlie Chaplin, Lady Gaga, and others. We actually we able to see a ton of them and got pictures with several....including notable politicians. The way they set it up to be interactive was a lot of fun. They also had figurines of the Marvel superheroes. And, they also had a creative 4D animated Marvel Superhero ride.

When we left, we made our way back to Times Square. As we were getting there, we noticed that one section was blocked off for filming. We scouted it out and found that the TV show FBI was being filmed there. We saw at least one really tall actor on the set. The hired hands were trying to keep tourists from crossing over into the filming - though one intense guy cut across anyway.

After that, we went to Juniors Burgers, a local establishment known for good food and cheesecake. It did not disappoint. The Rueben sandwich I had was amazing - a true New York delicacy. And we all shared an incredible strawberry cheesecake.

We did come home and took a nap - we were exhausted. Then, we went to the Stardust Diner for super. It was a blast. The workers sign amazing songs as they served food. They were so talented, including our server. He sounded great. The place is home to many waitstaff that go on to be in Broadway shows. All and all, it was a great day.

 

 

The One With the Solar Eclipse

 

 

Today was the day. Seven years in the planning since the 2017 solar eclipse. But, this one was bigger and better. We could see it near totality (about 92% where we live).

 

It was the 2024 Solar Eclipse. And boy did it have a big build up. Part of it was the fact that it was going to be seen in the 48 consecutive states. And part of it was because it was it is the last time we will see a total eclipse in North American until 2044.

As a family, we decked out for the eclipse. We got two sets of glasses for everyone. Bri and Kiff took theirs to school. I brought mine as well, as did Emmie. 

 

Schools got into the act. Emmie's school hosted a viewing party. She passed out stickers to families who were enjoying it together. My school actually purchased glasses for students who were interested. We watched a special CNN 10 about it in class today as well as a Discovery Education video that explained that we should enjoy these eclipses while we can because in 600 million years, we will not see them (the moon will have pulled too far away. I also showed students the simulation on the planetarium dome at school as well, where they could see the Venus actually became visible. They also saw that the seven planets were all aligned as well. Super cool.

Viewing it today as a lot of fun. I checked it out from my parent's house before heading home. I stopped on the way home in Lexington and viewed it (the sun was about half covered). I viewed it when we got home a few times with Kif (the eclipse was at maximum) around 3:30. I viewed it when we left for Kif and Bri's track meet, which showed that the moon was now moving. I even checked it out from DHS. It was almost complete (I even viewed the sun when it was totally complete at 4:30).

 

All and all it was a memorable time.

The One With a Happy Easter

 

 

 

 

Today is Easter, 2024. Sure, it might still be March, but we definitely had a memorable Easter weekend.

 

Friday - Emmie and I has the day off like usual. We had many errands to take care of - car drop off, making sure to schedule the door installation, going out to breakfast, a visit to Putnam Pantry, and movie night (seeing Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, which was great).

Saturday - Bri had a competition, while Kiff had track practice and dance. Busy day. Bri's winter guard team came in second place in their division.

Sunday - Easter - we had our usual brunch. It was delicious. I went to mass. We opened baskets and went to Endicott for a walk. Emmie, Bri, and Kiff even hit the hot tub. We will finish the night with a nice roast and Peter Rabbit.

All in all, a great Easter.

The One With The Spring Concert

 

 

The students had their annual spring concert tonight. And, it was the first time the Kiff and Bri were on the same stage for a spring concert. And it was a treat.

 

First, Bri appeared on stage as part of the flute ensemble. They did a fantastic job performing a collection of songs from Zelda. After the ensembles performed, chorus did. We were able to see a some students that our kiddoes know really well...which was fun. They sounded great.

 

Then it was time for Bri and Kiff to perform with concert band. They sounded AWESOME!!! They performed three songs and sounded fantastic. Although we could not see Kiff - the trumpets were in the back - we definitely could hear them. Bri was first flute and more visible up front...even if the track light above her was out, creating a dark spot on stage.

The show got a standing ovation from the audience, including the superintendent, who sat next to us, and said, "You must be really proud..." which was cool to hear.

All and all a great spring concert!!!

The One With Love Lies Bleeding

 

 

Today, was a divide and have fun day as Emmie and Bri went to Boston to see the Boston Ballet version of Cinderella. Kif and I ventured to Framingham AMC to see  Love Lies Bleeding. 

First and foremost, this was the first time we took Kif to the Framingham Theater. It brought back memories to me, which I shared with him - playing Area 51 with Prasad, waiting in line for Phantom Menace to start with people dressed up, and even seeing the Patriot there. 

Seeing Love Lies Bleeding is a new entry into my memories at the AMC. But, before I say something about the movie, it was fun to go to the theater because this is the first time I have been there since they did the Dine In theater. This is where they bring the food to you. That was pretty awesome!!!

The movie itself was pretty mediocre. Although entertaining - and a bit messed up in spots - it essentially told the story of a family business of selling weapons and drugs illegally, as well as problems that stem from it. The story line was a little ragged, though riveting in spots, but went a little overboard as roid rage took over one of the characters in an unbelievable way. This was followed by a jump the shark metaphor moment when two characters suddenly became giants (a moment which was alluded to by a Gulliver's Travel cartoon earlier in the movie).

Overall it was weird, but not bad. Emmie and Bri had a lot more fun we are told during their foray into Boston. But, it was a memorable day.

The One With the College Meeting

 

 

Tonight, Bri, Emmie, and I attended Junior College Night at DHS. The night was a one hour presentation about the college application process for juniors.

 

The night was interesting. There was a ton of information, as well as a QA session involving admissions employees from UMASS Boston, UMASS Lowell, UNH, Suffolk, and Endicott - colleges that students from DHS often apply to.

 

The night was informative, but also overwhelming. However, it marks another milestone as we begin to look at colleges.

The One With Leap Day

 

 

It only happens once every four years. Today is Leap Day...aka Bissextile Day (the official name of it).

 Overall, it has been a busy day. It was warm yesterday (in the upper 50s) with rain, but today is cold and windy with temperatures in the 30s. Kiff has jazz band tonight. Emmie is making meat loaf.  Bri is doing work upstairs. We watched Carl Azuz in class to learn about Leap Day as well.

All and all, a decent leap day. And the image above is the official Google Doodle for today.

The One With the Zone of Interest

 

 

Today, Kiff kept up his pursuit of watching a lot of interesting movies by encouraging me to see Zone of Interest. Although the movie itself was in subtitles - something I am definitely not fond of seeing - I have to admit I was taken by the movie.

The movie itself is based on a fictionalized account of a commandant at a concentration camp in Germany during WWII. The director updated it to be a real account of the commandant of one of the worst camps in Germany. It highlighted how the commander tried to keep his family separated from the harsh realities of what was going on in the camp...and how the family dealt with it.

Despite being in German (some of which I was able to understand), the movie was powerful, gripping, and moving. The visual effects symbolized the evil that occurred at the camp while also masking it from the audience purposefully...similar to what was happening to those who lived near it. The sounds - and distant sites - helped evoke a powerful image of the war and the people who perpetrated the atrocities at the camp.

It is definitely one of those movies that will stick with you!

The One With Annie

 

 

Today, Emmie, Bri, Kiff, and I went to see Annie at the Boch Center in Boston. Now, truth be told, Emmie was really into seeing this. Bri and I were interested (though I have seen and taken part an Annie enough that, before going, I was okay if I didn't see it again). Kiff was a slightly more reluctant participant.

 

However, once we arrived we realized we were in for quite a show. First, the people working in the place were very, very, very much about herding us in the right direction when we entered. It was slightly off-putting at first because it was so over-the-top...but we quickly got past it.

 

Emmie got us some good tix close to the stage. It was quite a view. And, it turned out to be quite a show. Great singing and acting from the kids (and Sandy a real dog), as well as the adults. Their were little nuances added to this show to update it slightly. For example, Ms. Hannigan says "next thing you know, Annie's gonna be in the comics" which subtle irony I don't remember hearing in the original. There were definitely a few such scenes (such as the radio scene where they sign "You're Never Fully Dressed).

 

Overall, it was amazing. I realized why Emmie was so connected to the musical. She remembers seeing it with her Mom in the movies...and her Mom made a big deal about it. So much so that Emmie wanted to make sure Kiff had a souvenir Sandy and Bri had a souvenir Annie from it.  

 

It was a fantastic show...even if Bri and I had to fight the crowd to get back in and get her jacket, which she left behind. It was definitely one of the best musicals I have seen.  In fact, I could feel my Dad shining down watching it. He would have loved it.

The One With Ice Cream For Breakfast Day

 

 

Once again, one of my favorite pseudo-holidays came upon us today. It was Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. And, as with recent years, this year we decided to partake in the event.

 Now, today's day was a little bit different all around. First, it was mainly me looking for the ice cream for breakfast. Emmie was holding the fort at home helping Bri get ready for her first winter guard competition (she had to be a DHS by 7:30 AM).  And Kiff was out cold - he's been battling a bug.

So, once I dropped Bri off, I decided to see what type of ice cream I could get for all of us. I first ventured to Putnam Pantry. They've taken part in Ice Cream for Breakfast the past few years, so I wanted to see what it was like. And it opens earlier than Cherry Hill, our normal ICFB stop. But, as luck would have it, Putnam Pantry was packed. People were even parking in the back side grass lot...which I never knew existed until today.

Alas, I headed to Cherry Hill...which I thought might have a bit of a line, even though it was before its starting time of 8:30. But, the Big Guy was looking out for me and He made sure that there was not too much of a crowd waiting when I got there. Cherry Hill actually opened up early and I was in the shorted line I've ever been there.

Of course, I got the maple and bacon. Everyone else got the donuts and cream. I had a little bit of my ice cream, but saved it for later. After all, we needed to have some real food to get ready for the competition later.

The One With Bri's First Color Guard Competition

 

 

Color Guard Season - Winter Style - go started in grand fashion with Bri's first competition in Salem, MA. Technically, it is the "preseason" show, where they are given an initial evaluation to build upon.

 This year's show is focusing on a vampire love story theme. Watching the initial run through proved that this year's show is going to be great. And, it will not has as many props as last year.

 Emmie and I - along with several other parents - helped out with this show. It went well overall. And it should be interesting to see what the rest of the season has in store.

The One With Jazz and Acapella Night

 

 

Tonight, Kiff took part in his first official DHS Jazz night. Although Kiff has been in the middle school jazz band, he plays trumpet for the HS jazz band this year...and the show did not disappoint.

First, the night itself was dedicated to two types of performances divided by an intermission - jass band during the first half and acapella choruses during the second. Because it had been a busy day anyway - and Kiff was fighting bronchitis - we stayed for the first.

The 7th and 8th grade jazz bands each performed before the DHS band. It was fun to see some kids we have known for a while performing in these bands. When it was time for the DHS band to take stage, the crowd was revved up. And the high school did not disappoint. They did some solid jazz performing, capped off with the stage filled with all three jazz bands performing Night Train (the song that George McFly dances to by himself at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance in Back to the Future). The song featured more than a dozen solos, which was awesome.

Though under the weather, Kiff did great. And not to be outdone, Bri showed up to be part of the stagecrew setting up stage in between performances (and it counted as four hours for school). It was great to see her take on the role I loved in high school - stage crew...though she does have to work on what she wears when she is a member of the crew.

All in all, it was a great night.

The One With The Beekeeper

 

 

 

It does not happen to often that I find a movie that I so revile to the degree of John Wick that I want the antagonists to defeat the protagonist. But, it happened today with the arrival of Beekeeper.

 

Beekeeper stars Jason Statham. Now, I am not a mega Statham fan, but I tend to enjoy his movies. They are a little campy and he tends to be humorous (although I am not sure he is always intending to do that). 

However, this one was just, to put it, straight annoying. The premise was that scam artists bilked a woman out of millions of dollars and ended up dead. So, Statham's character begins a ruthless pursuit to get them back.

 

It turns out to be one of those Statham vs. the world movies that is just plain ludicrous. Innocent people go down all over the place in the movie to the point that I could not wait for it to end.

 

 

The One With Winter Lights

 

 

 

 

Last night, we ushered in the end of the holiday season - and 2023 - by creating what might be a new tradition. We attended the Winter Lights event in North Andover. Sponsored by the Trustees, the Winter Lights is a series of three places in Massachusetts that are set up on Trustees land where Christmas lights and Christmas music are set up.

 

We had planned to do this last year, but a cold, icy mix prevented that from happening. However, this year, we were more than delighted to attend. And it was well worth it. Although finding the actual parking lot proved tricky - we ended up going in a wily back way that someone even followed us to (which would have proven a back way in to the event) - once we arrived, we were mesmerized by the lights. They were phenomenal.

 

The lights spanned the property of what is called the Stevens-Coolidge property. They lights came complete with different thematic music (such as a Let it Snow or a  Peanuts Christmastime in Here  theme). They served refreshments for a nominal price. And you could even go into the mainhouse, which was an old style summer cottage mansion on the property.

 

Overall, it was a beautiful night and a great way to  usher in a new year. And I think we may have started a new tradition.