4.30.2007
4.24.2007
3:31 on 4/24
My mom calls me at 3:31pm (the exact time I was born) every April 24th. I think that is the sweetest gesture. My parents rang today to sing "Happy Birthday" on their way home from the pool. I could hear the beeping of their golf cart backing up in the background. Ohhh retirement...
Friday - night was a blast. Thanks to everyone who came out (I think we had 20) to On the Border. Sorry I wasn't able to mingle with everyone who was there. The food wasn't that great, according to Ben, but my huge Raspberry/Peach Margarita swirl was scrumptious (Ali, you would love it) and set the mood for the remainder of the night.
After a few detours, we made our way to Kildare's in West Chester. The band, Juliano Brothers, wasn't what I was expecting though. They were a good cover band, don't get me completely wrong - but not the type of band you would expect to hear at a hoppin' bar. Luckily my Bombay Sapphire gin and tonics kept me moving and dancing, which was enough to get Clarita's beau cutting a rug. Oh that was fun!
After Kildare's, Ben wanted to head to his house to beer pong it up with Rich and some old buddies. I finally got to meet Mike's girlfriend, Ashley, so that was hunky-dory. We eventually made it home around 3:30am. I wasn't feeling the lateness of time, so I guess that's a good thing at my old age.
Saturday - was a lazy morning after an eventful night. Many apologies to Josh and not really helping with the move.
After getting a lil nauseous in the car ride to Cracker Barrel, Ben and I met up with Jer and Mr. Clarke for brunch. I love those guys - always a good time, especially with scientific conversations acknowledging that cocaine may be a cure for Alzheimer's. Afterwards, Ben and I hit up Philly and the Franklin Institute. We had tickets to see the traveling exhibit: Tutankhamun (Tut for short) and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. It was so amazing to see artifacts of over 3,000 years old. The detailing on the jewelry all the way to the confinettes was phenomenal. We also saw the IMAX presentation of Mummies - Secrets of the Pharoahs (recommended by Ericka if we wanted any clue as to what we were looking at in the exhibit). It was very informative, cheesy music and all.
Ben and I continued our tradition of having-something-go-wrong-while-traveling in Philly. I won't blame anyone *cough* but we pretty much walked about a mile out of the way to the restaurant where we planned on eating. Unfortunately, we had time constraints, so after walking all over town trying to find this restaurant, we gave up and ate as close to the Franklin Institute as possible. We settled down at Tír na nÓg on Arch Street. Let me tell you: I love cheese. If you love cheese too, order the Tír na nÓg Cheese Plate. It is a selection of Irish and International cheeses including market fresh fruits and breads. YUM!
After the shows and exhibits, we met up with Rich and his friends at New Deck Tavern in University City. We drank some beer, met new people, and planned our next transportation screw up (again, I won't blame the same person from before). Long story short, we cut our time spent with Rich so that we could have an extra hour critiquing the life of a pigeon in Suburban Station.
Sunday - was another "get-to-sleep-in" day. I don't come across those too often - especially not two in one weekend. Anyway, Ben and I pull our usual Sunday afternoons of lunch at Cosi and a movie at Oaks. Hot Fuzz is a movie and half, at least at first. Then it kept going, and going and going... But, if you enjoyed Shaun of the Dead, you can't go wrong.
A few special thank yous are in (no particular) order:
Jenn, for bringing Aaron and yourself to dinner AND for finding a birthday card with my name on it.
Rich, for getting Ben's butt down in a timely fashion.
Josh, for getting me a DVD player to replace my non-existent one.
Mom and Dad, for always calling at 3:31pm on my birthday.
Paige, for calling and leaving me a message of good news of being in town next week.
Jenny, for calling and chatting it up with me.
Ericka, for bringing me not one, but two special desserts and not ugly flowers and for keeping me company on an otherwise (acceptably) lonely birthday.
Ben, for not REALLY forgetting my birthday.
Lori W., for perfectly timing the arrival of my birthday card.
Nurse Joanne, just for being you! (and the delicious treat)
Crystal, for climbing out of her death bed to help celebrate my birthday.
Rob, for coming! His birthday is next :-)
Celine (and Brian), for not forgetting about her ex-co-worker/cous
and for everyone else who sent me messages/text/wall posts/cards/etc...
Much love,
~Les
Friday - night was a blast. Thanks to everyone who came out (I think we had 20) to On the Border. Sorry I wasn't able to mingle with everyone who was there. The food wasn't that great, according to Ben, but my huge Raspberry/Peach Margarita swirl was scrumptious (Ali, you would love it) and set the mood for the remainder of the night.
After a few detours, we made our way to Kildare's in West Chester. The band, Juliano Brothers, wasn't what I was expecting though. They were a good cover band, don't get me completely wrong - but not the type of band you would expect to hear at a hoppin' bar. Luckily my Bombay Sapphire gin and tonics kept me moving and dancing, which was enough to get Clarita's beau cutting a rug. Oh that was fun!
After Kildare's, Ben wanted to head to his house to beer pong it up with Rich and some old buddies. I finally got to meet Mike's girlfriend, Ashley, so that was hunky-dory. We eventually made it home around 3:30am. I wasn't feeling the lateness of time, so I guess that's a good thing at my old age.
Saturday - was a lazy morning after an eventful night. Many apologies to Josh and not really helping with the move.
After getting a lil nauseous in the car ride to Cracker Barrel, Ben and I met up with Jer and Mr. Clarke for brunch. I love those guys - always a good time, especially with scientific conversations acknowledging that cocaine may be a cure for Alzheimer's. Afterwards, Ben and I hit up Philly and the Franklin Institute. We had tickets to see the traveling exhibit: Tutankhamun (Tut for short) and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. It was so amazing to see artifacts of over 3,000 years old. The detailing on the jewelry all the way to the confinettes was phenomenal. We also saw the IMAX presentation of Mummies - Secrets of the Pharoahs (recommended by Ericka if we wanted any clue as to what we were looking at in the exhibit). It was very informative, cheesy music and all.
Ben and I continued our tradition of having-something-go-wrong-while-traveling in Philly. I won't blame anyone *cough* but we pretty much walked about a mile out of the way to the restaurant where we planned on eating. Unfortunately, we had time constraints, so after walking all over town trying to find this restaurant, we gave up and ate as close to the Franklin Institute as possible. We settled down at Tír na nÓg on Arch Street. Let me tell you: I love cheese. If you love cheese too, order the Tír na nÓg Cheese Plate. It is a selection of Irish and International cheeses including market fresh fruits and breads. YUM!
After the shows and exhibits, we met up with Rich and his friends at New Deck Tavern in University City. We drank some beer, met new people, and planned our next transportation screw up (again, I won't blame the same person from before). Long story short, we cut our time spent with Rich so that we could have an extra hour critiquing the life of a pigeon in Suburban Station.
Sunday - was another "get-to-sleep-in" day. I don't come across those too often - especially not two in one weekend. Anyway, Ben and I pull our usual Sunday afternoons of lunch at Cosi and a movie at Oaks. Hot Fuzz is a movie and half, at least at first. Then it kept going, and going and going... But, if you enjoyed Shaun of the Dead, you can't go wrong.
A few special thank yous are in (no particular) order:
Jenn, for bringing Aaron and yourself to dinner AND for finding a birthday card with my name on it.
Rich, for getting Ben's butt down in a timely fashion.
Josh, for getting me a DVD player to replace my non-existent one.
Mom and Dad, for always calling at 3:31pm on my birthday.
Paige, for calling and leaving me a message of good news of being in town next week.
Jenny, for calling and chatting it up with me.
Ericka, for bringing me not one, but two special desserts and not ugly flowers and for keeping me company on an otherwise (acceptably) lonely birthday.
Ben, for not REALLY forgetting my birthday.
Lori W., for perfectly timing the arrival of my birthday card.
Nurse Joanne, just for being you! (and the delicious treat)
Crystal, for climbing out of her death bed to help celebrate my birthday.
Rob, for coming! His birthday is next :-)
Celine (and Brian), for not forgetting about her ex-co-worker/cous
and for everyone else who sent me messages/text/wall posts/cards/etc...
Much love,
~Les
4.15.2007
Henry - Ben (Folds) - Ellie
Has anyone every really pondered the circle of life theory - meaning when one person dies another one gets a chance to live?
Well that definitely proved true for me last week.
Prior to my adventures with Jimmie Majka and Ben Folds Thursday evening, I received an e-mail from my dad with the subject line: Sad news.
This can't be good.
My dad had just gotten off the phone with a devestated Loni saying that Henry, their middle dog, had been killed.
After they returned home from a late night working at DTC's Open Mic Night, they found an unusually less rowdy greeting from their two dogs Lily and Wesley. Henry was no where to be found. They searched all night for him with no luck. The next morning they found him lying in the side yard, probably placed there by the neighbors, owners of the supposed dog who killed Henry. This e-mail left me in tears and thoughts of how Henry felt while the end of his life neared.
I immediately lost interest in seeing my hero, Ben Folds, but decided to go anyway with hopes to take my mind off the late Henry.
I arrived at West Chester University and immediately told Jimmie of my newly founded upsets. He was a great friend able to console me. We hung out in Jimmie's dorm room along with his friend, Jamie, deciding to skip the opening act Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide. Definitely a good choice as we heard out of tune vocals and ungroovable beats while making our way to the Hollinger Gymnasium.
Upon finding seats in the bleachers, I caught sight of Lauren and Dave amidst the crowd waiting for Ben to approach his piano bench. We sent a few texts back and forth, proclaiming my jealousy of their height and ability to see over the crowd and disgust in the opening act.
Ben came on around 9pm and rocked out for about 2 hours. That being my 5th time seeing him in concert, it wasn't anything spectacular - though he did pound out the Sanford and Son theme song on his nifty red keyboard. This immediately made me giggle to myself and think of Jon and this episode of Scrubs.
To make matters even more interesting - We wound up sitting behind Jason Bradley, his sister Jenn, Vince Grim and Josh Pierce. Jason immediately caught my eye and we engaged in conversation for a good five minutes while Josh, sitting next to Jason, blatantly ignored my existence. WTF?
After the show, Jimmie, Jamie and I went back to the dorm to watch a bit of Jarhead while waiting for our pizza. Quite an out of body experience; hanging in a dorm room only 12 days from my 26th birthday. It was fun, none the less.
So to conclude my post and bring it to the point of new life - Michelle and Keith became proud parents of a tiny 6lb 7oz baby girl, Ellie Jane Rzucidlo, Saturday morning. Michelle wasn't due for another 16 days, but Ellie wasn't waiting around. I believe it was because she overheard her mother saying that she surprisingly had nothing planned for the weekend. I am so excited for Ellie's arrival and can't wait to meet her.
So here's to new life and in remembrance of Henry
Well that definitely proved true for me last week.
Prior to my adventures with Jimmie Majka and Ben Folds Thursday evening, I received an e-mail from my dad with the subject line: Sad news.
This can't be good.
My dad had just gotten off the phone with a devestated Loni saying that Henry, their middle dog, had been killed.
After they returned home from a late night working at DTC's Open Mic Night, they found an unusually less rowdy greeting from their two dogs Lily and Wesley. Henry was no where to be found. They searched all night for him with no luck. The next morning they found him lying in the side yard, probably placed there by the neighbors, owners of the supposed dog who killed Henry. This e-mail left me in tears and thoughts of how Henry felt while the end of his life neared.
I immediately lost interest in seeing my hero, Ben Folds, but decided to go anyway with hopes to take my mind off the late Henry.
I arrived at West Chester University and immediately told Jimmie of my newly founded upsets. He was a great friend able to console me. We hung out in Jimmie's dorm room along with his friend, Jamie, deciding to skip the opening act Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide. Definitely a good choice as we heard out of tune vocals and ungroovable beats while making our way to the Hollinger Gymnasium.
Upon finding seats in the bleachers, I caught sight of Lauren and Dave amidst the crowd waiting for Ben to approach his piano bench. We sent a few texts back and forth, proclaiming my jealousy of their height and ability to see over the crowd and disgust in the opening act.
Ben came on around 9pm and rocked out for about 2 hours. That being my 5th time seeing him in concert, it wasn't anything spectacular - though he did pound out the Sanford and Son theme song on his nifty red keyboard. This immediately made me giggle to myself and think of Jon and this episode of Scrubs.
To make matters even more interesting - We wound up sitting behind Jason Bradley, his sister Jenn, Vince Grim and Josh Pierce. Jason immediately caught my eye and we engaged in conversation for a good five minutes while Josh, sitting next to Jason, blatantly ignored my existence. WTF?
After the show, Jimmie, Jamie and I went back to the dorm to watch a bit of Jarhead while waiting for our pizza. Quite an out of body experience; hanging in a dorm room only 12 days from my 26th birthday. It was fun, none the less.
So to conclude my post and bring it to the point of new life - Michelle and Keith became proud parents of a tiny 6lb 7oz baby girl, Ellie Jane Rzucidlo, Saturday morning. Michelle wasn't due for another 16 days, but Ellie wasn't waiting around. I believe it was because she overheard her mother saying that she surprisingly had nothing planned for the weekend. I am so excited for Ellie's arrival and can't wait to meet her.
So here's to new life and in remembrance of Henry
4.05.2007
Back up a minute...
Say about two weeks ago. I had a preemptive spring break down in Florida with my whole family plus Alison and Ben. It was such an awesome and relaxing time, hanging out like retired folk.
Wednesday: I spent most of the morning worried and frustrated that Ben wasn't going to make it home in time to catch our flight. He finally arrived to my place of residence shortly after 2pm and it was smooth sailing from there on in. No car troubles (or air troubles) this time around. Arrived at 20614 Queen Alexandria Drive in comfortably warm temperatures, toured my parents lovely Florida home and crashed.
Thursday: Ma, Dad, Ben and I went to Animal Kingdom - which I wasn't too excited about, seeing how I didn't really enjoy it the first time around in 2000 - but Ben REALLY wanted to go... It turned out to be quite enjoyable, especially the new ride: Expedition Everest, a Himalayan-themed runaway train adventure with a giant Yeti who tears up the track!
After some hours at the AK, went drove down to Orlando to pick up Alison, Brian and Loni. Quite the family reunion.
For dinner, we hit up Cafe Tu Tu Tango. Definitely recommend this spot - good eats, tasty drinks including an extensive martini menu, live entertainment (we saw a belly dancer and her daughter who hula-hooped like 25 hula-hoops at once), artists, etc...
Friday: Bummed around like retired folk do. Hit up the pool, did a little golf cart driving, ate at a cute lil bakery, toured a winery. Nice and relaxing. At night we played an exciting round of mini-golf - 2 holes in 1 and I took first place out of the 7 of us.
Wednesday: I spent most of the morning worried and frustrated that Ben wasn't going to make it home in time to catch our flight. He finally arrived to my place of residence shortly after 2pm and it was smooth sailing from there on in. No car troubles (or air troubles) this time around. Arrived at 20614 Queen Alexandria Drive in comfortably warm temperatures, toured my parents lovely Florida home and crashed.
Thursday: Ma, Dad, Ben and I went to Animal Kingdom - which I wasn't too excited about, seeing how I didn't really enjoy it the first time around in 2000 - but Ben REALLY wanted to go... It turned out to be quite enjoyable, especially the new ride: Expedition Everest, a Himalayan-themed runaway train adventure with a giant Yeti who tears up the track!
After some hours at the AK, went drove down to Orlando to pick up Alison, Brian and Loni. Quite the family reunion.For dinner, we hit up Cafe Tu Tu Tango. Definitely recommend this spot - good eats, tasty drinks including an extensive martini menu, live entertainment (we saw a belly dancer and her daughter who hula-hooped like 25 hula-hoops at once), artists, etc...
Friday: Bummed around like retired folk do. Hit up the pool, did a little golf cart driving, ate at a cute lil bakery, toured a winery. Nice and relaxing. At night we played an exciting round of mini-golf - 2 holes in 1 and I took first place out of the 7 of us. After we returned to Leesburg, I think it was Ben and Brian who put the finishing touches on the Maple Lane puzzle: 
Saturday: Disney! Ali, Ben and I ran all over Magic Kingdom, taking in the classic rides with Pirates (although I despise the fact that they put Johnny Depp in the ride - the movie came from the ride, not the other way around!), BIG Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion and of course Space Mountain. We then monorailed over to Epcot where we rode Test Track and drank our way around the countries. We met up with the rest of the folk in China for a delicious gourmet meal, where I drank two pots of tea to help rid myself of the returned sore throat.
Sunday: Ciao! The fam left Ben and myself to our own devices - we relaxed at the pool till we were slightly toasted and then caught our flight back to the working world.
Now it's back to sick children, sick me and job hunting.
I'm beginning to think that my body is reacting to giving up chocolate for Lent. Those natural antioxidants were keeping me healthy.
Only 4 more days...
Saturday: Disney! Ali, Ben and I ran all over Magic Kingdom, taking in the classic rides with Pirates (although I despise the fact that they put Johnny Depp in the ride - the movie came from the ride, not the other way around!), BIG Thunder Mountain, Haunted Mansion and of course Space Mountain. We then monorailed over to Epcot where we rode Test Track and drank our way around the countries. We met up with the rest of the folk in China for a delicious gourmet meal, where I drank two pots of tea to help rid myself of the returned sore throat.Sunday: Ciao! The fam left Ben and myself to our own devices - we relaxed at the pool till we were slightly toasted and then caught our flight back to the working world.Now it's back to sick children, sick me and job hunting.I'm beginning to think that my body is reacting to giving up chocolate for Lent. Those natural antioxidants were keeping me healthy.
Only 4 more days...
4.03.2007
why not?
Sometimes I find myself drafting creative writings in my head and later wonder why I never hard copy my thoughts. Well, when one has had enough of job hunting and waiting around for something adventurous to come their way, why not create a blog to answer that question? It's easier than the old paper and ink. I'm sure everyone's first entry is similar to what I'm currently writing... An intro to something new.
Well, I'm just putting my words in some sort of form and hope to come to some sort of revelation through these next few months of my transmogrification.
Enjoy the ride...
Well, I'm just putting my words in some sort of form and hope to come to some sort of revelation through these next few months of my transmogrification.
Enjoy the ride...
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