Check In On Pete

Check it out! We've got kittens! Saved from an untimely death due to animal cruelty... somebody thought it would be fun to feed these strays to their boa constrictor... these little guys and their mom now live with us for the next 6-8 weeks. This is not all of the brood though, a woman has adopted the third kitten.... and unfortunately we were too late to save the fourth from the jaws of some punk's snake. However, having taken up residence in our bathroom, they seem to be adjusting nicely to everything.... except maybe for our large male cat Oliver.

Never polite in the face of overwhelming cuteness.... we decided to photograph the shit out of them on their first night here. We really just couldn't contain ourselves. You can check out the complete Flickr set here. If you don't want to do a lot of clicking to see these guys... visit the set here for the Slide Show. Their names... due to Booger's sick sense of humor... are foods. So Pork Chop and Biscuit are the kittens... and since their was no conclusive evidence that Mom was ever to be fed to the snake like her progeny.... she has been declared "Cheeky" a sassy young mother of now only two.

Stay tuned for more pics and stories as these little guys grow and flourish... well... as much as one can while stuck in the bathroom. Hopefully soon we can get everyone playing nicely and have all four of them running around the house together..... ah FUCK.... on second thought maybe we should just keep them in the bathroom ;P

Before I stop talking about Booger's Birthday altogether, here's one last entry about some of the dishes I made this past week. The one on the left is tuna fish cakes on a bed of lettuce with thousand island dressing and a dollop of mayo. On the right, a beef stir-fry with broccoli and carrots served with fresh Clementine slices. Not bad for someone who can't cook.

Well as promised here's some info on the cake. Two layer chocolate cake with Marshmallow Fluff and Hershey's Syrup in between the layers and vanilla frosting over all of it with a small drizzle of Hershey's on top. Sorry there aren't more details... but I'm a bit tired after my week of servitude.

In kind with most people my age... I often don't have a ton of money to lavish my loved ones with gifts... even for special events like their birthdays. So the following is list of a few things that you can do to show that special person just how much they mean to you.... on the CHEAP.

Make your gift(s). Now this seems pretty straight-forward and common, but there are some pitfalls to avoid. First off, if you're gonna make something for her... go ahead and make everything for her... including the cake and dinner. Include a gift of some sort.... something you have a talent for.... make a picture... write her a song.... build her a birdhouse.... write a very special video game starring her.... whatever. Just make sure it represents your VERY BEST work and that it is something SHE will enjoy. If you've done this a few times in the past perhaps its best to forgo your normal homemade gifts and do something different. The point here is to spend time doing something just for her.

Spend time with just her. If you don't have a lot of cash at your disposable... just spending time together at home can be a great way to spend the day. Watch the movies she loves to watch... play a game or do some activity that she's always begging you to do with her. Any way that you choose to do it.... just be sure to make the whole day about HER. Sitting home together, even if your cuddling, and watching your favorite movies while she reads a book isn't at all about her is it? If all else fails and your girl is too social to appreciate being at home with just you... invite some intimate friends over for an impromptu party for some of that homemade cake and dinner you were planning.

Finally, say the shit you never ever say but really should. Actions often speak louder than words, but its my experience is that every girl "likes to hear it once in a while". So let her know how you feel..... bonus points if you can tie in your homemade gift to express how you feel.

So.... to give you an idea.... heres what I planned to do. Keep in mind that my girlfriend and I live together.... and have been together for five years next week. This means we find seemingly strange things to be sensitive or romantic.

1. Baking her a cake.... more of this to come in Part II.

2. Making her a great dinner she will actually ENJOY. Anyone who knows me will know that this requires quite a bit of effort to avoid my normal scientific experimentation in the kitchen and create something edible.

3. Creating a card for her. I can draw... but I've done pics for her in the past.... so this year I'm just gonna draw her card... probably something funny and tied in with another gift....

4. Indenturing myself to her for one week. She won't have to lift a finger to get herself as much as a glass of water this week. Its all about me showing how much all that she does means to me. Also, its a great way to find out.... if you aren't already aware.... how hard your significant other works on their share of the household responsibilities/chores.

5. Finally, as a part of this week long celebration of her birth.... I will bring her home a small gift everyday after work. This may include a ton of her favorite candy.... a book... flowers.... with something biggish on Friday..... which I cant disclose here bc she reads the blog too :P

Sure many of the things in this list are things you should do no matter what time of year it is.... but the fact is that we all get lazy and going to the extreme to cater to the one you love can not only remind you to do these things more often... but also remind you why you do these things in the first place. All in all.... the important thing is that just because you dont have money doesnt mean you can't give something valuable to someone else. The most overlooked, but probably greatest gift of all, is your time.... so spend it on/with someone you love.

Stay tuned for Part II a chronological account of my making a birthday cake for my girlfriend on her special day.

Again... this is just way easier than sending everyone an email about YouTube.

Thought I would post this link here... instead of emailing it to people. Enjoy!

The sandwich looked so epic, that I decided to throw it in widescreen.

Apparently, when you buy coffee at the store next door, they keep track of it on a "Coffee Club" card of some sort. When you buy enough coffee you get a cup for free.... I think its 6 per card. Quite a few stores used to do things like this... but it gets better. Every week all of the used up cards go into a drawing for a free breakfast sandwich!

This is a pic of the one that I won a couple of weeks ago. I used to buy coffee to wake up in the morning.... now I buy it for the chance at free cheesy-eggy-sausagey bliss. Can you blame me?

As many of you may already know.... anytime someone sends me a survey I post it on my Blog.... this way people who care can read it... and those who don't won't have an annoying email in their Inbox. So here we go:

Four things About Me -

Things you may or may not have known about me in any
particular order.

A) Four jobs I've had in my life(other than the one I
have now):

1. Produce Associate
2. Waiter
3. Laundromat Attendant
4. Portrait Artist

B. Four movies I would watch over and over.

1. Clerks
2. Dr. Strangelove
3. Almost Famous
4. The Station Agent


C) Four places I have lived.

1. New Paltz, NY
2. Saugerties, NY
3. Kingston, NY
4. North Hoosick, NY

D) Four TV shows I love to watch.

1. Lost
2. Heroes
3. The Office
4. Family Guy

E) Four places I have been on vacation.

1. Virginia Beach
2. Orlando
3. Lancaster County, PA
4. Boston

F) Four websites I visit daily.

1. Digg
2. Lifehacker
3. Penny Arcade
4. YouTube/Google Video


G) Four of my favorite foods.

1. Sushi
2. Sicilian Pizza
3. Bangers and Mash
4. Any Home-cooked meal from Mom

Four places I would like to visit.

1. Chicago - beyond O'Hare terminals
2. Japan
3. Australia
4. Mexico

G) Four friends I think will respond.

1. imho
2. idk
3. lol
4. :/

Yeah.... Pete is gonna have his first week long vacation in over three years. No, I'm not going anywhere fun and exciting. I'm just staying home for the most part... catching up on a bunch of things that I haven't had time to thanks to work. If you've got free time this week or wanna hang out, then get a real job. Just kidding. Give me a buzz and we'll hang out!