Thanksgiving 2007
After tearing up the local playground, the day's highlight came when we took his "froggie boots" to the Newport Back Bay. There we found a feeder-stream he could tromp thru (something new).
The froggie boots kept his feet warm-n-dry. He seemed to enjoy dropping sticks in the water and watching them float downstream, and chasing after ducks.
After his mom picked him up (later in the day), I headed over to Tom's place, where his wife made turkey-stuffed acorn squash .. stuffed with nuts, peppers, cheese, and other nutritious treats. (Yummy.)
Tom & his wife are healthy eaters, so I knew it was gonna be good. They recently joined an organic co-op. Every other week, they get a bushel-basket full of organic veggies (such as the acorn squash we ate).
I think he said it costs $35 for ~35 pounds (of assorted veggies). The only bad part is you have to pay for 6 months up front. (And no, they don't deliver.)
Tom had spent the day tearing out his old carpet and sanding the underlying (concrete) floor. So his place had a distinct post-nuclear feel to it, with a slight echo. (Okay, it was more than slight.)
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I actually *liked* the new look, tho. For one thing, I used to (sometimes) feel allergic at his place, cuz he has a cat (named Kira). But now, with the carpet gone, it feels super fresh-n-clean in there. Carpets (especially older ones) tend to trap allergens which can accumulate over time. The only bad thing I could see was, if you ever dropped a glass or plate, it would shatter into a million pieces.
Last week Tom tore down the wall between the kitchen and the dining room, and ripped out the overhead cabinets mounted there, "which is why we don't have any light in the kitchen," he said, pointing to electrical wires dangling from a hole in the ceiling.
Another cool thing is his stereo system now sounds excellent. The acoustics really come alive. He has a 5-speaker satellite system with full surround sound (around a plasma TV mounted over the fireplace).
After dinner we watched Live Free or Die Hard, which is a story about hackers wrecking havoc in the country. Being a techie, of course, I loved it! And growing up on the East coast means I can appreciate Bruce Willis' wry sense of humor. (The Dog, my best friend, like Bruce, is also Jersey-born-n-bred.) When the chopper hovers overhead on-screen, it sounds like a helicopter is preparing to land on the roof.
With dinner, I had my first glass of wine since the accident. Good wine (cab). Had a great buzz going. (I get tipsy easily.) I always feel good hanging out at Tom's place, cuz they treat me (and the Bug) so well, and make me feel genuinely welcome .. but this day I felt extra good.
Enhancing Web Master Skills
On a geekier note, I been learning lots about Photoshop (for the web), Dreamweaver & CSS .. which is why I've been lagging on entries here. Even been learning about generating dynamic web pages (very cool). Only wish I would've learned this stuff sooner. Better late than never.
One more thing » Tom told me they closed (barricaded) the trail (called Marie Callenders) where I cracked my head. (They = park rangers.) I think it was supposed to be a secret trail, used only by mountain bikers in-the-know.