Belly Up to the Bar With Bendy and Her Friendies!!! Button Pics & New Thread Started!

[ChelleinNC]

OMG

Being a faithful/loyal follower (stalker) I've been reading "Argle-Bargle or Foofarah" to learn about Grimmace. There's been a lot of snickering/laughing as I've gone along (with a few "what's so funny" questions from my family) but this bit had honest to God tears rolling down my face, couldn't breath I was laughing so hard I'm glad I was alone while reading this, because I couldn't have explained

By this time I admit that my patience had worn a little thin over the pants / no-pants issue. I hadn't uttered a word of complaint about being cold and since we were spending a lot of time indoors it really didn't matter all that much. I responded a little more forcefully than I intended, "Please stop telling me that I need pants - Jason likes it when I don't wear pants!"



The giant gears ground to a halt; all conversation stopped; the credit card machines went off-line in mid-transaction; and I distinctly heard one guest say, "Well, I expect that kind of promiscuity at Universal but not here..."

Grimace just looked at me for a moment and then said, "Brenda, that's really more than I need to know."

Ok, back to the other report

 

[MA pigletfan]

ok Brenda..i finally got around to reading the Sushi review on " i smelled it.."...OH MY !!! i am absolutely dragging Greg there in october! Now color me confused, but is the sushi bar at the reg. wolfgang's in downtown? I just need to make sure that there will be non fishies for Greg to eat...he loves looking at sushi, but leaves the eating of it to me..which is fine by me!!

 

[whogirl'smom]

OMG

Being a faithful/loyal follower (stalker) I've been reading "Argle-Bargle or Foofarah" to learn about Grimmace. There's been a lot of snickering/laughing as I've gone along (with a few "what's so funny" questions from my family) but this bit had honest to God tears rolling down my face, couldn't breath I was laughing so hard I'm glad I was alone while reading this, because I couldn't have explained



Ok, back to the other report

Yeah, she go called Brenda No-Pants for a while after that!

Brenda, were you able to get out and about today after your class? We're pulling for you (while we eat M&M's) hahahahaha!

 

[ChelleinNC]

Brenda, were you able to get out and about today after your class? We're pulling for you (while we eat M&M's) hahahahaha!

I would gladly cheer you on while eating M&M's, but I'm all out
I've got a pot of coffee brewing and a bottle of Kahlua waiting. I'll cheer ya on with that

 

[oybolshoi]

Hope you're not too sore today.

I'm actually doing pretty good ... a little sore here and there but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.

I'm sure you woke up sore today!

I'll take a picture of all the snow we got when I get home later today.

I'd love to see the snowy be-yoooo-tee that is the northeast after all that snow.

I dunno...my best friend still laughs about the time she looked at my foundation makeup and saw the color was alabaster. Yea, I know I'm pale. But they need to rename that color to something that sounds a little more appealing.

Congrats on your first class, by the way!

Thanks for the first class congrats! One down, 35 more to go!

OMG

Being a faithful/loyal follower (stalker) I've been reading "Argle-Bargle or Foofarah" to learn about Grimmace. There's been a lot of snickering/laughing as I've gone along (with a few "what's so funny" questions from my family) but this bit had honest to God tears rolling down my face, couldn't breath I was laughing so hard I'm glad I was alone while reading this, because I couldn't have explained


Ok, back to the other report

Yes, for some reason that part of the trippie seems very popular. I'm glad you're enjoying it .. it's a lot to read and I never did finish it because the last day and a half were all about food and since I covered that in the reviews I didn't feel like doing it again.

It was fun to write but very time consuming ... much more so than I expected it to be.

ok Brenda..i finally got around to reading the Sushi review on " i smelled it.."...OH MY !!! i am absolutely dragging Greg there in october! Now color me confused, but is the sushi bar at the reg. wolfgang's in downtown? I just need to make sure that there will be non fishies for Greg to eat...he loves looking at sushi, but leaves the eating of it to me..which is fine by me!!

The sushi bar is at the Puck's at downtown disney's West Side ... across from the movie theatre and next door to House of Blues. If you dine in the regular restaurant I'm pretty sure you can order sushi from the bar while your lovey orders something more to his taste from the regular menu. It was fabulous so definitely go there if you get the chance!

Yeah, she go called Brenda No-Pants for a while after that!

Brenda, were you able to get out and about today after your class? We're pulling for you (while we eat M&M's) hahahahaha!

Actually I think the official name was One-legged-bewb-flashin-for-freebies-no-pants-wearin-brenda.

And yes, I was actually quite mobile today ... a little achy in the legs but nothing too bad and the nerve trouble that I was really worried about seems to be OK right now.

I would gladly cheer you on while eating M&M's, but I'm all out I've got a pot of coffee brewing and a bottle of Kahlua waiting. I'll cheer ya on with that

I've had a 10-minute bout of baby pterydactyl hiccups going over here and I just told Jay I need coffee with Kahlua mocha to make them go away!

 

[D&R love Disney]

Got to love winter in MA.

 

[MA pigletfan]

Got to love winter in MA.

looks like our neighborhood spring IS coming right!???

 

[Tink rules]

Got to love winter in MA.

FINALLY.... someone got more snow than me... (btw... I LOVE your house!!!)

 

[ChelleinNC]

This is our March 1st snow

Front yard garden next to porch

Driveway looking across/down the street

Backyard

Keep in mind, I live in North Carolina and this was our 3rd snow day of the year

 

[oybolshoi]

pretty snow pictures ... you guys have such lovely homes.

We haven't had any measurable snow since the end of January. I doubt that we'll see any more this season ... it's rare for us to receive late winter / early sping snowstorms. It does happen but not very often.

We're going to be in the 60s today and tomorrow, pushing 70 by Saturday. Wheeeeeee!

 

[oybolshoi]

Ooopise Woooopise ... Bad Economy Takes a Bite Out of Food Plans ...


I had posted on the blog about some things that Jay and I had planned for the next 15 months or so ... most of them crashed loudly earlier this week. Jay's company announced that they are laying off 10% of the entire workforce (about 500 people) and those people who are fortunate enough to keep their jobs will be facing mandatory salary cuts and bonus elimination.

Thankfully Jay is going to keep his job but his annual income (bonus included) has just been whacked by about 25%. I still have my job and am not worried about losing it (yet) but I will not be receiving a merit / cost-of-living increase this year (although people not in management at our company will, so that's a good thing - they need it more than I do) and our bonus program will likely be eliminated this year too.

So, we have much less disposable income to play with this year. I've already canceled the Memphis / Peabody trip ... we're just going to spend the week here in Stinktown (hope it doesn't smell too bad) and use our gift certificates to try some new places.

Also, my parents were going to get us a gift card to Mandalay Bay to help us with the trip we were going to take in May 2010 for Jay's birthday ... they are in Vegas as I type and I had to call them Tuesday night and tell them not to do it. I would hate for them to spend money on a gift card only for us not to be able to use it like we planned. So, with things so uncertain I told Grimmie to go on a gambling spree (like she needed my encouragement to do that ... ).

We're still headed to WDW in October since we already have that reservation made and we have gift cards for our airfare. If we can put aside enough to make us feel like we can afford the splurge then we will we just eat ourselves silly then.

While I'm a little bummed about having to cancel things we were looking forward to, my motto is Nil Desperandum followed closely by We Can Still Afford Booze, Right???

We're fortunate that we both still have our jobs and health insurance so you'll hear no whining here. And who knows ... maybe this cost-cutting measure now will mean we can do something special in October.

Maybe.

Hope everyone is well ... where's Shovan? I haven't seen her lately ... is she having back trouble again? Here's a big huggle for our friend down in Nola:

 

[whogirl'smom]

So sorry about your job situations! That is a very worrisome thing, but it is a relief that Jason won't be laid off. I can't believe how many businesses are closing around here--we've lost a few accounts because of this. My bff told me that her (already retired) aunt lost $250,000 from her retirement account in the past year, now that is scary!

At least you live near a big city (to me, anyway) to plan some things for your anniversary. The ducks will still be waiting for you.

 

[oybolshoi]

So sorry about your job situations! That is a very worrisome thing, but it is a relief that Jason won't be laid off. I can't believe how many businesses are closing around here--we've lost a few accounts because of this. My bff told me that her (already retired) aunt lost $250,000 from her retirement account in the past year, now that is scary!

At least you live near a big city (to me, anyway) to plan some things for your anniversary. The ducks will still be waiting for you.

I hear ya ... if Jay lost his job we'd be hurtin fer certain.

And my parents feel your friend's aunt's pain ... they lost a substantial amount of money last fall in the stock market. I kept telling them that they were past the age where they should be invested in the market but the problem was that nothing else was paying returns that kept pace with inflation.

And although our losses were "paper" Jay and I have lost more than 50% of the value of our investments since last summer.

 

[D&R love Disney]

I love seeing pictures of snow in the south

Brenda sorry to hear about the cutbacks At least you both still have your jobs and plans for the F & W fest in the fall.

 

[shovan]

Ooopise Woooopise ... Bad Economy Takes a Bite Out of Food Plans ...

Hope everyone is well ... where's Shovan? I haven't seen her lately ... is she having back trouble again? Here's a big huggle for our friend down in Nola:

Hey Brenda, Here I am! The neck/back issues have continued & my DD (only 26) is also having the same troubles. We have both had surgery suggested, so I've been in a total funk. Trying to figure out how to coordinate it all for both of us is going to be tough. I had another neck injection last Friday, so I am at least starting to feel better for a little while anyway.

I'm so sorry to hear about Jay's work cutbacks & the effect on your Partying ways!! I know that hurts! But as you said at least you both still have jobs & insurance.

It's really starting to hit everyone isn't it. My DD just told me yesterday that she might ( most likely) will be laid off. She's super bummed worrying about income + insurance.

 

[Tink rules]

Ooopise Woooopise ... Bad Economy Takes a Bite Out of Food Plans ...


I had posted on the blog about some things that Jay and I had planned for the next 15 months or so ... most of them crashed loudly earlier this week. Jay's company announced that they are laying off 10% of the entire workforce (about 500 people) and those people who are fortunate enough to keep their jobs will be facing mandatory salary cuts and bonus elimination.

Thankfully Jay is going to keep his job but his annual income (bonus included) has just been whacked by about 25%. I still have my job and am not worried about losing it (yet) but I will not be receiving a merit / cost-of-living increase this year (although people not in management at our company will, so that's a good thing - they need it more than I do) and our bonus program will likely be eliminated this year too.

So, we have much less disposable income to play with this year. I've already canceled the Memphis / Peabody trip ... we're just going to spend the week here in Stinktown (hope it doesn't smell too bad) and use our gift certificates to try some new places.

Also, my parents were going to get us a gift card to Mandalay Bay to help us with the trip we were going to take in May 2010 for Jay's birthday ... they are in Vegas as I type and I had to call them Tuesday night and tell them not to do it. I would hate for them to spend money on a gift card only for us not to be able to use it like we planned. So, with things so uncertain I told Grimmie to go on a gambling spree (like she needed my encouragement to do that ... ).

We're still headed to WDW in October since we already have that reservation made and we have gift cards for our airfare. If we can put aside enough to make us feel like we can afford the splurge then we will we just eat ourselves silly then.

While I'm a little bummed about having to cancel things we were looking forward to, my motto is Nil Desperandum followed closely by We Can Still Afford Booze, Right???

We're fortunate that we both still have our jobs and health insurance so you'll hear no whining here. And who knows ... maybe this cost-cutting measure now will mean we can do something special in October.

Maybe.

Hope everyone is well ... where's Shovan? I haven't seen her lately ... is she having back trouble again? Here's a big huggle for our friend down in Nola:

So when do you want me to start the "Send Bendy & Jay to WDW" 50/50???

Remember...I've got you covered for at least 1 event...

I hear that & are included... (so how many snack options does Planky have to save up for 4 people???)

 

[ChelleinNC]

I love seeing pictures of snow in the south

I don't It was 60 today and there were still remnants of snowmen up & down the street

Brenda sorry to hear about the cutbacks At least you both still have your jobs and plans for the F & W fest in the fall.

it really sucks to be a responsible grownup

 

[oybolshoi]

Here's hoping all of us hang on to our jobs and our health ...

As for our anniversary in May ... since we're going to be staying here in Stinktown, I've suggested the following fabulous lineup to my darling hubba:

A baseball game (he never has been to the new and not all that improved Busch Stadium which opened two years ago ... I've been twice courtesy of the bank, in better times)

A visit to Morgan Street Brewery where we held our rehersal dinner ten years ago ...

Dinner at Wasabi (sushi and a gift certificate)
Dinner at the Scottish Arms (partially covered by a gift certificate)
Dinner at Harvest (a really good local restaurant that's not cheap but not 4-star expensive)

Spring cleaning of the bleachiest kind
landscaping
house painting

I've tried nothing and I'm all out of ideas.

 

[Tink rules]

Here's hoping all of us hang on to our jobs and our health ...

As for our anniversary in May ... since we're going to be staying here in Stinktown, I've suggested the following fabulous lineup to my darling hubba:

A baseball game (he never has been to the new and not all that improved Busch Stadium which opened two years ago ... I've been twice courtesy of the bank, in better times)

A visit to Morgan Street Brewery where we held our rehersal dinner ten years ago ...

Dinner at Wasabi (sushi and a gift certificate)
Dinner at the Scottish Arms (partially covered by a gift certificate)
Dinner at Harvest (a really good local restaurant that's not cheap but not 4-star expensive)

Spring cleaning of the bleachiest kind
landscaping
house painting

I've tried nothing and I'm all out of ideas.

Well, we could give you some ideas... but this is a family thread....

So what date is your anniversary?

 

[Tatania]

We're fortunate that we both still have our jobs and health insurance so you'll hear no whining here. And who knows ... maybe this cost-cutting measure now will mean we can do something special in October.

With the banking, insurance, manufacturing & auto industry all in a meltdown, it's a scary situation for everyone and I agree about the no whining for all of us who still have jobs. Being in the entertainment business we haven't seen audiences shrink too badly yet, but that can all change very quickly if people have no money to spend and corporations can no longer sponsor concerts. My summer job as tour host in Europe is toast for now because the travel industry is in a huge slump - made worse by the fact that the Canadian dollar keeps plummeting.

I love the snow pictures as it looks so romantic. We don't get a lot of it on the Best Coast.

Three-star Michelin chef, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, just opened a new restaurant in Vancouver and a group of us went for lunch the other day.
You could have any two dishes on the menu plus dessert for $28 and all the food was exquisitely prepared. We started with:

Steamed Shrimp Salad Tender Greens, Avocado, & Champagne Dressing

and Dungeness Crab Cake with Celeriac-Pink Peppercorn Remoulade

The shrimp were plump and tender and the Champagne Dressing had just the right amount of tartness (I don't like dressings that have too much vinegar). The crab cake tasted heavenly - perfectly seasoned & cooked.

For the main course I had Soy Glazed Short Ribs with Apple-Jalapeno Puree
& Rosemary Crumbs

The ribs were boneless and tender enough to eat with a fork. I liked the contrast of the crunchy julienned apple with the very tender meat.

Other entrées were Arctic Char with Truffle Vinaigrette and Beef Tenderloin with Soy-Caramel Sauce.

I could live off of sweet things so my favorite course is always dessert. The Warm Chocolate Cake was good but I've had "Lava Cake" type desserts many times and this wasn't the most outstanding.

Better was the Pavlova with Passion Fruit Sorbet but again, it wouldn't be something I'd rave about.

My girlfriend and I had a laugh over the individual bathrooms which are extremely elegant and lined it with mirrors. The last thing you want to see either during or before your meal is yourself sitting on the porcelain throne from every angle! That puts me off my feed for sure