Master of Questions (and other Nonsense)

Trivial Problem

I’ve been asked by my boss to act as Emcee for Holiday Trivia at our Christmas Meeting/Gathering. There will be some training before hand, catered dinner, and Holiday Trivia.

I’ve never been to a Trivia night at any local bar or pub. Because of this, I really have no idea how they play. I know a few bloggers who have and some friends who go, but it seems that every place does it a bit differently. Getting questions for this is no issue – all I had to do was go into my folder of Christmas trivia I used when I was on the radio. It is the execution of the game itself that I don’t know.

The basic gist of the thing is that there are 2-5 rounds of questions. Teams write their answers to the questions on a piece of paper or on index cards. There are points for getting the right answers. Some places wager on questions based on the topic. I really am clueless. I plan on doing some sort of search online to see the best way to do this.

Have you ever been to one of those trivia nights? Any suggestions?

Our doc is probably sick…. of us!

Over the past 10-11 days, every one of us has been to the doctor. Today, I had both kids in the office again because their coughing sounded awful. We were worried that the gunk we all got was in their chest and might lead to pneumonia.

I swear, between in office visits, ER visits, telemedicine calls, and messages back and forth through the office portal, our doc has got to be sick of seeing our names! On the other hand, she might just thank us for making her house payment this month!

Chilly Fun

Daisy finally got to go outside in the snow. She wasn’t really sure what to make of it. She was biting at the falling snow for a bit and really didn’t know what to think about walking on it. It didn’t take long and she was running round and rolling in it. She was even eating it off the ground.

The kids were insistent about going outside when the snow fell. Neither was feeling great, but they wanted to see the snow. We bundled them up real good and we were outside for 10-15 minutes. In that time we started to build a snowman.

At first glance, in the above photo it looks like Andrew is putting the snowman’s head on. That, however, was not the case. He has actually removed it and about 2 seconds later, he threw it on the ground. Then he and his sister jumped on the rest of the poor snowman. Sigh.

Elfin’ Around Again

The Elf on the shelf is back and once again, I have to be creative with it. I’ve been lacking a bit, but the kids still get a kick out of it. Two nights ago, I just put it on top of the TV looking down. The laughed at that more than the Elf and Barbie looking at Christmas lights…

Last night, I printed some pictures of the elf and made it cover all our faces in the pictures on the wall…

Perfect Gift

I’m not sure who might read this, but this will be a bit cryptic. My wife’s Christmas present is on the way. All I will say is that I may have mentioned something about it in a past blog. I have seen some pictures and I cannot wait to see it in person. I truly believe that this will be a BIG surprise for her and I hope that she will love it!

I’ve had to tell her that there is a package arriving and that she cannot open it when it comes.

NOT Eating Good in the Neighborhood!

It is my fault. Sunday night, I was going through some things and found a white envelope with my name on it. My radio name. I opened the envelope and it was a Christmas card from my old boss at WCRZ – Cars 108. I must have just returned to the station as she had written, “Glad to have you back as part of the team.” This was probably from four years ago. Inside the card were two gift cards. Two Applebee’s gift cards.

I turned them over and the area for the pin number had not been scratched off. In my mind, this means that I never used them. My first thought was that I would be able to use them to take my wife out for dinner on a date night. I had no idea how much was on each card, so I called the number on the back of the card.

Each time I tried to call, the call would not connect. I tried numerous times. I thought maybe it was something wrong with my phone. So, I decided to try to check the balance online. I typed in the numbers on the first card and entered the pin. The website stated that there was an “error.” I tried the second card and it did the same thing. I decided to try the number again. It still wouldn’t connect.

I decided to see if someone at the local restaurant could look up the balance. I called the local restaurant and they were happy to help. I gave them the numbers and the pin numbers of both cards. Both times I was told that nothing was coming up. I had to chuckle. Of course they couldn’t find anything.

According to all the Applebee’s sites, the cards never expire. I really find it hard to believe that our boss, who gave these cards to everyone on the staff, would have given us all cards that were never activated (which is what the restaurant suggested). If that was the case, I am sure I would have heard about it.

I have no idea how much would have been on the cards, I’m sure it was probably no more than $50. But it sure would have been a nice little treat to have found out that they were still good. I’m glad I didn’t take my wife there and find out as we paid that there was an issue with the cards.

A Golden Gift

Outside of a wedding ring, I don’t know many men who wear a lot of jewelry (unless they are a rapper!). I know a few guys who wear a chain around their neck or maybe a bracelet. I don’t wear much jewelry, and up until a year or so ago, I only wore a ring. Due to money issues in my first marriage, I ended up pawning a few gold charms I had, and eventually my wedding ring. If I hadn’t put my foot down, I may have been forced to pawn a very special piece of jewelry.

In a recent blog, I posted a picture of my daughter on my chest. In that picture, you can see a bit of a necklace that I began wearing again within the past few years. This is the brief story of this golden gift that means quite a bit to me.

My grandmother had given me a chain with a cross on it when I was probably about 13 years old. The chain ended up breaking because it was so thin, and she gave me another one. One Christmas I had asked my parents for a trumpet charm to wear on that chain. I wish I could remember the year, but that escapes me. It may have been shortly after my grandpa died in 1981, but I’m not sure.

At any rate, I remember it being the last gift my mom handed me to open that year. It was such a simple charm, but I loved it. She told me she had it specially made for me. She knew some jeweler who had made a ring or something for her and they did it. I wore it all the time – until a few years after I got married.

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At some point during that relationship, I was told how silly it was to wear the necklace. “You’re not even in band anymore. That horn sits in the case collecting dust. You look silly wearing that thing,” I was told. So I took it off and it sat in my jewelry box for years.

Fast forward to a few years ago. I was moving some stuff around at the house and my jewelry box fell and the stuff in it fell out. As I picked up things like my class ring, my tie clips, tuxedo studs, I picked up my necklace. I immediately thought of my mom and just how happy she was to give that charm to me. So I put it on. Sam said she’d never seen me wear it before and I told her why I stopped wearing it. She told me she liked it and told me I should wear it anytime I wanted. I haven’t taken it off since. I have actually had patients ask about it while I am working. My nieces always ask about it (and try to play it) when I am holding them. I am sure Ella will do the same when she gets bigger. She will even occasionally grasp onto the chain when I am holding her today.

The only other piece of jewelry I would ever consider wearing is a pinky ring – after all, I am Italian. Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra both wore matching pinky rings that Frank had made for them, a gesture that showed their love for each other. I think it’d be cool to wear one.

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The chain and charm are one of two pieces of jewelry I wear every day. The other is my wedding ring. Each piece is a reminder of very special women in my life. One promise I can make – you will never see me walking around with this ridiculous amount of jewelry on!

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Holiday Wake Up

As a midnight shifter, I drink a lot of coffee. I can thank my grandfather for my love of coffee. He gave me my first cup (mostly cream and sugar) when I was about 11 or 12. As I grew older, I began to just drink it black. The only time I really drank it with cream and sugar was when I went to a restaurant (because the coffee pot often sat on the burner and it often tasted burnt). My first real radio job was working 1am-5am on air and then staying and helping the morning show. I drank a lot of black coffee back then!

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I could be wrong, but back then, I don’t really recall flavored coffee being a thing. There may have been some creamers that were flavored like hazelnut and French vanilla, but that was it. Mostly, though, if you used creamer – it was half and half. I don’t even remember when I tried flavored coffee or even what flavor it was the first time I tried it. What I do remember is that I wasn’t really sold on it.

I don’t think I would refer to myself as a coffee connoisseur in any means, but I do love it! I can drink it almost any time. I think, to a degree, I drink coffee to stay awake (when I work). However, I also like to drink coffee for the taste of it. To me, “a delicious cup of coffee” (as my friend Donnie P used to say) is the perfect companion to a good book or movie.

A Holiday Favorite

I don’t know how many years ago it was, but I was in the mall doing some early Christmas shopping. That was when I first discovered The Coffee Beanery. I remember walking in and seeing a board that listed the coffees that were brewed and ready to serve and one stuck out to me. Cinnamon Holiday Blend. I love cinnamon, so I thought I would taste it and see how it was.

I have to tell you – it was delicious! I asked for a cup and went about my shopping, enjoying this cup of coffee the entire time. It was so good that I had to go back and get another cup before leaving the mall. I then found out that you could but bags of it there, so naturally, I had to do just that.

For years, whenever the kids asked what I wanted for Christmas, I had a simple answer for them – coffee. It was the perfect gift! It wasn’t a tie that would just hang in the closet and maybe get pulled out once a year. It wasn’t some cheap gift bought at the secret Santa shop from school. It was a gift that they knew I would use and enjoy! It’s a given now – buy dad some coffee.

I try to buy an extra bag or two when I know that it is out, so I can make myself a pot every couple of weeks or at least once a month until it is once again available. I have found that when you add Italian Sweet Cream creamer to it – it is even more delicious!

According to the Coffee Beanery website, the blend contains spices, almonds, and cinnamon. Blended together, this is one amazing coffee. One year I went to buy it and there was a woman there telling the cashier that her holidays are not complete without this Cinnamon Holiday Blend. I told her I felt the same way! She said it is a highlight for her family at Christmas dinner.

I have yet to get out and grab a bag this year. There was a bit of a delay in that the store, which was located in the mall, was in the process of moving to a new building across the street from the mall. They are finally open and with the next paycheck, I may have to go up and grab a bag or two!

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The Cinnamon Holiday Blend from Coffee Beanery is probably my favorite coffee of all time! Don’t be fooled by the various “holiday coffees” served by other places like a co-worker of mine was! She came in one night and said, “I bought that holiday coffee you were talking about.” It was some expensive coffee from one of those other places and it tasted like strong burnt coffee with a pinch of someone’s dirty underwear! URGH!!!

Coffee Beanery did not pay me to promote this coffee – this is a sincere and truthful blog about one of the things I absolutely look forward to each and every holiday season. Stop in and try some – I think you will enjoy it!