10 quick ones

1) Who decided that a cucumber was not a vegetable? All my life, I thought cucumbers were vegetables. Seriously, who makes the decision on what is a fruit and what is a vegetable? What is the standard?

2) Let's stay with the food thing for a little bit. On New Year's Eve, I'm going to the Chicago Chop House for the first time in maybe 15 years. They have one of the best steaks I've ever had and I love that the customer has the option to order it wet aged or dry aged. I'm definitely thinking a bone in Kansas City strip is in the works.

3) I finally had to cut ties with a friend I've known for 6 years. We can disagree on political issues and all of that stuff. But when somebody goes bashing people who believe in God and also insists that people can't control certain things, particularly sexual preference, I just have to draw the line. I just can't respect that type of propaganda or anybody who would dare spread it.

4) I definitely plan on seeing Manchester by the Sea this weekend. I went to college about five minutes from there and I have a feeling this film will bring back a couple of memories.

5) I have a new shower installed in my bathroom and I must say it looks beautiful. It's bright white with a small lip, so I don't have to deal with a bathtub anymore. The one downside is the water pressure is nowhere near as good as it used to be. I don't even have a dial to turn to get different levels pressure. I wonder if $3,500 was really worth it. Then again it's actually draining, so maybe it was.

6) I can't believe I'm going to a church where the freaking bass player wears the Chicago Cubs hat every week. I can't believe they actually allow people to wear that crap on stage. It's inappropriate and it's distracting. And I would say that about any sports team. You just don't do that in church.

7) It feels so strange being home for Christmas. This is the first Christmas season in maybe six years where I have not traveled anywhere. And without having a whole lot to do and not having my actual computer around, it's tough to be able to do much except work around the house. The first of four days off was filled with crawling through traffic and dealing with technical issues with my computer and TV, not exactly a day of fun.

8) I hadn't been bowling and maybe a year-and-a-half, and on my first game out last Sunday night, I bowled a 188. I don't think I've ever had a higher score than that in my life. Unfortunately, it's not going to work out with a girl, but when does it ever work out?

9) As I get older, the idea of falling in love and getting married becomes more and more unlikely to me. The whole process of finding somebody, meeting somebody, and trying to not lose them is just so exhausting. And as screwed up as marriage has become in our culture now, I  have to wonder if long-term relationships are really ever meant to work out anymore. Put it this way, it seems you have to have a ton of money just to attract anybody halfway decent nowadays. And it's freaking pitiful.

10) I'm so thankful I discovered the song "Pray For You". After a certain redhead got engaged to an ugly fat slob last week, it is such a fitting song.

Hideous customer service

After today, I don't know who has the worst customer service: Best Buy or AT&T or Dell.

Part of me just wants to let that sentence stand by itself and think about happier things during this holiday season. But with all the difficulties that I have had getting my computer working again it is still weighing my mind down. And since suffering breeds creativity, why not just do this?

So here's what it comes down to. On Friday we had a new carpet installed in the basement to cover up the cement floor. And I must say the gray look with the dark blue spots. It looks really classy and contemporary. But part of what had to be done was all the electronics had to be unplugged and strewn out all over the floor. So when I got home on Friday night, we had no Wi-fi, we had no Direct TV, and we had no working desktop computer.

Now after work and playing bingo with then yelp crowd, I did not get in the door till at least 10 o'clock at night. I stayed up till 1 in the morning trying to figure out all these cords that seemingly had no place to go into. It was like having a jigsaw puzzle at about 30 extra pieces that you have absolutely no use for. I did call AT&T and we did get the Wi-Fi working and I was also able to figure out the DirecTV on my own. But the issue was my desktop computer which I've only had for about 5 months. I would turn it on and within a few seconds, I would get an error message that the power cord was not supplying enough power to run the machine. Then it would just shut down by itself. After about the eighth or ninth time with different chords hooked up and then disconnected from it, I knew it was a serious problem. Exhausted and fed up and after fight number one with my mother, I went to bed.

The next morning, I went through phone calls with AT&T, Dell, DirecTV, and Geek Squad in the span of two and a half hours. The only people who were really helpful were Direct TV, and maybe that was because that was the one customer service rep I talked to whose first language was freaking English. The Dell people were just outrageous. We brought the computer out of box, meaning that somebody else had purchased it, and then returned it, and then we picked it up. However Dell did not recognize me as the owner of the computer. Essentially, they implied that the computer did not belong to us. What that meant was Best Buy never transferred ownership to me. The consequence? Our one-year warranty was not recognized and any parts I was going to get I would have to purchase.

And then with AT&T, they really couldn't come up with any ideas about what was going on or what the real problems were. Although they did want to send a technician to our house and charge us $149 to have anything like that besides the service. And that was after it took 15 minutes just to get a real person on the phone, who of course barely spoke English. And somehow I don't think his real name is Alvin.

The DirecTV guy at least got me figuring out what parts when where and the hookups that made the most sense. We eventually determined through trial and error that the problem had to have been the power adapter that goes from the wall into the computer. I called Geek Squad and they invited me to come in for an appointment and so I did thatat 1:20. An older gentleman named Bruce looked at it and he noticed that the pin from the plug had gotten stuck inside the computer, so the plug itself was not supplying sufficient power, even though I was definitely using the correct words. Since they did not have a replacement battery available, they sent me to a battery store up the road to get one. This Battery and Bulbs store had several 90 watt computer chargers in stock. However, none of the plugs fit into the back of my computer; they were too big for mine. So then I went back to Best Buy, feeling more annoyed, as I felt I was getting a little bit of a run around at this point.

They advised me to look for a universal charger in the store, but they were none left. The only universal charger they had in stock was a laptop charger, and that was never going to work on my computer. They even started looking through the Dell website trying to find the part that would work. They couldn't find anything except a 130 watt charger. The concern I had with that was I didn't know if 130 would be too powerful for my computer. But they assured me it would be okay. And keep in mind even though I had mentioned I had purchased my computer within the year and should have had a free one-year warranty, they still could didn't honor it. At the end of the day, they did not do anything for me. So I went home to contemplate my next move. Best Buy's Computer Service as well as Geek Squad's absolutely sucked.

My mother ended up calling Geek Squad and Dell as well, only to realize that they were no more helpful with her than they were with me. Now she tends to be a lot more aggressive and demanding than I am. But we have been fighting enough about all these electronic issues during the day and when she realize just how bad and unhelpful these people were, she started to understand the challenges that I was facing. Eventually we ended up doing a live chat with a Dell customer service rep and ordered a new power cord that is scheduled to arrive around Wednesday of next week. So we're talking about 5 days without computer access.

What's so frustrating about this, is that I plan on starting to apply for jobs across the country. And my documents are all on that computer and now I can't access any of them. I don't know what God has in store but I'm guessing it's just not my time to apply right now. Hopefully he's closing a door to open up a new one. But as I spend more and more time in Chicago, I realize more and more that I am absolutely ready to get out of here.

10 sad tunes

No matter how much pain, hurt, or frustration people give me, I'm thankful for other outputs. One of the greatest is music. These are ten of the barely known songs I turn up loud when I'm in need of a little hope. Some of them are sad and that's the way it has to be. Some people need happy music to lift them up. It doesn't work for me. I need to express mhow I feel in the moment. Songs like these do it for me.

1) Lost Stars-Adam Levine 
"God tell us why youth is wasted on the young."

2) More Rooms-William Bell
"Take a look out the picture window at the withered yard outside. Take a walk to the nursery where the babies never cried."

3) Somebody Lied-Ricky Van Shelton
"Well, don't worry, it wasn't me. Just someone whose world was torn in two. Someone who looks a lot like me. And loved someone like you."

4) Still Waters Run Deep-Bee Gees
"I see the angel and the devil in your heart. I confess, either one is my addiction. And where you're leadin' me I don't have the will to fight. Out of the darkness and into the light."

5) Promises-Randy Travis
"Back at home, in bed, she's crying. For her love for me is dying. But she'll pray I make it safely through the night. When the morning sun starts showing, to her bedside I'll be going. And she'll hold me while I face the morning light."

6) Colder Weather-Zac Brown Band
"She'd trade Colorado if he'd take her with him. Closes the door before the winter lets the cold in. And wonders if her love is storng enough to make him stay. She's answered by the taillights shining through the window pane."

7) Mental Revenge-Jamey Johnson
"I couldn't make you love me. You only made me blue. So all in all if the curtain should fall, I hope that it falls on you."

8) Dreaming Again-Jim Croce
"I'm not the same, can you blame me, is it hard to understand? I can't forget. You cant't change me. I am not that kind of man."

9) On a Bus To St. Cloud-Trisha Yearwood
"In a church in downtown Nw Orleans, I got down on my knees and prayed. And I wept in the arms of Jesus for the choice you made."

10) The Beast In Me-Johnny Cash
"The beast in me is caged by frail and fragile bars. Restless by day, and by night rants and rages at the stars. God help the beast in me."

Back in the NY groove, part 2

I started the day by taking the 6 to the 7 at Grand Central. I can't recall ever taking the 7 line when I wasn't going to see a Mets game. But this time, I took it all the way to the west to the Hudson Yards. My plan was going to be walking the High Line, which is an elevated walkway on the lower west side of Manhattan. It was sunny and maybe 40 degrees out. I took some pictures of the city when my hands actually felt like gripping my tablet. After maybe ten minutes, my walk was stopped short. All of a sudden, the path just seemed to stop. I guess part of the High Line is under construction. I'll put it this way, I planned on walking from 30th Street down to around 13th Street. I got to 34th. Not quite the length of a morning walk I had in mind.

Since my next step was Madison Square Garden, it suddenly hit me that I may as well just walk east about five blocks. I had an extra hour to kill so I got a smoothie at Jamba Juice (at $9.00 for a medium, it was embarrassing). I was anxious to find a place to charge my phone and sit down, and Penn Station offers neither unless one has a train ticket. And they don't hvae Wi-Fi either. Way to go Penn Station. 

Around 12, I met up with my uncle and we headed inside. I headed right to the Carnegie Deli stand for a pastrami sandwich. It was enjoyable, but it just wasn't as good as Katz's hand sliced meats. It was Kid's Day at the Garden, so I figured I should curtail my yelling. I did that pretty well and was especially proud of myself for never using profanity. Our seats were in the second row of Section 419, the new blue seats. The Rangers were playing the Hurricanes and they did play pretty sluggish, particularly in the first two periods. But Chris Kreider scored twice and Derek Stepan registered three points in a 4-2 victory.  

After I said goodbye to Brian, I decided to go to Cafe 31, since I knew a few people who'd be there. Two guys I knew were having a vicious screaming match over politics. It wasn't just an argument, it was a bonafide cuss out. Two minutes of that and it was over, but it was a very tense situation. I said hello to Danielle, who I rarely communicate with, but it was nice that she gave me a hug anyway. The problem was everyone was in their own clicks and I felt totally out of my element. I tried two other pubs, but I couldn't get to the bars for a drink and I just felt totally isolated, so I decided to just leave the neighborhood.

I walked south on Broadway through Chelsea. Somehow, I thought of the girl who I went out with two weeks ago. Probably because she has the same name. Corny? Yeah, I agree. Anyway, I was thinking I'd go to Mighty Quinn's for BBQ but I decided I wasn't really in the mood for that kind of food. I kept going down 7th Avenue until I got to Spring Street. I walked east through the bustling Soho neighborhood until I reached Little Italy. I decided to go to Lombardi's, America's first recognized pizzeria. I had been there briefly during the prior summer, when I got to try a slice during a walking food tour through Little Italy. They make their pizzas in a coal oven, which gets the oven extra hot and adds that smoky flavor that you just can't get in a wood or brick oven. I had a 40 minute wait, which I didn't mind. I found a quiet local Tapas restaurant bar and had two beers at the bar: another toasted lager and a Stella. The latter was for the simple reason that it was their happy hour beer. 

Back in Lombardi's, I ordered a 14 inch sausage and roasted pepper pizza. I admit I really wanted to try the white clam pizza. But for $35, that was absolutely laughable. Never mind that I wanted to add bacon to it, which would have cost another $4. I drank a Yeungling, followed by a Brooklyn lager. I guess I was feeling pretty jolly. At the table next to me, sat an attractive lady maybe in her mid 30s who appeared to be of Latina descent. She suddenly spilled her drink in my direction. I picked up the orange and cherry off of the floor and I joked if she wanted my attention, she could have just said hello. She was from Houston and was with her daughter. That pretty much prevented any chance of me asking to spend time with her. We did talk about NY and travel for a little bit, but I just didn't feel it was my place to ask to tag along. They left before I was done. As she left, she shook my hand patted me on the shoulder. I just wish she wasn't wearing a glove so I could have actually felt her hand. I left around 7:45 and my plan had been to go to Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar in midtown. But the more I thought about it, I just didn't have any desire to spend more money, especially if I didn't have company. So I just took the hour long 6 ride back to Pelham.

Back in the NY groove, part 1

I had arrived in New York late Thursday night so I could start early on Friday. On the bus and then the train to the Bronx, I ended up in a lengthy conversation with a Panamanian man from Houston and a female filmmaker from San Francisco. We talked about travel, politics, art, and other topics for maybe 90 minutes. Those are just the moments that I walk away from and feeling that I can really connect well with people. Just makes me smile and feel that the world isn't always such a dark place.

So it was Friday morning and I walked over to the Buhre Ave station. When I saw twenty people huddled in the waiting area, I knew something strange was going on. Turns out there was a 45 minute delay because we didn't have a conductor to drive the train towards Manhattan.

It was a long trip to Brooklyn, as I took the 6 to the F, into the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. It's very urbanized, not as rough as it used to be. My grandfather worked there for decades and is known as the birthplace for wrestling legend Taz. I walked past chop shops and dilapidated factory buildings to reach my first destination: Defonte's sandwich shop. When I saw the TV show where Guy Fieri visited this place, I knew I'd be visiting as well. I ordered the rare roast beef, homemade mozzarella, roasted peppers, and fried eggplant. It was one of the absolute best sandwiches ever. But that Italian bread was what made it so memorable. Soft as a pillow on the inside, crunchy on the outside with a heaping of sesame seeds. This is the kind of bread that is just so hard to find outside New York.

As I was wolfing it down along with a bowl of cucumber salad, I got a phone call. My sort of friend Peter asked if I could meet up with him on his work break. So I climbed three escalators, and hopped on the F back into Manhattan near Bryant Park. We walked around for maybe a half hour and he spent most of the time taking about his exploits with women. Apparently, he's currently messaging 26 women. I would have trouble managing six. I know I would be sending messages to women that were intended for someone else.

I explored Grand Central station and their holiday mart with foreign eats and expensive shops. Then, I headed west on 42nd Street to the Mets clubhouse shop. I picked up a few small items, like a car decal and luggage tag. In the mood for dessert, I continued west into Times Square. And there was no other place to go but Junior's for a slice of the world's best cheesecake. I was going to go with blueberry, but I saw they had some pumpkin cheesecake left. I knew that would be my choice.  It was really good, but it needed some moisture like whipped cream or caramel. I like the pineapple topping more for that very reason. 

While in Times Square, I walked past a breakdancing show. The climax was when one of the guys somersault jumped over five guys. It was cool, but they spent fifteen minutes building up. The line at one points was eight or nine people, so to see him only jump over five people was something of a letdown.

I headed back to Bryant Park to explore their expansive Christmas mart. There were so many shops, dozens to be conservative. One of the most memorable was the one that sold metallic art. The artist had created sculptures made of different pieces of metal, including screws and wires. And the results were remarkable; he had projects ranging from Darth Vader to drummers to golfers. Also, there were shops for puzzles, ornaments, spices, paintings, jewelry, books, and just about anything else imaginable. I took care of my mother's Christmas shopping, as I bought here a foot scrub and foot lotion. I have to admit I felt a little out of my element as I shopped for beauty products, but I thin I may a wise investment. Mom would be expecting a gift certificate from the nail salon, so I think this will surprise her. After shopping and passing by food stands I wanted to try (the fried chicken in the waffle cone and the donut stand looked especially good), I headed over to the bar and ordered a Blue Point toasted lager, which is always a priority when I'm in New York. The highlight of the night was the Christmas tree at Bryant Park would be getting lit up while several famous figure skaters would be performing on the rink. Kimmie Meisner and Johnny Weir were the two most well-known. But I decided to leave. There were most places to explore.

It was starting to get dark out, so I made a visit to the NHL store to stock up on some Rangers merch. 

The trip was fruitful as I walked out with a blue Henrik Lundqvist pima cotton T-shirt, a drawstring bag with back support and two zippered compartments, and a commemorative 90th anniversary Rangers hockey puck. Plus since I used my Discover card, I got a 20% discount. In essence, I got the bag for free. 

My next planned stop was going to be Rockefeller center, but I took a detour. On my way to see the famous tree, I passed by the Nintendo store, which I had no idea existed. I went inside and it felt like was ten years old again. They had Nintendo systems set up, stuffed animals of famous video game characters, shorts and hats depicting old school game consoles. I'm amazed these stores aren't in a mall in every major city in America. I played a little Mario Kart and cruised to victory as Toad. So then I moved onto Rockefeller center. The Christmas tree looked nothing short of spectacular. I looked for people taking selfies and offered to take their pictures for them. Two ladies took me up on my offer. 

As I tried to work through the jammed streets around Rockefeller, I heard loud Chrsitmas music playing and a series of oohs and aahs. It was coming from the light show at Saks Fifth Avenue. They had a light show happening on the front wall that was synchronized with Christmas tunes. I only caught the last five minutes, but it was such a spectacular sight. There truly is nothing quite like Christmas in New York City. I also saw the remarkable sight that is St. Patrick's Cathedral. Despite not being Catholic, I am very much into exploring classic churches so I went inside. Little did I know mass was going on, but there were many people standing in the back of the building and taking pictures. 

I got away from the crowds by walking east on 51st Street and I then took the 6 train back to the Bronx. I thought Jimmy and I were going to munch on sausage pizza and watch ROH Final Battle. That was not to be. Gina's alleged hot date fell apart. So I guess Jimmy, Peter, and myself were her consolation prize. We drive into Scarsdale and had Chinese food. I had General Tso's chicken with fried rice. I think it's funny that it came with three pieces of lightly steamed broccoli. I don't know if that qualifies as a vegetable or a garnish. I don't even think I knew that the man who created the dish actually passed away that very day. So General, here's to ya. After that was done, we went back to the house. Peter went to work for his graveyard dishwasher shift and Gina, Jimmy, and I watched Final Battle, even if we missed the first two matches. To see Broken Matt Hardy debut and to then see Kyle O'Reilly win the ROH World title were amazing. And the surprise of the night was the three-way TV title match, considering I'd never seen Marty Scurll, Dragon Lee, or Will Ospreay wrestle before.